How long soft ball stage

If you remove these threads from the cold water you would not be able to form a ball out of them. It will form slightly thicker threads as it drops through the cold water. If you remove the threads from the cold water you will be able to form them into a small ball by rolling between your thumb and forefinger.

The ball will be soft and can be easily flattened. The threads can easily be seen in the water and when removed they can be formed into a hard ball. It will hold its shape but when squeezed tightly it can still be flattened slightly. Pour the syrup from a spoon into cold water. The syrup will form thick threads, which when removed from the cold water, can still able to be firmly molded into a ball shape. This hard ball will hold its shape and cannot be flattened.

Drop a teaspoon of syrup into cold water. At the soft crack stage, it separates into hard thread but they are not brittle. When removed from the water these threads cannot be formed into a ball but will bend slightly before they break. At the hard crack stage the syrup will have darkened in color and when dropped in the cold water, it separates into hard brittle threads.

When the threads are removed from the water they cannot be bent without breaking. Safety Note: When boiling sugar syrup, be extremely careful. The syrup is very hot and if it comes in contact with your skin it can cause severe burns. The syrup is thick and sticky, which makes it hard to wash off, causing it to continue to burn. Also, watch for splattering as the syrup cooks to higher temperatures.

My Recipe Box. Join Now Sign In. How to Test Stages of Sugar. How To's. Kitchen Advice. Canning Vegetables and Fruits. Cobblers, Crisps, Crumbles, and More. Easter Candy Recipes. How to Make Homemade Ice Cream. How to Make Pumpkin Pie. Pie Crusts. Provided By RecipeTips. Stages of Sugar Testing with a Candy Thermometer Testing with Cold Water Method When a recipe indicates that a sugar mixture needs to cook to a specific stage, the most accurate method to use is a candy thermometer to test the temperature as it is cooking.

Stages of Sugar When cooking sugar, it will go through several stages as it boils; the more moisture that evaporates from the mixture the higher the temperature will rise. Used when making nougat, divinity, and marshmallows. When removed from the water these threads will bend a little before they break. Used when making taffy, butterscotch, and popcorn balls.

Used when making toffee, brittle, and hard candy. Testing Sugar Stages with a Candy Thermometer Types Selecting a Thermometer Testing Thermometer for Accuracy Using a Candy Thermometer A candy thermometer provides the easiest method of achieving accurate consistency of the different stages of candy making. Thermometer Type Description Traditional Glass Tube Candy Thermometer Traditional glass tube thermometers are built with vertical scales, which often have colored bars that serve as measures to display temperatures readings at various levels when they are reached.

Ruler Style Candy Thermometer Ruler-style thermometers are built with vertical scales similar to the glass tube thermometer but the thermometer is designed more like a metal ruler. Dial Readout Candy Thermometer Dial readouts will display temperature levels registered on a full circle of numbers to show when various levels are achieved.

Digital Candy Thermometer Digital readout thermometers, which are battery operated, will typically display each temperature range as the heat reaches the levels of soft ball, hard ball, soft crack, and the other designated levels. Selecting a Candy Thermometer When selecting a candy thermometer consider the following points to determine the type that would be most suited for your needs.

Consider the ease with which the thermometer can be read. What types of display for the temperature readings are shown on the thermometer, such as centigrade, Fahrenheit, highest, lowest temperatures, and other relevant display options?

Which options fit your needs best? What is the minimum depth of contents that can be read by the thermometer? How is the thermometer designed to keep it from touching the bottom of the pan?

Consider the potential for use in other cooking processes such as for fried foods, jellies, jams, or preserves. How to Test a Candy Thermometer It is extremely important that you know whether or not your candy thermometer is accurate when you are using it to make candy.

Bring a pan of water to a full boil and place the candy thermometer in the water. Do not let it touch the bottom of the pan. Allow the temperature to rise on the thermometer until it stops, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. The addition of sugar to boiling water forms a paste, which sticks to skin and intensifies burns. The firmness of the sugar indicates the highest temperature the syrup reached. Place some syrup in a spoon and let it drip away in the saucepan.

When the syrup flows away easily, it means it is still watery and not ready. Continue boiling until the flow separates into drops. When a final drop remains hanging from the spoon, it means that the density is right and the syrup is ready. 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 degrees on the thermometer hard-crack stage , about 3 minutes longer.

If your syrup has reached the hard-crack stage, it will form brittle strands in the water and crack as you bend it. Should you stir caramel as it cooks? Boil 0. The beauty of this method is you can cook the steaks well in advance. 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. The recipe I use takes about 45 minutes to reach soft ball stage. First off I have 2 candy thermometers. One lists soft ball temp at and one lists it as What does hard ball stage look like? Hard-Ball Stage to F The syrup holds its ball shape and deforms only slightly with very firm pressure. The candy will remain sticky but it's easy to mold.

Divinity and marshmallows are made with syrup cooked to the hard-ball stage. What is a soft boil? What is hard crack stage? A test for sugar syrup describing the point at which a drop of boiling syrup immersed in cold water separates into hard, brittle threads. Do you Stir fudge while boiling? Don't stir the fudge Shaking or stirring the fudge mixture while it's boiling or cooling causes premature crystal growth.

If the crystals form too early, they continue to grow and become too large. It will be glossy and dark brown. What does a soft boil look like? A simmer top left is identified by pockets of fine but constant bubbling that give off occasional wisps of steam.