SI’m sure it’s happened to you before. You’ve made your isomalt decorations, set them aside, and when you go to use the kitchen torch to assemble them… crack! They break. This reaction is much more visible and common when making lollipops. Let me paint you a picture. You’ve made some beautiful lollipops, and once they’re cool, you take them out of the silicone mold. When you go to use the torch to remove the air bubbles from the silicone, they start to crack.
Don’t worry, this has a solution, or rather, it can be prevented because once the crack appears, it cannot be eliminated.
The cornerstone of isomalt decoration is technique. Without technique, you have nothing, whether in the world of isomalt, pastry, baking, or any other field. Learning the technique is the starting point for evolution, for practicing the techniques you’ve learned. Progress in working with isomalt is rapid if you focus on the essentials, which I will explain below. There are three keys to achieving this technical evolution. The three keys to evolving with isomalt are the Theory of Continuity (TDC).
Why does isomalt crack?
This is more common during winter, in cold climates, or even in summer when working in an air-conditioned room with low temperatures. This reaction is due to the thermal shock caused by the kitchen torch. When the isomalt is cold and a hot flame like that of a torch is brought near, this temperature difference causes the decoration to crack. If the isomalt decoration is very thin, like a petal, it will break. In a lollipop, you’ll see internal cracks; it won’t break completely, but the crack will remain. I have to say that, sometimes, this effect can even look pretty, but it’s not desirable when it’s not the effect you’re going for.
Since it’s on the inside, the crack can’t be eliminated, but it can be prevented and attempts can be made to stop it from happening.
How to prevent isomalt decorations from cracking?
As I mentioned before, this reaction occurs mainly in cold climates, so what we need to keep in mind when it’s cold is that the isomalt decoration shouldn’t suffer this temperature shock. To do this, you need to try to temper the decoration. And how do you do that? Let me tell you…
There are several ways to do it and you can choose the one that best suits you at the time.
- When making lollipops, you can prevent them from cracking by removing the air bubbles from the silicone before they cool completely, when they are lukewarm but almost cold. Doing this at this point will prevent them from cracking.
- If you have a heat lamp, before assembling the pieces or before using a kitchen torch, you can hold them slightly near the lamp to warm them up. Be careful not to hold them too close, as they could melt.
- With a hairdryer you can blow air on them from a distance of about 30cm and gradually bring it closer so that they get some heat.
- Use a heat gun or heat gun. Just like with a hairdryer, start from a greater distance, but don’t get too close because these types of tools are much more powerful than hairdryers.
I hope this article helps you prevent these cracks and that your isomalt decorations look spectacular.
Do you have any questions? Write to me!
I’ve included a video below where I explain everything:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlxNrwYut3E
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