|
Stages of Sugar
Working with sugar is a fairly exact science, so it pays to know how its  behavior changes as its temperature rises. It is always safest to use a candy thermometer, but if you don't have one, or the dog hid yours, you should also be able to tell the stage based on how the sugar behaves when dripped into ice water.
When working with sugar, please be very careful. Sugar can reach ridiculously high temperatures, plus it is very sticky. This is a recipe for disaster if some happens to splash on you. Trust me, I've suffered my share of sugar burns. Keep a bowl of ice water handy so you can immerse your fingers or hand should some of the hot sugar splash on you. Resist the urge to immediately put the burned finger in your mouth. You'll only end up with a burned finger and a burned mouth.
Stage |
Temp |
Ice Water Test |
Thread |
begins at 230° |
The syrup will make a 2" thread when dropped from a spoon. What this means is that the sugar will drip in a steady thread for about 2" before it starts to drip.
|
Soft Ball |
begins at 234° |
A small amount of syrup dropped into chilled water forms a ball, but flattens when picked up with fingers. It will flatten out pretty quickly and be sticky, too.
|
Firm Ball |
begins at 244° |
The ball will hold its shape and flatten only when pressed. It will still be a little sticky, but it won't flatten on its own
|
Hard Ball |
begins at 250° |
The ball is more rigid but still pliable. You'll have to push down pretty hard to squish the ball of sugar.
|
Soft Crack |
begins at 270° |
When a small amount of syrup is dropped into chilled water it will separate into threads which will bend when picked up. If you drip the sugar from a spoon, it will form thin threads that will bend when they hit a surface--a table or the floor.
|
Hard Crack |
begins at 300° |
The syrup separates into threads that are hard and brittle. If you drip the sugar from a spoon, it will form thin threads that break when they hit a surface.
|
Caramel |
310° to 338° |
Between these temperatures the syrup will turn a progressively darker golden/amber. By 350, it's toast. Remember, the darker you take the caramel, the less sweet but more complex it will be. But burnt is burnt, so don't try to pass it off as the most complex of all the caramels.
|
|
|
