When you’ve got a sweet tooth, there are few things that truly satisfy it. Sometimes chocolate just doesn’t do the trick. The most sure-fire way we know to satisfy a sweet tooth is Salt Water Taffy! Not only is taffy delicious, the endless flavor variety means that you’ll never grow sick of your favorite treat. But have you ever thought about how salt water taffy went from simple sugars to dancing on your taste buds?
If you’ve ever wondered exactly how salt water taffy is made, stick around! You can learn the ins and outs of salt water taffy production straight from one of the world’s best-known taffy producers — Taffy Town! We have all the juicy, gooey details when it comes to salt water taffy, and we want you to know every bit!
Let’s get started by discussing how far the taffy production process has come since the late 1800s.
The Evolution of Taffy
From humble beginnings, the taffy making process has made a complete transformation over the years. Salt water taffy was traditionally made by cooking sugars at a high temperature, then adding oil of glycerin to the mix.
To incorporate some air into the batch and to help it become less tacky, the taffy was then pulled and folded by hand. This manual task may seem like tiresome, tedious work, but it was considered a wildly popular activity during the late 1800s and early 1900s. In fact, it was a beloved house party favorite to hold a taffy pull, creating your own confection to share with friends and family later on.
Eventually, taffy puller machines were created, and some of the originals can still be seen today in candy shops around the world. Just like onlookers from a hundred years ago, people today are still mesmerized by the twisting, kneading, and pulling of the taffy machine.
The evolution of taffy production has paved the way for more sophisticated technology and a faster process, but the best part of the production transformation is the taffy itself. Not only has the texture of salt water taffy improved over the years, the recipes have been refined and perfected. Made famous by Taffy Town, one of the most popular taffy recipes today is a whipped nougat style method. Cooked sugars are carefully whipped into an egg meringue for a taffy that is sweet, delicious, and simply melts in your mouth!
Flavors have also evolved over time. Where there were once only a handful of flavors to choose from, there are hundreds of taffy flavors on the market today. At Taffy Town, you can find everything from our classic Banana Taffy and Maple Taffy to our outrageous Pickle Taffy and Chili Mango Taffy flavors. You name it, there’s a good chance we have it in the form of irresistible taffy.
How is Salt Water Taffy Made?
As discussed above, the “traditional” salt water taffy production process starts by boiling sugars in a large copper kettle to a high temperature. That supersaturated mass is then aerated to capture tiny bubbles in the candy, making it less tacky and softer. The conventional aeration method uses a pulling machine that twists, stretches, and kneads the salt water taffy into a supple treat. Finally, the taffy is shaped, cut into small pieces, packaged, and shipped.
At Taffy Town, however, we’ve taken the classic production process and given it an extraordinary twist that improves both the texture and flavor! Rather than using a pulling machine, each of our taffy batches are whipped in with a meringue to create an even fluffier air structure. We use evaporated milk and real salt in our recipe for a rich and creamy base for any flavor we make. Clearly, we aren’t your run-of-the-mill taffy shop. With a process & recipes this good, you’re guaranteed to fall in love with our taffy!
Salt water taffy production at Taffy Town takes 3 days from start to finish. Made to order in our Utah taffy factory, our stock is always fresh. Watch the video below to see our total taffy production process, from mixing to packaging.
New Taffy Flavors
When it comes to flavor creation, Taffy Town is the best at concocting new taffy confections! Each year we take in suggestions from customers and follow consumer trend reports to develop new flavors for an ever-evolving marketplace in salt water taffy. Created with in-house testing and support from a variety of flavor companies, our new taffy flavors are tried, true, and tasty through & through!
Ready to begin your journey as a salt water taffy connoisseur? Shop for a fix of delectable taffy by visiting our website! We’ve got taffy flavors from A to Z, thoughtfully crafted with your taste buds in mind. For over 100 years we’ve been the standard for taffy excellence. See what all the buzz is about and order your salt water taffy today.