dies that have been sugared or for draining confections that
need to be exposed to the air. Those that are oblong in shape are much
more convenient than the round ones. The wires forming the screens cross
at distances of about one-sixteenth of an inch, making really a coarse
sieve. The sides extend up about one-half inch. The screens make
excellently ventilated trays, but for candies that come from an ordinary
crystal the mesh is too fine to allow proper draining. Should the
crystal be very thin, however, the screen can be used for draining,
provided the pieces are well separated and placed only one layer deep.

Wire racks for the drying of candy are among the necessary equipment of
the candy-maker. These may be had in varying degrees of fineness, the
wires forming squares of from three-eighths to three-quarters of an
inch. Squares of one-half inch and under give the best support for
confections, however, and allow ample room for draining. If the candies
are small or soft the large squares give insufficient support. The racks
are without sides, the edges being formed either by a heavy wire or a
metal binding. The supports are made by wires bent down at the ends and
at the center. These racks are the same as the "cake coolers" of
ordinary cookery.

Another method of drying particularly useful for models and cream
centers is a bed of corn starch. Do not use this plan with any
confection the surface of which is wet from the application of pastes.

As the basis for this process buy two or three packages of a cheap grade
of corn starch. The corn starch can be kept ready for use by
occasionally drying it out and sifting it.

Spread the corn starch in a large shallow pan or tray thick enough to
hold the weight of your candy. This gives a non-resisting surface which
keeps the models in form and when dry the corn starch will easily brush
off.

By all odds the most valuable tool for the confectioner, amateur or
professional, is the candy thermometer. Its use is so important that the
following chapter is devoted to a discussion of it.

III

THE CANDY THERMOMETER

For real success in candy-making, the home confectioner needs a candy
thermometer. As is emphasized throughout the volume, accuracy is of the
greatest importance in candy-making. Cooking must stop at just the right
moment, or the candy is either harmed or actually spoiled. Until the
last few years, for the amateur, the only tests to determine the
complet