This is how cooked Isomalt sugar starts out after boil and color... from here it is pulled until it acquires the shine and plasticity needed to start creating your pieces. Needles to say IT IS VERY HOT!!!!! after a few days of working with it I thought I was so used to the amount of heat that I went ahead and decided to pull it bare handed OHHH NOOO!!!! was I wrong I ended with a huge blister on my left thumb... not funny! of course I noticed/felt I was burned after the class was over in the mean time because of the heat I couldn't tell I was cooking my hands! LOL LOL LOL Don't try at HOME! LOL / For good cotton gloves to protect your hands visit the spa section on the grocery store or in "Bath and Body Works" and look for those nice cotton gloves used for hand spa treatment they work wonderful! they are the perfect thickness to save your little hands.