Crack stages of candy

Most candy recipes will tell you to boil your sugar mixture until it reaches one of the stages below. For the best results and most accuracy, we recommend that you use both a candy thermometer and the cold water test. It's also a good idea to test your thermometer's accuracy by placing it in plain boiling water. If it reads above or below this number, make the necessary adjustments when cooking your candy syrup. Note: The temperatures specified here are for sea level.

For a temperature conversion calculator, visit our recipe conversions page. Caramelizing Sugar. When you drop a little of this syrup into cold water to cool, it forms a liquid thread that will not ball up. If you remove the ball from water, it will flatten like a pancake after a few moments in your hand. The hard - crack stage is the highest temperature you are likely to see specified in a candy recipe. At these temperatures, there is almost no water left in the syrup.

Drop a little of the molten syrup in cold water and it will form hard , brittle threads that break when bent.

Continue boiling, uncovered, not stirring the mixture but shaking the saucepan occasionally to distribute the heat as the mixture turns amber in about 9 minutes, then darker amber as it registers degrees on the thermometer hard - crack stage , about 3 minutes longer.

Use cold water to test the temperature of your candy Lay out a spoon and a bowl of cold water beside your pot of boiling sugar. Every few minutes, drop a small spoonful of syrup into the cold water. Let the candy cool for a second, then form it into a ball with your hand. If you don't have a candy thermometer , you can use the cold water test in a pinch: Drop a spoonful of hot syrup into cold water, then remove the candy from the water and attempt to bend it. If your syrup has reached the hard - crack stage , it will form brittle strands in the water and crack as you bend it.

There are seven stages of candy making : thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, hard-ball, soft-crack, hard-crack, and caramel. Different types of candy , from fudge to lollipops, need to be cooked to different stages to get the desired results. Hard - Crack Stage Drop a little of the molten syrup in cold water and it will form hard , brittle threads that break when bent. Toffee, nut brittles, and lollipops are all cooked to the hard - crack stage. Lay out a spoon and a bowl of cold water beside your pot of boiling sugar.

Soft - ball stage refers to a specific temperature range when cooking sugar syrups, occurring between and F. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft - ball stage , the syrup easily forms a ball while in the cold water but flattens once removed from the water. Hard - Crack Stage The hard - crack stage is the highest temperature you are likely to see specified in a candy recipe.

Why is my hard candy soft and sticky? The simple answer is that there is too much moisture in your candy. During the cooking stage, remove your pan from the heat and drop a small spoonful of sugar syrup into a bowl of very cold water.

Immerse your hand in the cold water, try to form the sugar into a ball, and bring it out of the water. By examining the shape and texture of the resulting candy blob, you can determine the approximate temperature of your sugar. This method takes a little practice, and is not as exact as a candy thermometer, but it will do in a pinch! The highest temperature that the sugar syrup reaches tells you what the syrup will be like when it cools.

At this temperature, the syrup drips from a spoon and forms thin threads in cold water. Fudge, pralines, and fondant are made by cooking ingredients to the soft-ball stage. Caramels are cooked to the firm-ball stage.

Nougat, marshmallows, gummies, divinity, and rock candy are cooked to the hard-ball stage.