How to Use a Cotton Candy Machine

Probably you were just a child when you first tasted a cotton candy, and you fell immediately in love with it. But the problem was that you couldn’t find anywhere else other than the carnival or amusement park which made it taste even better.

Since then you have become an adult, and you think that you should make your own cotton candy, which will require a cotton candy machine.

The reasons why someone would get a cotton machine differ, and for some people, it is an entirely useless thing, but other people might depend on the cotton candy machine more than they rely on a washing machine.

Someone tried to be funny and gave it to you as a gift for your birthday, you want to start a small business, or you just love the taste, and you bought it so you could have cotton candy at your discretion.

No matter the reason you must learn how to use it so you could enjoy the cotton candy and turn a useless thing into a treasure. That’s why we wrote this article, so we can show and instruct you how you are supposed to use a cotton candy machine.

What is the cotton candy?

The cotton candy is not only a sweet thing, it is a profitable business as well, but first, you will have to learn how to make it so you can enter this business.

Probably the pink color caught your eye when you were attending a carnival, taste it and fell in love with it. And after that you have wondered how can they make such a delicious thing. Well, it is not difficult at all, and follow some simple steps can assure you that you will obtain that sweet thing.

The color of the cotton candy is white naturally, but many entrepreneurs chose to add different colors and flavors on top of the white sugar so it will be more appealing to the customers and their children.

Probably modern age makes us not to appreciate some little things that we take them for granted, but they were really hard to get ahold of them a few decades ago. For example, when cotton candy first appeared, in 1904, it was labor expensive, and only a handful of people could enjoy them. Today you can find them at every carnival, concert, or any big event for as little as one dollar.

Since its making, the cotton candy has been through some changes, but the most recent one is the explosion of flavors. You can buy cotton candy in whatever flavor you want, from the blueberry, which is the most popular one, to the chocolate or peppermint flavor. Or if you are a meat lover, you can even find bacon flavor.

How to use a cotton candy machine?

The ingredients used for making cotton candy are floss sugar concentrate and regular granulated sugar which you have to mix them or buy a pre-mix floss.

The pre-mix is for fast and efficient cotton which will save you a lot of time, but if you are going to make large quantities, you should go for the concentrate. At first, we would recommend you to go with the pre-mix.

Making cotton candy is easy, and it can be done in six simple steps:

1Into the spinning head, you should load the floss and remember that the spinning head is not to be touched while running.
2The floss will start to liquefy as it’s heating up and because of the fast spinning it will slowly come out and form its cotton-like characteristics.
3When step number 2 is happening, you should lower the heat.
4When the floss is starting to be produced in lower amounts, you should add more cotton candy mix.
5When you have enough cotton candy produced you can twirl out of the machine with the help of a cone.
6You should let the machine to run so the rest of the sugar will burn itself out.

The entire process is really easy, and you can learn it from the first try. And even if you don’t learn from the first try, it won’t take a long time to get a hold of it. And once you learnt the trick, just play with the flavors and innovate as much as you’d like.

The cotton candy machine

High-performance spinning head made from aluminum and metal elements will make a durable unit with fewer chances of sugar getting clogged.
The roll-top bubble will protect your machine when not in use, and it serves as a shield when in use.
Stabilizers and clips will prevent sugar from spilling out.

Making sure that each of the features aforementioned will be a part of your cotton candy machine means that you are on the right track to entertain your kids at the family’s parties or even, the city carnival.

If not used right a cotton candy machine can become a hazard, so for your safety is it recommended to follow these tips:

Don’t plug the cotton candy machine into an ungrounded outlet
Lift the cotton candy machine by its handlers, not the spinning head
Do not touch the spinning head
Keep customers to a safe distance from the machine
Don’t let your kids or untrained people use your cotton candy machine without supervision
The cotton candy machine should be set up on a leveled stable surface, near the electrical source and before you put in use you should check for all parts and make sure nothing is missing

Instruction for cotton candy machine:

You are advised to use a clean, wet cloth to moist the floss pan before plugging it in. The moisture will help the floss to adhere to the pan easier
You should use the sugar, floss, coloring and flavors which are recommended by the manufacturer. Pure cane granulated sugar should be fine for all kinds of cotton candy machines
Fill the floss pan with sugar until 90%
After the warm-up, adjust the temperature to an optimum one
If you see smoke, lower it
Adjust the floaters
Use a cone to gather the cotton candy

If you are going to follow these instructions you should be able to use your cotton candy machine to make cotton candy. And remember that if you are not going to use the machine for several hours, just clean it before.

How to make money from cotton candy

As mentioned before making money from cotton candy is not only possible but is really profitable, because it doesn’t require a huge upfront investment, you don’t need years of learning to use a cotton candy machine.

