Children love cotton candy. Until recently, they had the opportunity to feast on it only on days of visiting zoos and amusement parks. Now, thanks to a compact device for making cotton candy, you can make this delicacy at home.

Cotton candy recipes: video for cooking at home

The principle of making cotton candy

The main ingredient in making cotton wool is sugar. It can be regular granulated sugar or special sugar with food coloring and flavoring additives. Using the latter is much more convenient. With this product, there is no need to add additional ingredients to the sugar syrup during the cooking process.

Please note that this sugar may contain harmful dyes and additives.

Devices for making cotton candy are industrial and compact. At home, compact devices are used. They are small in size with a special turbine in the middle of the upper bowl. The operating principle of the cotton candy making machine is very simple. The required amount of sugar is poured into the turbine, and the device is turned on. When the turbine heats up, the sugar melts and turns into syrup. Then, at high speed, the molten mass scatters onto the walls of the upper bowl like a thin sugar web. This is cotton candy, which then needs to be collected onto a stick using winding movements.

There is another type of device for making cotton candy. Instead of a turbine, it uses a disk onto which pre-prepared sugar syrup is poured in a thin stream. A disk rotating at high speed scatters a thin sugar web onto the walls of the apparatus. Then the cotton candy is carefully removed from the walls of the device with a stick. Using such a device is more difficult, since you will have to additionally prepare sugar syrup. But when using such a device, you can experiment with recipes, additives and dyes.

If you use a machine with a turbine to make cotton candy at home, all you need to do is purchase a sugar mixture with different flavors and dyes.

When purchasing such mixtures, pay attention to the composition. It should contain only natural dyes

If you have a machine with a disk or a rotating plate, you can experiment with sugar syrup recipes.

Fruity cotton candy. Make sugar syrup. To do this, pour one glass of sugar into a saucepan, pour in half a glass of water and a few drops of vinegar. When the mass begins to heat up, add half a glass of any berry or fruit syrup to it. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Turn on the cotton candy maker and then begin pouring a thin stream of fruit syrup onto the rotating disc. Collect the sugar web onto a stick.

Nutty cotton candy. Prepare a syrup from sugar, water and vinegar. Once the syrup is hot, add a few drops of nut essence to it. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat and prepare the cotton candy on the machine according to the instructions.

Classic cotton candy recipe. This recipe uses only sugar and water to make syrup. If necessary, you can add a few drops of vinegar and vanilla essence to the syrup.

So, now we will start making a dish that, as I think, you have not yet prepared at home. Have you long been interested in the question of how to make cotton candy at home? By following our instructions, you will prepare cotton candy, which is made by professionals.

Collecting components

First, we collect all the necessary components and items, namely:

• Forks (you can use Chinese chopsticks or a whisk).
• Half a glass of plain water.
• One and a half glasses of sugar.
• One or two drops of vinegar.
• The vessel in which we will cook this is a saucepan or frying pan.

Be careful when choosing a holder for our sweet dish. It doesn’t matter what you take for this, since it could be a fork, a whisk, chopsticks or something similar, the main thing is that the selected item is held perfectly in an upright position.

Making syrup

After solving the problem with the holders, we move on to the sweet syrup. Mix water, sugar and add some vinegar (a couple of drops). Do you want to make colored cotton candy? No problem. You just need to add a little food coloring to the sugar syrup.

We take the mixture that we have and pour it into the previously prepared dishes. Everyone uses different utensils, but most often it is a saucepan or frying pan. Heat and stir continuously.

We need to bring our mixture to a boil. After everything, remove the dishes from the heat, cool and heat again. So 4-5 reps. Your syrup should turn out golden, but not dark brown. At this stage, it is necessary to continuously monitor our “mixture”. After you have done everything written above, you will have a rich golden mass that will stretch perfectly.

Cotton candy without a machine

Now we will learn how to make cotton candy without using a machine. Dip a fork into the hot syrup and start stirring it in a circular motion using the prepared holder. Your goal is to “wind” sweet threads around the holder. Do this until you have the volume of real cotton candy.

