How to make Sugar Glass

Step 5 The Execution

Sugar glass does not last long...at all. As I said before, keep it in the fridge until you need it. After only 10-15 minutes at room temperature the glass will start to sweat and get sticky. The longer you leave it out the more it will just bend instead of break.


There are tons of creative ways to use this stuff. You could try and make a big window out of smaller sheets, break a fire extinguisher case, or just break it and stick it to your actors face to make them look like they just went threw a window. Just keep in mind that you can still cut yourself with this stuff.

Comments

[tragerstreit]

It's humidity that causes sugarwork to fall apart; sticking it in the fridge will hasten this process - water will condense on the colder than room temp sugar and cause it to get sticky. A better solution might be to get some dessicant (those silica gel packets) and store the glass in a bag with them until you're ready to go. Ideally, though, you'd just wait for a really dry day to do this. :)

[DrCoolSanta]

There is more to it than just humidity. Sugar crystals tend to bend when they are at higher temperatures. Try heating the glass very lightly and after sometimes it becomes a liquid. Keeping it in the fridge helps this way. On the other hand, putting the glass in water, and it would become sticky, not exactly bendy, and even if it does, I doubt that would happen with just humidity.

[anoel7]

In culinary school we did some pulled sugar work, and making basic sugar glass, but I don't remember how to do it, it's been over 10 years now since I've worked with either pulled or poured sugar. We used light boxes with various wattage of bulbs to heat the sugar to the degree we needed it -- if a 60-watt bulb didn't heat it enough we stepped up to a 100-watt or flood-type bulb that really puts out some heat to keep the sugar warm and to allow is to bend it as much as we needed to. When we needed it to go back to a really melty stage in certain spots we used a small blow torch like you'd use to caramelize the top of a creme brulee (you know the ones I mean - not available in the hardware store - you gotta get these little ones from a culinary tools store. The little "pen" type soldering torches didn't put out enough to do the job.)

Some of the projects were so fragile that they didn't hold up until judging time . . . my partner's project broke just as she was taking it up to be judged -- we couldn't put enough of it back together in order to save her grade, though, with either torch or light box. (That was when we learned the wisdom of making a "back-up" just as ready to be judged. If you don't need it you can always eat it after class!)

For my gingerbread house windows I think I am gonna have to mold it already in squares instead of trying to cut it which could be a real disaster! It would likely shatter when being cut . . .

[g33klaura]

Is it just the photo that makes the glass look so yellow? I'm thinking of using this in a cake creation but I'd need it to be clear. :)