Who knew baking was so high tech?

September 23, 2010 3:11 PM

Tell me what this weird sugar art/baking device is!

I was watching Top Chef: Just Desserts last night, and during part of the competition one of the contestants put a little but of red stuff into a silver tube-shaped device about as long as his hand and a little thicker than a roll of quarters. The red substance may have been melted candy or something similar. He held the tube up to the light and seemed to be looking for something in the red sugar/candy.

I tried looking through some baking sites and didn't see anything that looked familiar. Does anyone know what this is called and what he was looking for?

posted by Mouse Army to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

Perhaps tempering sugar, like you do with chocolate, so it's all glossy and smooth?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:15 PM on September 23, 2010

Best answer: Sounds a lot like a Brix refractometer. It measures concentrations of sugar in water.
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:18 PM on September 23, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks, seanmpuckett! This one is really close to what I saw, so I'm pretty sure you're right. At least I don't have to feel too bad about my google-fu failing. There's no way I could have know that was what it was called.
posted by Mouse Army at 3:23 PM on September 23, 2010

Psssh, whatever, Mouse Army--call that thing whatever you want but I know a lightsaber when I see one. :) :) :)
posted by Jinkeez at 5:46 PM on September 24, 2010

Response by poster: Hah! I should have totally described it as a lightsaber- that would have been way easier than the roll of quarters thing!
posted by Mouse Army at 10:04 AM on September 26, 2010