If you make candy on a more regular basis, you may want to invest in a marble slab and a copper caramel pan. What could be better than an interesting science lesson, with lots of handson learning. The candymaking stages and their corresponding temperatures are just ways of measuring water content. Various types of candy begin to take form at the varying stages within this range as well. Temperatures for each stage, ranging from soft ball stage to hard crack stage, must be precise or the candy will not set up properly. A small amount of syrup is dropped into chilled water, it will separate into threads that will bend when picked up. These include the thread, soft ball, hard ball and soft and hard crack stages. The second version is the one i personally like better. On a candy thermometer, hard crack stage is defined as between 300310 degrees f 148. Softcrack stage 270 f290 f 2 c143 c sugar concentration.
So warm the cream either in the microwave or in a separate pot, checking the temp with your thermapen, until it is hot. Dec 25, 2014 humidity can really cause problems with candy making. You can make soft candies like caramels on the lower temperature scale, or hard candies like lollipops at the higher end. Oct 16, 2015 handmade candy cane demonstration at logans candies duration. Because confection recipes are always easily affected by altitude, my aunt, who lives at a much lower elevation than me, suggested i use the drop test method instead of a candy thermometer for figuring out how hard or soft my caramel is going to turn out. Best candy thermometers digital, analog thermometer. When the ball of candy is removed from the cold water, it can be deformed by pressure, but it doesnt flatten until pressed. When a small amount of sugar syrup is dropped into very cold water. The first time you made the candy, you might have neglected the precise instructions and just guessed your way. Temperature the key to successful candy making is temperature. The ingredients for hard crack candy are fairly simple, but you can vary the recipe by adding different colors and flavors.
She had a marble candy board, i use a cookie sheet. How to tell the temperature without a candy thermometer leaftv. Many different recipes require cooking candy to softcrack stage, commonly including toffees, brittles, and butterscotch. The hardcrack stage is the highest temperature you are likely to see specified in a candy recipe.
Loranns oil is a flavoring oilflavored oils are best for candy because the flavor is not damaged by the high heat. Obviously, if you dont have a thermometer you should just forget about the number and focus on the stage, because the names of the stages correspond to a physical matter state. As temperature rises threads snap of spoon when dropping in the water. Uncover the saucepan and clamp a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Candy temperatures are most important painless cooking. One of the hard candy christmas recipes calls for melting hard candies in the oven to create a stained glass effect. In fact, thats how each of the temperature stages discussed below is named. Due to its design, this cant be used as a probe for things like meat, so youll only be able to measure liquids. Syrup dropped into ice water separates into hard, brittle threads that break when bent. In hard candy making, it is important to cook all the water out of the sugarcorn syrupwater mixture. Choose a thermometer with a metal clamp that attaches to the side of the pan. If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature the hardcrack stage 300310 f 149154 c.
The syrup separates into threads that are hard and brittle. Remove the lid and place a candy thermometer in the pot, making sure that it doesnt come into contact with the bottom or sides of the pot. This video is about stage of sugar cooking thread stage soft ball stage medium ball stage hard ball stage hard crack stage caramel music. Hard candy, also referred to as boiled sweet, is a candy prepared from one or more syrups boiled to a temperature of 160 c 320 f. As the syrup reached softcrack stage, the bubbles on top will become smaller, thicker, and closer together. Most people use granulated sugar for hard candy, castor sugar should work just fine, the starch in powdered sugar will make your final product. You can make soft candies like caramels on the lower temperature scale, or. To determine temperature without using a thermometer, see photos and descriptions below for various stages. How to tell the temperature without a candy thermometer. The highest temperature that the sugar syrup reaches tells you what the syrup will be like when it cools.
Thats the firmball stage, which is what you want for caramels and other softbutchewy candies. Then, at the end of all your studies, not only are you smarter but you also get a delicious, sweet candy treat. There are also specific candymaking labels on the thermometer, like hard crack, soft crack and thread, as well as a deep fry label. Temperature should be kept at medium low to medium under candy. Chart of temperatures for candy making and tests to check the temperature without a candy thermometer. The ball will be hard, but you can still change its shape by squashing it. Aug 16, 2016 this video is about stage of sugar cooking thread stage soft ball stage medium ball stage hard ball stage hard crack stage caramel music. For example, if your thermometer reads 208f instead of 212f 4 degrees too low and your recipe calls for 236f, cook candy to 232f 4 degrees lower than 236f.
The nice thing about making it in the microwave is that you dont even have to worry keeping track of the hard crack stage. Now i fix it for my own family and to give as gifts at christmas. Many recipes call for the candy to be cooked to soft ball. Allow the mixture to boil until it reaches the hard crack stage at 300 degrees f. Beer peanut brittle two ways for ultimate enjoyment. Ive made a few batches of hard crack candy, but so far every batch ive made has come out stickier than id like. If the reading is higher or lower, calculate the difference when testing the. This stage makes a syrup, not a candy fudge, fondant, creams, penuche, maple, etc. Some candies require you to cook the sugar to an even higher temperature. If youre making candy at home, you can determine the temperature of your syrup with a candy thermometer or a glass of cold water. Each stage corresponds to a texture or consistencythe hotter the syrup, the harder the candy. Many recipes call for the candy to be cooked to soft ball, hard ball, firm ball, soft crack, hard crack, or thread stage. I have a very heavy cast aluminum pan that was a former pressure cooker that we only use for making candy.