As soon as your cotton wool is completely ready, do not rush to throw away the remaining syrup. Just break your frozen syrup into pieces and you'll have sweet candies for kids. We are confident that your loved ones will appreciate the effort you put into making cotton candy. And even if you don’t get everything right the first time, the main thing is dexterity, which only comes with experience.

We warn you that the sweet threads are very hot. In the process of making cotton candy, to avoid problems, it is better to prohibit your little children from entering the kitchen.

When going with your child to a park, circus or other places intended for family recreation, you will almost certainly see merchants offering to buy cotton candy. It can be difficult to reject such an offer: a sweet, fragrant “tow” on a stick looks incredibly tempting, and the children devouring it look truly happy and satisfied. Convincing yourself, and especially your child, that there is no benefit in it, that it costs a thousand times more than the cost of the products included in its composition, that it will stain your face and hands, is useless. This sweet temptation has long become an attribute of celebration, fun, and childish serenity.
But in order to experience the festive mood by treating yourself to sweet threads wound on a stick, you don’t have to rush to the park or other public place. You can arrange a holiday for yourself and your household without leaving home. Making cotton candy at home is a completely realistic idea. With practice, even an inexperienced housewife can cope with the task. She will only need patience, accuracy and a certain amount of time, unless, of course, she spends money on purchasing the appropriate equipment. A special unit will greatly simplify and speed up the process.

Cooking features

The technology for preparing cotton candy at home with and without a special unit is significantly different. In the first case, you only need sugar or a dry flavoring mixture based on it, in the second - syrup converted into liquid caramel. The syrup can also be used in some types of cotton candy production machines.

Cotton candy production units can be industrial and compact; only the second option is suitable for home use. Such devices cost from 2 to 3 thousand rubles, although you can find cheaper and more expensive machines. The principle of their operation may vary slightly.

Turbine machines for the production of cotton candy have a large bowl, in the center of which there is a turbine. Sugar or a dry mixture based on it is poured into it. Additives for giving cotton candy an appetizing color and aroma, the taste of fruits, berries and other delicacies can be ordered in online stores. They cost approximately 500-1000 rubles per package, which is enough for at least 25 kg of sugar. In terms of cotton candy, this is a huge amount. When the unit heats up, the sugar grains inside the turbine melt and are sprayed in thin threads onto the inner walls of the appliance bowl. The cook can only dip a stick (special or adapted) into it and, using rotational movements, collect caramel threads on it.

Disc devices for making cotton candy require preliminary preparation of syrup, which is poured onto a hot rotating disk. From it, caramel splashes along the walls of the bowl. If you put a tube into the bowl, the sweet threads will entangle it, and you will get cotton candy, almost indistinguishable from store-bought.

Most modern units allow you to make cotton candy using both of the methods described.

Purchasing a unit can be considered advisable if there are many children in the house and children's parties are often held for them. For a small family, such a purchase is unlikely to be justified. If you want to please your children with a sweet treat, you will have to make cotton candy with your own hands, without resorting to the help of a machine. To do this, a syrup is prepared, which is boiled in several stages to a viscous caramel state. It is pulled out with a fork or a whisk, wrapped around two or three supports, which are later separated from each other. The result is 2-3 servings of dessert.

When making cotton candy at home, there are a few things to consider.

• You will have to cook the caramel in several stages, otherwise it will become dark and not viscous enough, and the cotton candy from it will not be tasty and appetizing enough.
• Before preparing cotton candy, the table and other surfaces that may be splashed must be covered with newspapers and cellophane, otherwise you will then have trouble cleaning the room.
• It is easy to burn yourself with hot syrup, which can also splash. When working with it, you need to be careful; it wouldn’t hurt to protect your hands with gloves. Children and pets will have to be removed from the kitchen while dessert is being prepared, although the process will arouse their curiosity.
• To give cotton candy a bright color and aroma, you can use not only ready-made additives, but also natural dyes and flavors. Berry syrups, vanilla and mint extracts, and beet juice (used instead of water) have proven themselves to be the best. If you decide to take the simple route and purchase a special mixture, study its composition to make sure that it does not contain harmful components.

