What temperature is soft ball stage for candy?
For example, at 235° F, the syrup is at the “soft-ball” stage. That means that when you drop a bit of it into cold water to cool it down, it will form a soft ball. Most candy recipes will tell you to boil your sugar mixture until it reaches one of the stages below.
The highest temperature that the sugar syrup reaches tells you what the syrup will be like when it cools. In fact, that's how each of the temperature stages discussed below is named. For example, at 235° F, the syrup is at the “soft-ball” stage.
The temperature of this stage is between 242° — 248°F. Caramels are cooked to the firm ball stage. If the candy forms thick threads when it drips from the spoon, it is in the hard ball stage or 250° — 265°F. If you gather the candy mixture into a ball it will be a hard ball.
You test by drizzling a small amount of the sugar syrup from a spoon into a cup of cold water. If the stage has been reached, the syrup will come together and briefly form a soft ball (more accurately, a soft clump with a bit of height to it.)
Soft-ball stage (234 to 240 degrees F): When the ball of candy is removed from the cold water, the candy instantly flattens and runs over your finger. Firm-ball stage (244 to 248 degrees F): When the ball of candy is removed from the cold water, it is firm enough to hold its shape, but quickly flattens.
Soft ball stage is 112-115c (234-240c). You can also test for soft ball stage by using a glass of cold water. When the fudge has boiled for about 10 minutes start to test by dropping a little of the mixture into a glass of cold water.
What is this? The temperature needs to reach 300-degrees to become hard candy. It will take a good 25-30 minutes to reach the temperature.
Hard-crack stage (300 degrees Fahrenheit and above): A small amount of syrup added to cold water makes a loud cracking noise and separates into brittle threads. The hard-crack stage is for toffee and hard candies like lollipops. Above 330 degrees Fahrenheit, the sugar begins to caramelize and brown.
If your meat thermometer goes up to almost 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit), then it can certainly be used to make candy, but very few old-fashioned, analog, metal and coil thermometers meet that simple standard.
Soft-ball stage refers to a specific temperature range when cooking sugar syrups, occurring between 235 and 245 F. In addition to using a candy thermometer, this stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water.
How do you find the soft ball stage without a candy thermometer?
Using a clean spoon, carefully take a little of the syrup and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave to cool for a moment then pick up the ball of syrup. If it's pliable, sticky and can be moulded in your fingers easily, it has reached the soft ball stage and the syrup can be used to make fudge and marzipan.
For any recipe that calls for a candy thermometer, all you'll need is a bowl of cold water instead (The colder the better—ice water is fine!) While the candy is cooking, periodically drop a small spoonful of the candy into the bowl of cold water.
Combine sugar and milk in a small pot and cook over medium high heat. Stir continuously while the mixture boils for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of boiling, check to see if the 'soft ball stage' has occurred.
Soft-Ball Stage (235 to 245 F)
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.
Caramelization is what happens to pure sugar when it reaches 338° F. A few tablespoons of sugar put in a pan and heated will eventually melt and, at 338° F, start to turn brown. At this temperature, the sugar compounds begin to break down and new compounds form.
Thread Stage is a cooking term meaning that a sugar syrup being heated has reached 106 – 112 C (223 – 234 F.) It is a test of how hot a sugar syrup is, and of how much water is left in it. At this point of heating, the sugar concentration in the syrup is 80%.
The fudge is ready when a candy thermometer reads between 112 to 114 °C (234 to 237 °F) or the mixture forms a soft ball in cold water. Let the mixture cool before beating. The temperature at this point should be between 43 to 45 °C (110 to 113 °F). The fudge should be warm but not burning hot.
Excess moisture and high humidity are the two most common reasons for sticky hard candy. The cooking temperature of hard crack candy is around 300°F (better to go slightly over) so most of the moisture and water should be boiled out of the sugar/corn syrup mixture.
Most candies will keep two to three weeks (if not longer) if stored tightly covered in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator. It's best to avoid storing different types of candy together in the same container because hard candies will become soft and sticky, and soft candies will dry out.
Why is my hard candy not clear?
The simple answer is that there is too much moisture in your candy. One or more factors could be contributing to this problem. In hard candy making, it is important to cook all the water out of the sugar/corn syrup/water mixture.
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 305 degrees on the thermometer (hard-crack stage ), about 3 minutes longer.
Many home candy makers determine the soft-crack stage by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. Remove the candy from the water and pull it apart between your fingers. The soft crack stage has been reached when the syrup forms a firm but pliable threads.
