Why is my toffee so hard?
When you have a high enough concentration of sugar in heated water, the sugar is going to want to get together and form crystals. Sometimes this is good, such as with rock candy or fudge. Sometimes this is bad, such as with hard candy or toffee.
The toffee continues to change color and becomes darker as the temperature rises. If toffee cooks to too high a temperature and the toffee is dark in color, unfortunately, there is no way to save this batch of toffee. Ways to prevent this from happening include: If you use a Candy Thermometer test it for accuracy.
Why is my toffee soft? If your toffee doesn't have a hard texture (where you can snap it in half) you did not cook it long enough. Again, the 5-minutes is just a guide. Cook it until it is the color of a brown bag.
Do not stir the mixture as it cooks, as introducing a wooden spoon to the mixture as it boils can cause crystallization. After you make the Toffee, cleaning the saucepan is an issue. The best way to remove all that hard caramelized sugar is to fill the saucepan with water and bring it just to a boil.
Brittles and toffees accumulate small amounts of acid from the browning reactions that occur during cooking. This is one reason why the baking soda is added at the end of cooking. The soda reacts with the acid to make bubbles, and the syrup foams.
Here's how you know when the toffee is ready. Keep one of the almonds near the pan. It's your color cue. When the toffee is the color of the almond skin, it's done!
Toffee has to be cooked to 300 degrees or to the hard crack, or 12 minutes boil to where it is truly brownish.
So, the short answer is yes; you can remelt toffee as many times as you want according to your cooking needs.
Toffee vs Butterscotch
While butterscotch is cooked to a soft-crack stage, toffee is produced by allowing that same butter and brown sugar mixture to reach the hard-crack stage. Butterscotch tends to be chewy and pliable; toffee is brittle and more breakable.
How To Make Toffee - YouTube
What is the difference between toffee and English toffee?
In America we call most toffee, English Toffee. What's the difference between English and American toffee? The main difference is that traditional English toffee is created without nuts, while American toffee is created with a variety of nuts. The most common nuts being the almond.
Issues with Candy Making in High Humidity
Humidity doesn't just cause bad hair days – it can also lead to bad candy making days as well! Think of how sticky the air feels on days when the humidity is high. You may also feel a stickiness on hardened sugar you are using for making candy.
Constant stirring will not hurt the mixture, but I have found it is unnecessary. You will stir the mixture a little as it cooks.
Crystallization occurs when you heat the mixture too quickly. The sugar crystallizes on the side of the pot and gets mixed back into the Toffee. That's what creates a grainy texture. To prevent crystallization, take care to completely dissolve all the sugar before you bring the mixture to a boil.
If the heat is too high, but butter might melt too quickly and can separate from the sugar. Toffee and caramel can also separate if the recipe calls for constant stirring and the candy isn't stirred often enough.
Adding cream of tartar and a dash of vinegar to a toffee recipe helps bring about this change. The presence of invert sugar is important because it influences the amount of crystal formation as well as the size of the crystals that form as candy hardens.
Toffee basics
Toffee is a hard candy made by cooking a sugar syrup with butter to the hard crack stage, 300–310°F (149–154°C), and then pouring it out to cool. It can have inclusions or not, and it can be made either very dense and hard or can be lightened by adding baking soda when the candy is almost done cooking .
Some sources tell you that American toffee is a hard substance, synonymous with brittle; while British toffee is more the consistency of what we call taffy—a hard, chewy candy made of brown sugar or molasses and butter. Other sources say that British toffee is hard, and American toffee is softer recipe.
Hard-Crack Stage
Drop a little of the molten syrup in cold water and it will form hard, brittle threads that break when bent. CAUTION: To avoid burns, allow the syrup to cool in the cold water for a few moments before touching it! Toffee, nut brittles, and lollipops are all cooked to the hard-crack stage.
Try to form a sugar ball while your hand is deep inside the cold water bowl. After some time, bring it out of the cold water and observe the texture and the shape of the candy. This should be able to tell you the temperature of the candy.
How long does homemade toffee last?
At Room Temperature: Keep your toffee pieces in sealed bags or an airtight container. Make sure the toffee is away from any heat sources or it may melt. It will stay good for up to 2 weeks!
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.
Tips for Making Toffee
Use salted butter. Salt seems to stabilize the mixture. If you use unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of salt per stick of butter in the recipe.
For maximum taste and texture, we do recommend that you either enjoy your toffee immediately, or store it in a refrigerator or freezer. Once opened, unrefrigerated toffee will retain maximum freshness for about a week. Refrigeration adds 3-6 months of shelf life, while freezing adds up to a year or more.
For maximum taste and texture, we do recommend that you either enjoy your toffee immediately, or store it in a refrigerator or freezer. Once opened, unrefrigerated toffee will retain maximum freshness for about a week. Refrigeration adds 3-6 months of shelf life, while freezing adds up to a year or more.
Toffee, often called English toffee to distinguish it from the softer American taffy, is a hard, crunchy candy. Ideally, toffee should be so hard that you can snap it into pieces. If your toffee hasn't set but remained soft and squidgy, there's a problem.
Toffee tends to be hard and crunchy, while caramel is soft and chewy. Toffee is used for brittle, while caramel is used more for candies or sauces.
To protect brittles and toffees from dampness, layer them in an airtight container ($10, Bed Bath & Beyond) between sheets of waxed paper. Store at room temperature one to two weeks. Layer fudge pieces or divinity between waxed paper in an airtight container to prevent from quickly drying out.
Storing and freezing: Store in an airtight container or bag for up to two weeks.
A box of quality toffee can keep for two months under good conditions (airtight container, away from heat). But don't keep any fresh-made food product longer than this. If you can't enjoy within a few weeks, share the wealth and give it to someone who can! Some manufacturers advise that their product be refrigerated.
How long can toffee sit out?
Typically, homemade toffee can last around two weeks at room temperature. Although, if the toffee has a high butterfat content, it won't last as long as those with a lower butterfat content.
Bring your toffee to a steady, but NOT a rolling boil, at medium to medium-high heat, and continue to whisk constantly. When your thermometer says 285 degrees, drop a bit of toffee into some ice water…it should be brittle. If so, it's done!
So, the short answer is yes; you can remelt toffee as many times as you want according to your cooking needs.
Adding cream of tartar and a dash of vinegar to a toffee recipe helps bring about this change. The presence of invert sugar is important because it influences the amount of crystal formation as well as the size of the crystals that form as candy hardens.