Recipe for cotton candy in a turbine-type machine

• sugar or sugar mixture - 1-2 scoops per serving.

Cooking method:

• Assemble the pre-washed and dried device and connect it to the power supply.
• Wait 2-3 minutes for the device to warm up.
• Place a measuring spoon into the hole located in the center of the turbine.
• Wait until silky threads begin to appear in the bowl of the unit.
• Dip the stick into the bowl and swirl it around to gather the silky fiber around it.

As the sugar runs out, you can add it. Then you can prepare several servings of cotton candy or one large one. After the required amount of treat has been prepared, the device must be turned off, disassembled, washed and wiped dry. You shouldn’t delay cleaning the device - frozen caramel is more difficult to wash off.

Recipe for cotton candy from syrup (to be prepared using a special machine)

• berry or fruit syrup – 20-40 ml per 1 serving.

Cooking method:

• Turn on the unit and let it warm up. The disk will become hot enough in 2-3 minutes.
• Scoop the syrup into a spoon and carefully drop it onto the edge of the rotating disc.
• When threads resembling a cobweb form, lower the tube into the bowl and collect the cobweb around the stick. Don't forget to add syrup to the disc a little at a time.

After preparing cotton candy, the unit must be washed and dried. Don't forget to disconnect it from the power supply before doing this.

Cotton candy recipe without a machine

• sugar – 150 g;
• water – 50 ml;
• apple cider vinegar (6 percent) – 5 drops.

Cooking method:

• Think about what you will use to collect cotton candy. You can use forks, spoons, chopsticks for eating Japanese dishes, and cocktail straws. It is important to secure them strictly vertically at a distance of approximately 10-15 cm from each other. If you place them closer, the portions of cotton candy will come out too small, but if the distance is too large, you will have difficulty wrapping the candy threads around these supports.
• Pour water over sugar and mash with a fork.
• Add vinegar and stir.
• Place the sugar in a small saucepan and place it over low heat.
• Heat the sugar, stirring it often and collecting it from the sides to the center. It is very important not to let the sugar burn, otherwise your dessert will have an unpleasant burnt taste.
• When the sugar is completely melted, remove the container with it from the heat without waiting for the syrup to darken - this is not necessary.
• While stirring the syrup, wait until it cools to approximately human body temperature. It is necessary to stir the syrup while it cools so that it does not become sugary.
• Place the cooled syrup on low heat again, bring to a boil, remove from heat.
• Heat and cool the syrup until it thickens and turns golden. You can check the readiness of the syrup with a spoon: if, when removing it from the container, the syrup reaches for it, it is ready. In order for the syrup to acquire the necessary viscousness, it will have to be heated and cooled 5-7 times.
• Pick up the hot thick syrup with a fork or whisk and wrap the threads of syrup trailing behind the fork around the prepared supports. If they are far away, the sweet threads may simply not reach from one support to another, so if you have no experience in making cotton candy with your own hands, the supports should be placed closer to each other.
• When the supports are entangled in a large layer of caramel threads, the cotton candy can be removed from them and put into a bag. You can divide the treat into two servings or collect it on one stick.

The remaining sugar syrup should not be thrown away. You can put it in a mold and give it time to harden. As a result, you will get a delicious candy. To the products indicated in the recipe, you can add a few drops of vanilla or mint extract, a teaspoon of berry syrup, and a small amount of food coloring. This will allow you to get a brighter and more aromatic delicacy.

Both children and adults love cotton candy that melts in your mouth. But you usually don’t get to enjoy this delicacy often. It turns out that such a dessert can be prepared at home. Cotton candy can be made either with or without special equipment.

How to make cotton candy using a special machine

To make cotton candy at home you will need: - vinegar essence; - granulated sugar; - food colorings; - water; - an enamel ladle (but not plastic or aluminum); - unit for making cotton candy.

Special devices for making cotton candy can be found on sale in hardware stores.

