The Hard Stuff--Getting Into Candy (2024)

FAQs

What is the hard crack for candy? ›

300° F–310° F

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.

In hard candy making, it is important to cook all the water out of the sugar/corn syrup/water mixture. If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

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.

When the syrup is cool enough to handle, it can be folded, rolled, or molded into the shapes desired. After the boiled syrup cools, it is called hard candy, since it becomes stiff and brittle as it approaches room temperature.

Hard candies, also known as lollipops follies, suckers, or boiled sweets, are generally made of sucrose, glucose, water, colour and flavour. Hard candies have retained their market share, especially with children, even with the proliferation of new candy varieties.

Just Say No to Hard Candy

The hard texture of the candy can cause severe damage to your teeth. If you get tired of sucking on a hard candy and decide to crunch it up by biting down on it, you could crack or chip a tooth or cause damage to previous dental work, such as fillings, dental bridges, or dental crowns.

This is Dragon's Beard Candy. It's one of the hardest things to make, but if you can do it, it's delicious. Into a saucepan with 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, one fourth cup corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon vinegar, and some optional food color. Give it a quick stir, then heat to 260 degrees Fahrenheit.

Adding Citric Acid: Once the mixture has cooled to the appropriate temperature, dissolve ¼ teaspoon of citric acid per 1 pound of sugar in a tablespoon of water. Make sure the citric acid is completely dissolved. Mixing it In: Stir the dissolved citric acid into your candy mixture.

Hard Crack: With a clean spoon, when the syrup dropped into ice water it separates into hard, brittle threads that break when bent. You can actually hear a crack when the syrup hits the cold water.

The candy hard crack stage takes shape around 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celcius).

Is sugar bad when it gets hard? ›

Essentially, brown sugar hardens when moisture evaporates due to aging or improper storage. But hardened sugar is still safe to eat and use—you just have to soften it back up to a usable texture. If your recipe has the sugar dissolving or melting into a liquid, you can actually use the hardened stuff without issue.

Always make candy on a cool, dry day. Because candy is made from sugar, and it pulls in moisture from the air, rain and humidity, the cooking time can increase substantially. It also may never set up at all -- the candy will absorb water from the air and turn into syrup.

The best way to keep the candy clear, but still reach the hard crack stage, is to cook the candy as quickly as possible. Low heat will not help you here--use high heat and do not stir the fluid after it begins boiling. This can cause unwanted crystallization.

Cream of tartar can prevent your homemade hard candy, caramel, and toffee from forming a gritty texture due to sugar crystallization. Adding a pinch of cream of tartar to your sugar syrup will help break down the sugar molecules and stop them from crystalizing early on.

The difference between a hard ball and soft crack is that at hard ball stage, the sugar forms a firm but pliable ball rather than threads. The difference between soft crack and hard crack is that at the hard crack, the threads will not bend and will simply break if you try to bend them.

Most people agree that toffee is cooked to soft crack stage, which is at temperature of 135°C – 140°C (275°F – 284°F), or hard crack stage which occurs at temperature of 145°C – 155°C (293°F – 311°F). More precisely, this candy is usually cooked at temperatures from 140°C – 150°C (284°F – 302°F).

Just Say No to Hard Candy

The hard texture of the candy can cause severe damage to your teeth. If you get tired of sucking on a hard candy and decide to crunch it up by biting down on it, you could crack or chip a tooth or cause damage to previous dental work, such as fillings, dental bridges, or dental crowns.