Here's How To Use Your Cotton Candy Machine

Spun sugar is a centuries-old tradition that's gone through several renaissances. It's been boiled and stretched, hand-pulled and whipped, and the technique for making cotton candy has been refined over the years. In modern memory, the sweet concoction has been largely confined to carnivals, fairs, and festivals. But now, you can make cotton candy at home and have fluffy homemade fairy floss ready in just minutes. And while you can use your air fryer to make other favorite fair foods, you need a cotton candy machine to make dessert.

Before you start spinning your sugar, double-check that any long hair is tied back and don a long-sleeved shirt to prevent burns from the very hot sugar. It's also advisable to cover your working area with a silicone mat or parchment paper to catch any stray candy wisps before they cement themselves to your counter. You can buy a 6.5-foot silicone countertop mat on Amazon or use masking tape to secure pieces of parchment. Once you start the machine, the difficult part starts.

The trick is to understand how to turn the stick. Instead of whirling it around the inside of the machine with your whole arm, twist it in a circular motion using your wrist and fingers. As you twist, move the stick back and forth toward and away from the center of the machine to control the thickness and height. The sugar strands will build upon themselves, creating a perfect pillow of cotton candy.

If you don't have one yet, tabletop cotton candy machines are actually pretty affordable on Amazon — less than $100. The Nostalgia Old Fashioned Carnival Cotton Candy Machine is a well-reviewed Amazon Choice you can get for a steal. For about double the price, you can opt for something a little bigger that comes with flavored sugar and accessories like paper cones, like The Candery stainless steel cotton candy machine. You can even buy a small but hefty commercial tabletop cotton candy machine if you so choose. Anything bigger than that, and you're getting into triple digits. Of course, that may be worth it if you make cotton candy often enough to invest that much, which is easy to do, given how creative cotton candy is getting these days. 

Cotton candy lovers have unlocked the secret to variety. A popular twist on classic cotton candy is adding concentrated candy flavorings like LorAnn concentrated oils. There's a wide range of flavors out there, from amaretto to wintergreen. Another popular confectioner's trend is to make cotton candy from melted Jolly Ranchers, which makes it sweet with a hint of tart and a lot of bright color. With all these options, there's no need to wait for the fair for good carnival food anymore — unless you're headed out for unbelievable Texas State Fair food.