Insert your candy thermometer into a pot of water and bring it to a rolling boil. The bubbles should be constant and vigorous. At sea level, the boiling point for water is 212 F or 100 C; this will be our baseline. Leave your thermometer in the water for five minutes to give it time to get an accurate reading.
| TEMPERATURE - SYRUP'S BOILING POINT AT SEA LEVEL Measure with a Candy Thermometer | CANDY |
|---|---|
| Water boils at Sea Level 212 degrees F | Water, Simple sugar syrups |
| Thread Stage 215° F–234° F /101° C–112° C sugar concentration: 80% | Sugar syrup, fruit liqueur and some icings |
Best Instant Read: Habor Candy Thermometer
The temperature range of this probe thermometer is -58 degrees F to 572 degrees F, which means there's not much in your kitchen this tool cannot measure. Use it of course to make candy, but keep it around for bread baking, roasts, hot milk, even water for pour-over coffee.
Soft ball stage is when a sugar syrup is cooked to 240°F or 116°C. At this stage the sugar can be formed into a soft, flexible ball or blown through a wire to form a bubble.
Candy thermometers have a higher temperature range.
Most candy thermometers can reach temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit, while meat thermometers typically go up to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
There are seven stages of candy making: thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, hard-ball, soft-crack, hard-crack, and caramel.
Hard candies can last about 6 months if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. How long does it take for hard tack candy to harden? Ours hardens and cools within about 30 minutes, but it will depend on temperature and humidity.
Can I use a digital thermometer for candy?
For best results, try using digital thermometers like the TP610 Dual Probe Instant Read Meat Thermometer, or the TP19HW Digital Meat Thermometer. Both of these products are capable of measuring temperatures from -58°F–572°F, making them great for grilling, cooking, and making candy.
Our Recommended Chocolate Thermometer
While traditional candy thermometers are less critically inadequate for the task of measuring chocolate temperatures, they still fall far short of the mark.
Hard Candy Recipe without a Thermometer - YouTube
- Too big is better than too small. There needs to be a lot of extra space in the saucepan you choose to make your fudge in to give the ingredients room to expand. ...
- Check the consistency. ...
- Stop stirring. ...
- Don't try to salvage all of it. ...
- If you want to forego sugar crystals.
As a general rule, you can put fudge in the fridge to set. A colder environment will help the fudge harden and set at a quicker rate. This will take the setting time down to about two hours. Be sure to place fudge in an airtight container before putting it in the fridge.
Absolutely! Weather greatly affects our fudge. Cold weather and/or low humidity makes the harder outer shell more pronounced and the fudge less moist. Hot and/or humid weather makes the shell less effective and the interior of the fudge more creamy.
The fudge is ready when a candy thermometer reads between 112 to 114 °C (234 to 237 °F) or the mixture forms a soft ball in cold water. Let the mixture cool before beating. The temperature at this point should be between 43 to 45 °C (110 to 113 °F). The fudge should be warm but not burning hot.
Boiling point of sugar solutions
As an example, water boils at 100°C (212°F), however, a solution with 80% sugar and only 20% water boils at 112°C (233°F).
You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize. Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).
If your meat thermometer goes up to almost 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit), then it can certainly be used to make candy, but very few old-fashioned, analog, metal and coil thermometers meet that simple standard.
How do you test for soft ball stage without a thermometer?
Using a clean spoon, carefully take a little of the syrup and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave to cool for a moment then pick up the ball of syrup. If it's pliable, sticky and can be moulded in your fingers easily, it has reached the soft ball stage and the syrup can be used to make fudge and marzipan.
Combine sugar and milk in a small pot and cook over medium high heat. Stir continuously while the mixture boils for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of boiling, check to see if the 'soft ball stage' has occurred.
- Too big is better than too small. There needs to be a lot of extra space in the saucepan you choose to make your fudge in to give the ingredients room to expand. ...
- Check the consistency. ...
- Stop stirring. ...
- Don't try to salvage all of it. ...
- If you want to forego sugar crystals.
- Thread: Cooked to 230° to 234°. ...
- Soft Ball: Cooked to 234° to 240°. ...
- Firm Ball: Cooked to 244° to 248°. ...
- Hard Ball: Cooked to 250° to 265°. ...
- Soft Crack: Cooked to 270° to 290°. ...
- Hard Crack: Cooked to 300° to 310°. ...
- Caramel: Cooked to 320° to 338°.
Caramelization is what happens to pure sugar when it reaches 338° F. A few tablespoons of sugar put in a pan and heated will eventually melt and, at 338° F, start to turn brown. At this temperature, the sugar compounds begin to break down and new compounds form.
6. Hard-crack stage (300 degrees Fahrenheit and above): A small amount of syrup added to cold water makes a loud cracking noise and separates into brittle threads. The hard-crack stage is for toffee and hard candies like lollipops. Above 330 degrees Fahrenheit, the sugar begins to caramelize and brown.
