E'ed and P'ed, since it's a reply to an old message:

Bob (this one) wrote:
zxcvbob wrote:

Bob (this one) wrote:

A column I wrote a while back.

Pastorio

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Candy is dandy...
Have you ever tried to make candy bars? I mean like you can buy
in the stores with fancy wrappers and all. Real candy bars. Here we
go on a very cool adventu you're about to see how to do it. And
then I want you to make up your own.


[snip]

You use store-bought caramels? Shouldn't you start with making a few
pounds of homemade caramel?


Not necessarily. I have made tubloads of caramel on more than a few
occasions, but it wasn't ever appreciably better than Kraft's. I've had
caramels made by pastry chefs that were good enough,, but still not
appreciably better than the commercial.

My intention in this and most columns is practicality combined with a
certain quality level. Making the caramel would add a lot of time and
effort to the projects. Less time to unwrap some packaged caramels. If
people want to go those extra steps, fine. I'm just not making them
mandatory.

I don't subscribe to the idea that homemade is always better than
commercial. I've had too much bad food prepared by sincere and
hard-working amateurs. And good stuff made in factories. We use
store-bought chocolates in candy making. Why not other well-made
ingredients as well? Marzipan? Nut butters? Lekvar? Dried fruit? Jams?

Pastorio


Good store-bought jams are getting increasingly hard to find. Besides,
I have way too many jars of homemade stuff on the shelves. The point is
well taken for the other items you mentioned. (Making homemade caramels
and/or cooked fudge without using marshmallows, chocolate chips,
powdered sugar, nor sweetened condensed milk might be worthy of its own
article.)

Got any hints for using up pounds of jams, jellies, and marmalade?
--besides eating more toast and biscuits? I like making the stuff, but
only eat it in small quantities and not very often. So it piles up on
the shelves.

I was thinking of trying to make "Turkish Delights" (applets and
cotlets) by thickening melted jam or jelly with cornstarch and chopped
nuts. Do you think it would work? Any idea on the proportions to use?
I recently looked at a box from Liberty Orchards and their candy is set
with pectin and modified food starch.

Best regards,
Bob