Hard candy such as lollipops and peanut brittle must reach a high temperature, known as the hard crack stage, when cooking. As its temperature rises, sugar goes through several stages, from thread to hard crack. Jun 27, 2004 hardcrack stage is a cooking term meaning that a sugar syrup being heated has reached 149 154 c 300 310 f. Otherwise, they come out soft and gooey, like fudge. Between these temperatures the sugar will turn dark golden but will turn black at 350 f. Because confection recipes are always easily affected by altitude, my aunt, who. Drop a little of the molten syrup in cold water and it will form hard, brittle threads that break when bent. Therefore, it is best to use all of these tables as guides only to familiarize yourself with the various stages of cooked sugar, their corresponding temperatures, what the cooked sugar. Nov 27, 2012 temperature of the sugar syrup look at enough caramel recipes, and youll notice that there is a huge range of temperatures for cooking that initial sugar syrup, from 250f hardball stage to 320f hard crack stage. The category of hard candy includes favorites such as peanut brittle and lollipops.
Boil the mixture over mediumhigh heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the temperature reaches the hard crack stage, 300 degrees f 149 degrees c. With this recipe you can make your caramel as soft or as hard as you want to. This adjustment allows the candy maker to control the degree of evaporation necessary to achieve the proper sugar concentration for the desired end product. Hard ball stage is used to make certain types of candy like nougats, marshmallows, and divinity. Soft crack hard crack light caramel dark caramel bind agent for fruit pastes a spoonful of sugar drizzled over a plate forms a fine, thin thread. Handmade candy cane demonstration at logans candies duration. If you dont have a candy thermometer, you can use the cold water test in a pinch. Humidity can really cause problems with candy making. It does take a long time and if you stir the stuff that needs to go to crack or hard crack, you.
Or, theyll tell you to cook it to a certain stage, for instance, soft ball or a hard crack stage. If youre making candy at home, you can determine the temperature of your syrup with a. The hard crack stage is the highest temperature you are likely to see specified in a candy recipe. My mother taught me how to make rock candy with this hard cinnamon candy. It is highly recommended that you use a candy thermometer to reach this stage, since you can easily miss it by a few degrees and produce candy in soft crack stage, or you may caramelize or burn your sugar. At this point of heating, the sugar concentration in the syrup is 99%. When dropped into the cold water, the candy separates into hard, but pliable and elastic, threads. If your conditions arent right you will run into trouble. Whenever making caramel, marshmallows, honeycomb or just about any other sugar candy youll often find that recipe either tells you to boil a sugar syrup to a certain temperature.
You do not have to change the temperature to which you cook it to achieve the desired results. However, you may want to know a few basic facts about sugar based candies. With the cold water test at 275f degrees the syrup is brittle when under water but becomes soft and pliable when removed. Although it is possible to make candy without one, a glass candy thermometer is a musthave for beginners. What to do when candy temperature stops increasing. At these temperatures, there is almost no water left in the syrup. Apr 20, 2020 the nice thing about making it in the microwave is that you dont even have to worry keeping track of the hard crack stage. After a syrup boiled to this temperature cools, it is called hard candy, since it becomes stiff and brittle as it approaches room temperature. Specifically, hard ball stage refers to cooking candy to a certain temperature, usually between 250265 degrees f 121. It is a test of how hot a sugar syrup is, and of how much water is left in it. Drop a spoonful of hot syrup into cold water, then remove the candy from the water and attempt to bend it. Cooked sugar stages fahrenheitcelsius depending on the source you use, there will be slightly different temperature ranges as well as descriptions for the various cooked sugar stages. You can still use a candy thermometer if you want to make sure you have the right temperature, but once you get used to your recipe, you should be able to tell by what it. Give it time in the ice water, because you will burn yourself if you try to check it too early.
Within this temperature range, sugar transforms from a thin clear syrup, to a light caramel sauce. You can still use a candy thermometer if you want to make sure you have the right temperature, but once you get used to your recipe, you should be able to tell by what it looks like. When syrup is dropped into cold water at the hard crack stage, it separates into hard brittle threads that when removed from the water cannot be bent without breaking. Humidity, temperature and ingredients are major factors that can affect the success of your candy. Im definitely looking forward to hearing back from you on whether or not reheating hard candy mixture to the required temperature is going to fix your soft candy. Butter the heat resistant surface you will be working on. Candy temperature chart what is the difference between soft and hard crack stage. If your syrup has reached the hardcrack stage, it will form brittle strands in the water and crack as you bend it.
If the reading is higher or lower, calculate the difference when testing the temperature during candy making. Where do the names for the confectionery stages of sugar come from. For these and some other hard candy recipes, a syrup mixture is boiled until it reaches a specific temperature. On a candy thermometer, and in most recipes, you will get measurements in 2 forms. Candy making at high altitude high altitude adjustment for candy. It is fascinating to me how it takes a good while for the temperature to rise to 250 f and. Or, if the candy is noncrystalline, is it smooth and hard like glass, or amorphous, like a marshmallow.
Butterscotch recipes, brittle recipes and hard candy recipes should reach candy temperatures of the medium crack stage 275 to 300f degrees. Its hard to tell from your question what the difference between soft and chewy caramel is, but you should be able to refer to the standard candy making temperature guidelines. The names themselves are obviously descriptive of the way the sugar syrup behaves after its been heated to the requisite temperature. For more information on testing the different sugar stages. Increasing the creams temperature means a shorter cook time and will also lessen the chance of the caramel clumping as you add it. In a large heavy saucepan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup and food coloring. Thats the hard ball stage, and its what you want for homemade marshmallows or a really chewy toffee. Candy making is a science, as well as an art, and to be successful you must follow recipes exactly. Thats the firmball stage, which is what you want for caramels and other soft butchewy candies.