Salt water taffy | Seaside Treat, Chewy Texture, Sweet Flavor (2024)

FAQs

What makes salt water taffy chewy? ›

Like all soft taffy, saltwater taffy is made by stretching or pulling a mixture of sugar and fat over and over until it becomes aerated, or filled with small air bubbles. This gives the mixture a soft, chewy texture that can then be molded into bite-sized pieces.

Salt water taffy | Seaside Treat, Chewy Texture, Sweet Flavor | Britannica.

Since salt water taffy gained its moniker following that offhanded comment after the flooding in Atlantic City, there is really no difference between salt water taffy and regular taffy. There was little or no salt added to the candy over 100 years ago or now.

Salt water taffy is composed of sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, glycerine, water, butter, salt, natural and/or artificial flavor, and food color. Some examples of flavoring include vanilla, lemon, maple, banana, red licorice, watermelon, raspberry or mint extracts.

Bacteria in your mouth feast upon your dietary sugar and produce acidic byproducts. These acids wear down your enamel, the protective outer layer of your teeth. Thin enamel exposes the sensitive inner layers of your teeth and increases your risk of pain and infection.

There really is no wrong way to eat a piece of taffy. But we give super props to anyone that can keep it in their mouth without eating it for longer than it takes to chew it.

When Was Salt Water Taffy Invented? Most food historians believe salt water taffy was invented in the early 1880s. The story begins with a gentleman named John Ross Edmiston. The owner of a small boardwalk postcard shop in Atlantic City, Edmiston hired a man named David Bradley to sell taffy alongside his wares.

Does salt water taffy expire? Yes, taffy can go bad and generally expires six months after purchase. Homemade taffy expires even sooner and only lasts 3-7 days.

Starburst (originally known as Opal Fruits) is the brand name of a box-shaped, fruit-flavoured soft taffy candy manufactured by The Wrigley Company, which is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated.

A sort-of-brief history of taffy (& toffee & butterscotch & caramel) Once upon a time, in both Britain and English-speaking North America, toffee and taffy were variations on the same word. This slipperiness probably started at some point in the late 18^th Century and persisted well into the 20^th Century.

Why is taffy so good? ›

During the pulling process, the taffy is being aerated, which is what introduces little air bubbles into the candy, ultimately giving taffy its chewy and light characteristics. That process of hand-pulling, quite literally stretching the candy with two hands, was the way taffy was made for years.

The purpose of pulling the taffy is to add air in to the candy. This allows for millions of air bubbles to form which is how a clear batch of cooked taffy all of a sudden begins to turn bright white. The added air into the product also adds volume, and turns the candy into a much larger piece.

But during transport, if the outside conditions are a bit too cold (or warm) it can definitely have a temporary hardening or softening effect. Hard taffy is almost a sure sign of cold weather, rather than staleness, unless it has been sitting in grandma's candy jar for the last two years...but I digress.

If our taffy feels hard, it is most likely because it is cold; try holding the taffy snugly in the palm of your hand for a few moments, the warmth should soften it right up!

“In some sense, oil droplets and air bubbles are like rubber balls. When deformed in the taffy, they tend to return to their original, spherical shape because of surface tension. In other words, emulsification and aeration make taffy more elastic, hence, chewier.”

In this taffy recipe, glycerin helps give the candy a soft, creamy consistency. Glycerin can be found in many drugstores, as well as some supermarkets and craft stores in the baking supplies section, or in cake-decorating stores.