How Candy Canes Are Made.

Candy makers start by cooking up a big batch of sugar, water, and corn syrup. Next, they prepare a mix of starch and flavoring, like peppermint or strawberry. As they blend together, the flavoring binds to the starch. The flavoring mix is emptied into the middle of a syrupy slab. Then the whole thing is fed into a machine that folds the batch repeatedly using shovels and a Now it's over to the automated pullers. These pullers stretch the mixture around a metal post. This action aerates the candy, turning it white. This batch will make 3,200 candy canes, but there's still a lot more work to be done. The candy is rolled into a fat log while heaters warm it until it's pliable enough to shape. Next, strips of red-colored candy are rolled out. A worker stretches and folds it to widen the strip. Two of the red strips are arranged on either side of the white candy. It weighs 100 pounds, so it takes two workers to transfer it to the next machine. It's called a batch roller, and its cylinders roll the candy thinner and thinner, dramatically reducing the log's diameter until it reaches candy cane dimensions. A torch moves across the candy to keep it pliable. Then the sugary batch travels between wheels that slim it down even more. The rope of candy moves forward in a wave-like fashion. This gives it some slack so it doesn't stretch as it moves through the next set of wheels. The candy rope moves through two angled belts that twist it, and a chain of knives cut the twisted rope to candy cane size. This production has been perfectly choreographed. One misstep, and the job would hit a snarl.