And if you are an entrepreneur I am sure you already know that this niche is a good business and there is no need explaining why. The only thing that can become a nuisance in this business is the permits, as in many countries and states, you cannot sell anything without a license.

Doing so will result in a fine or worse, so make sure you ask the local authorities the steps you should follow so you could sell cotton candy at the local events.

The initial expenses will go to buying a cotton candy machine which can be around 600 dollars, or you could rent one for a lot less, business permits, a kiosk for your cotton candy which we advise you to make it appealing to the kids and the raw materials. On average these costs will add up to the amount of 1000 dollars.

And since the cotton candy’s ingredients are really cheap, there is room for a considerable markup. Don’t forget to include the electricity, travel expenses or any other cost to the final mark up.

The success behind a cotton candy business is to fulfill the demand without having a lot of wasted product. And to reach this point, you will need to keep note of how many cotton candies you sell to each event you attend and figure out what is the average.

Probably you have already figured out that children will be your primary customers, but they cannot buy without their parents’ permission. And to convince parents nowadays to let their kids eat something made entirely from sugar is pretty difficult. A way of succeeding is to use fruits for flavor and to advertise this as much as you can.

This type of business can work if you live in an area where there are many events throughout the year, and you have enough time to attend them. Doing this business as a part-time job is the most recommended path to choose, but if you like it that much, you can turn it into a full-time job, by attending local events from different cities.

This will require you to travel a lot and spend time away from your family and friends, and we are not sure this is the thing you want.

To make your business even more profitable is recommended to sell other things such as popcorn or pretzels beside the cotton candy. This will give your customers more reasons to stay in line and buy from your stand.

But we are going to keep it only about the cotton candy, and another advice is not to sell more than 4 flavors because at the end you will see that the selling number of all your flavors won’t match the blueberry flavor.

Location is another important aspect you should keep account of because while it is almost impossible to sell cotton candy from a storefront, you will have a lot more success selling from a mobile location.

And let’s be truthful when is the last time you bought cotton candy from your local grocery store, probably never. The reason why you find them only at events such as carnivals is not random, and it would be a nightmare to try and sell them in different places. The rarity of cotton candies only makes them taste better.

Now that you know what running a cotton candy business implies and you still think that you are able to do it we wish you success in your path, and we hope you will serve the best cotton candy from out there.

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Cotton candy machines

If you don’t have already a cotton candy machine, but you are interested in buying one there are enough models from which you can choose. Even if you need it for home use or you need professional ones, a wide array of selection is available.

The Nostalgia PCM805RETRORED is a good option with a retro design and a red-coloring which will attract some glares for sure. It is easy dissembled for better cleaning. One negative point would be that it is a little bit noisy, but considering the places you are going to use it, is not going to be a problem.

The Funtime FT1000CCP it has a retro design as well, with pink coloring and it is the perfect machine for kids parties. It is easy to clean, but the cart it comes with will not prove as functional as you would expect to be.

The Paragon Classic Floss is a good choice if you want something better than a cotton candy machine which is good only for small parties, as the first two listed. It is a semi-professional machine, and it can be used at local events, without any major problems.

Even though it is a semi-professional machine it is easy to use, and intuitive. If you don’t clean it properly, you could waste a lot of sugar.

Paragon Spin Magic is a durable cotton candy machine, made from stainless steel. It is perfect for a small business. It doesn’t come with a top bubble, and you should buy it separately. You have to clean it from time to time, to avoid clogging.

AmeriHome CCM is perfect for those who want to use it only occasionally, at a Christmas party, for example. Also, it would make a good gift for someone who loves cotton candy. It takes 5 minutes to make cotton candy with this machine,so it is intended for home use, with not so many guests attending.

Final thoughts

After reading this article, I hope you have a better understanding of how to use a cotton candy machine, and hopefully you know how to make money out of it as well. In the right hands, it can be a money spinner, supplementing your income or turn it from a hobby to a full-time job.

If you want to enter this market, and you already have your cotton candy machine. You should invest in an eye-catching cart as well. Keep the prices competitive and enjoy it because it can be an amusing thing to do.

If you don’t have a cotton candy machine, but you are planning to buy one. We can recommend you to rent one for the first tries, and get accustomed to the process. After that you could invest in a cotton candy machine which can meet the demand from a local event, a semi-professional one is recommended.

In the end, no matter the reason why you have a cotton candy machine or why you are planning to buy one you have to know how to use a cotton candy machine. It can be an entertaining thing to have around the house, and you could keep the kids entertained at the family gatherings. Or you can make money out it.