What does glycerin do in candy?

Adding a small amount of glycerine when heating sugar and water to high temperatures helps to prevent the sugar from crystalising. Glycerine also works as a softening agent in candy giving your fudge, truffles and caramels a soft creamy consistency.

Does high humidity affect candy making?

Humidity is the enemy of candy makers. The perfect candy-making climate has a relative humidity of less than 35 percent. Because excessive softness in candy is the result of high relative humidity, you can also cook hard candies, such as peanut brittle, to 2 degrees higher than the temperature your recipe calls for.

Do you stir when making hard candy?

Stirring frequently yields small crystals, desirable in smooth candies like fudge. Not stirring yields large crystals, which is what we are going for when we make hard candy. Also why following the instructions precisely is important!

How long does it take to get sugar to hard crack stage?

{150 – 155° C.}, or what is known as the hard crack stage of sugar. The use of a candy thermometer is not essential, but highly recommended and accuracy is critical. Test a thermometer’s accuracy by inserting it in a pan boiling water. After about five minutes, it should read 212° F or 100° C.

What can I use instead of glycerine in icing?

Substitute for Glycerin If used as a sweetener, you can use a small amount of light corn syrup, depending on the recipe. If you are making fondant you can also substitute vegetable oil but it lacks the sweetness of glycerine.

Can you make candy on a rainy day?

Making Candy on a Humid Day It’s best to make candy on a cool, dry day. If it’s humid or rainy, the candy might end up with a more sugary, grainy texture. If you are making candy on a hot or humid day, cook the candy until the thermometer registers 1 to 2 degrees higher than the recipe specifies.

Does weather affect divinity candy?

Now, making divinity comes with all kinds of warnings about humidity and weather. You can’t make it if it is “too” humid or if it’s raining. The moisture in the air will keep the candy from setting and drying properly.

Why is my hard candy bitter?

The bitterness you are describing is from that very dark caramel. It sounds like you are making candy in which you don’t want caramelizing, so you don’t want to go much over 300°. And the foaming up is something that happens anytime you add moisture to these superhot syrups.

How do you break up hard candy?

Coarsely crush the peppermint candies in a resealable plastic bag using the smooth side of a meat mallet. Since the candies are so hard, the heftiness of the mallet is the best thing for breaking them up quickly.

What temp is hard ball stage?

If the candy forms a firm but not hard ball, it is in the firm 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.