Turkish Delight is too wet
I've made a few batches of Turkish Delight in different flavours. The Rosewater, Vanilla and Ginger flavours have set beautifully but the Orange and Mint flavours have set to a point, and are delicious if eaten immediately, but the cut squares remain wet and keep absorbing the icing mixture coating. As I'd like to package them together in cellophane packets (for Easter gifts) I'm afraid that the wet ones will ruin the lot. Can I do anything to fix them now, after the fact, or should I just start again? I've currently got them in the fridge, uncovered, with as much as the icing mixture dusted off as possible in the hope that this will dry them out.
Best Answer
What you're observing is called syneresis. Most gelling agents such as gelatin and agar will tend to lose water over time, especially as the temperature goes up (i.e. from refrigerator to room temperature).
What is in fact happening is that the squares are drying out and pushing water out to the surface, which is why the powdered sugar gets soggy or even absorbed (the starch in that powdered sugar keeps it stuck to the jellies).
Gelatin being thermoreversible, you can simply melt it and set it again; it'll be a little on the sweet side due to the increased sugar but otherwise fine. Of course, you'll just end up with the same results. You need to add a stabilizer.
Xanthan gum is very good at controlling syneresis and is pretty easy to obtain in health food stores or even supermarkets nowadays. Add a pinch of that and you'll get much stabler results. Another additive I've used to stabilize agar-based Turkish Delight is locust bean gum (carob), although I'm not 100% sure if it works as well with gelatin.
Sometimes, you can just let them dry out - periodically wipe the excess water off the surface and hope that it stabilizes. But be careful; if it's not stable because you didn't use enough gelatin (or didn't use strong enough gelatin) then you might end up with a puddle of goo instead. So if you plan to try this, monitor it carefully.
Personally, I'd recommend tossing it all in a pot, melting it, throwing in a bit of xanthan gum, and setting it again. It'll be fine.
Pictures about "Turkish Delight is too wet"
Quick Answer about "Turkish Delight is too wet"
To fix a batch of soft Turkish delight, you can reheat it and continue cooking off the excess water. You can then pour it back into the mold when you feel it's ready. Trying to cook off all the water, though, is easier said than done.How do you fix soggy Turkish delight?
If your Turkish delights did not set to what you want, do not throw it away. Here is how to fix that.: in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of water and the unset delights and turn the heat to low. Break up the delights with a spatula to help them melt back. Keep cooking and stirring every 5 minutes.How do you dry out Turkish delight?
To prevent the Turkish delight from sweating, it is very important to:How do you thicken Turkish delight?
Cornflour \u2013 Used to thicken the mixture, you need to use cornflour (cornstarch in the US). Xanthan Gum \u2013 Helps to stabilise the sweating slightly afterwards. Gelatine \u2013 Use gelatine powder as a non traditional cheat to set your Turkish delight quicker and easier.Do you put Turkish delight in the fridge to set?
Store Turkish delight in an airtight container in the fridge or in a cool, dry place for up to one month.Turkish Delight
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Oleksandr Pidvalnyi, Armin Rimoldi, Daniel Torobekov, Leo Arslan