Calculate the required amount of granulated sugar. A kilogram yields approximately 80 servings of cotton candy. Dissolve sugar in water at the rate of 1 kilogram of sugar per 1 liter of water and put on fire. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for another 10 minutes. Add a drop of vinegar essence. Based on this ratio: for 1 kilogram of sugar you need to take 3 milliliters of vinegar essence. Boil this mixture for another 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer until thick, about 25 minutes.

If necessary, add food coloring after reading the instructions that came with it. After this, turn on the device. Pour the finished mixture in a thin stream onto the edge of the disk. As the syrup hardens, it will turn into cotton candy. Turn off the machine and separate the cotton candy from the disk. Cut it according to diameter. Then roll the first semicircle into a tube on the board. Do the same with the other semicircle. Cut the made tubes into several portions. Clean the disk thoroughly. If you want to make a second batch of cotton candy right away, the disc should still be cleaned.

It is advisable to eat cotton candy immediately after preparation. However, you may want to keep it. To store cotton candy, take a plastic bag, place the treat in it, and then place it in the refrigerator.

How to make cotton candy without using a machine

There is another, fairly simple way to prepare this dessert using available means. You will need: - whisks, forks or chopsticks; - 1.5 cups sugar; - frying pan or saucepan; - 1/2 glass of water; - 1-2 drops of food vinegar; - a little food coloring.

First, decide what the cotton candy will be attached to. These could be chopsticks, whisks, forks or something similar. These items must be securely secured in a vertical position on the table, for example, by supporting them on different sides with heavy objects. When the "holders" will be prepared, you can start preparing the sugar syrup. To do this, mix water, sugar and 1-2 drops of vinegar. If you want to make colored cotton wool, add a small amount of food coloring to this syrup.

Before preparing cotton candy, cover the floor, as well as the kitchen table, with scrap cloth or paper. It is quite difficult to get rid of sugar syrup once it has hardened.

Place the prepared mixture in a frying pan or saucepan and heat it over low heat, stirring all the time. After bringing the syrup to a boil, remove the pan from the heat, then let the mixture cool slightly and heat again. Repeat this procedure four or five times. The syrup should be golden brown, but not darker.

Cotton candy, as you know, is one of the most favorite treats for all children without exception. Is it possible to make cotton candy yourself right at home? And how to make cotton candy using a special machine? Let's look at all these questions.

How to make cotton candy at home

To prepare this sweet treat at home, you will need the following ingredients and tools:

• Half a glass of cold water;
• One and a half glasses of sugar;
• 2 drops of vinegar;
• Pan Pan);
• Regular forks (alternatively, you can use whisks or Chinese chopsticks instead).

Let's proceed directly to preparing cotton candy:

1. The forks will serve as what will hold the cotton candy itself. They should be securely mounted on a regular table, strictly in an upright position. For these purposes, simply support them on both sides with something heavy.
2. This step is the most important. Once your forks are secured, start preparing the sugar syrup. To do this, mix half a glass of plain water and one and a half glasses of sugar with a few drops of vinegar. If you want to make colored cotton candy, add a little food coloring to the syrup. Place the resulting mixture in a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring regularly. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let the almost finished syrup cool slightly. Then we heat it up again and repeat this cycle about four times. The syrup should turn out golden brown, but in no case dark. Otherwise, this will be an indication that it is burnt. Ultimately, you should end up with a thickened golden mass that stretches very well.
3. And here's the finale. Take a free fork, dip it in the prepared syrup and move it around your already installed holders on the table. Just wind sugar threads around them until the desired volume of cotton candy appears. If the mass on the holders turns out to be loose, don’t be upset, just gently press it down with your hand.

Cotton candy machine: how to make cotton candy using it

Such devices can be purchased today both in hardware stores and via the Internet. Many families have already acquired such devices in order to periodically pamper their children with cotton candy. Using such devices is very simple. Most often, a person simply pours sugar into a special compartment (food coloring is added there, if necessary) and presses one button. After this, sugar threads appear inside the bowl, which should be wound on sticks.

How to make cotton candy: using improvised means or buying a special machine? It's up to you to decide.