What You Need to Know
Involves heating sucrose beyond 160°C to form invert sugar (glucose + fructose), then rapid stretching introduces air pockets stabilized by sugar's increasing viscosity during cooling, with surface tension dictating bubble formation.
Enables delicate sugar sculptures and edible containers for modernist desserts while demonstrating sugar's unique thermoplastic properties.
Key Parameters
Temperature
171°C
160°C - 182°C
Time
12-18 sec working window
8 sec inflation - 25 sec workable
Equipment
Copper sugar potBorosilicate glass thermometerMarble slabSilicon inflator bulbsAlcohol lamp for spot heating
Steps
- 1.
Croquembouche (France): Structural support for choux tower
- 2.
Sugar spheres (Molecular gastronomy): Edible liquid containers
The Science
Primary Reaction
Inversion + glass transition