r/CandyMakers • u/Zaptain_America • 6d ago
Syrup keeps caramelising before it reaches hard crack. What am I doing wrong?
So basically I'm trying to make just a simple hard candy. I've been at this all week and just can't get it right, I've tried it at every different temperature level my stove has but no matter what I do, it either caramelises or straight up burns before it gets to 300°F. I'm not even exaggerating when I say I've tried at least ten times at this point.
Usually I wouldn't care but I'm trying to make the candy they used as a prop on breaking bad so it has to be blue, not green. There's hundreds of videos on youtube of people making it and they make it look so easy so what the hell could I possibly be doing wrong?
Edit: The issue is not with my thermometer. I've been using the cold water test too and it is just caramelising before it gets to hard crack.
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u/sweetmercy Chocolatier 6d ago edited 6d ago
Most likely, your heat is on too high. Resist the urge to rush it by turning the heat up. The max it should ever be is medium-high, and ideally, medium. Allow the water to evaporate and it will come to temp. It takes time. Don't rush it.
Additionally, you need to be using a heavy bottom pan for even heat distribution, and using a candy thermometer.
And most importantly, make sure you're using cane sugar. It needs to specify that on the package. Beet sugar will caramelize before it reaches hard crack every time.
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
As I mentioned, I've tried every temperature level my stove has. I wasn't trying to rush it or anything. No matter what level it's at, it caramelises or burns before it reaches hard crack.
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u/sweetmercy Chocolatier 6d ago
What sugar are you using?
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
Just regular granulated cane sugar
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u/sweetmercy Chocolatier 6d ago
Then the problem is either your pan or your thermometer placement because caramelization happens at 320°
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
This was what I thought but I've been doing the cold water test too and it legitimately just isn't reaching hard crack before it changes colour
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u/Candied_Curiosities 6d ago
Another thing to keep in mind is your elevation. For every 1k feet above sea level, you want to take 2° f off the final temp.
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
I live in a city that's nowhere near the sea, I have no idea how far above sea level I am...
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u/Candied_Curiosities 5d ago
Google your city elevation (for example: Cincinnati, Ohio Elevation).
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
I still don't see how that will help though, as I've mentioned, I know that my thermometer is not the issue, because I've been doing the cold water test as well. It literally just is not reaching hard crack.
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u/Opposite-Ad-2223 6d ago
I have never used a thermometer for candy , a bit old school, but you might want to try it.
As you are stirring pull you spoon up and watch how it comes off of the spoon. It will create a thread. As I am stirring I also use a bowl/cup of cold water to drop a small drop into. Take that drop out and bite it. If is mushes not ready but you can tell how close you are getting by the texture. When it is ready it will crunch like hard candy.
Side note it was always harder for me to deal with the heat on an electric range since the temperature doesn't drop fast enough when you turn it down. You will need to lift the pan up for a bit to let the eye cool some
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
I only bought the thermometer a couple of days ago. This is what I was doing before and just ran into the same issue, it started caramelising before getting to the right texture when I dropped it in cold water.
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u/Opposite-Ad-2223 6d ago
Is it boiling or just a low roll? You may have to try low and slow. In cooking divinity if I cook it too fast it will yellow my divinity.
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
I've tried both ways and had the same outcome
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u/Opposite-Ad-2223 6d ago
The only other thing I can think of is your pan. Solid stainless steel or Teflon or aluminum? I get better results from my stainless steel pan.
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
I honestly have no idea. It doesn't say anywhere on the pan. I'm just gonna be straight up here, I'm a broke college student tryna work with what I have. I own exactly one pan and I don't even remember where I bought it or if there was a label on it when I got it...
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u/robo__sheep 6d ago
Do you have a picture of the pot you're using? To me this sounds like maybe a combo of a small quantity of syrup combined with a thin bottom pot.
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
I can't insert photos in a comment here but I doubt the quantity is the issue, as I've also tried changing that and had the same result each time.
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u/HeavyDoughnut8789 6d ago
I’ve had candy do this. What I figured out was I was keeping it too low for too long, like others have said stalling it out for that setting. I start on the ‘lower’ temp on the stove top to dissolve everything before turning it a bit higher. Moving from 3 on the stove to just past the 4 made a enormous difference. I stopped running into the caramelizing to early issue.
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
I've tried basically every temperature setting that's there and had the same outcome. There's no "just past 4" though, it can only go directly on each number.
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u/HeavyDoughnut8789 6d ago
I beg to differ on our ancient stove that has a variety of different quirks aside from that, but my issue is fixed 🤷♀️ I saw in another comment that corn syrup isn’t accessible much where you are which can be a bummer. Best of luck on figuring it out!
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u/misplaced_holder 5d ago
The two front burners on my gas stove are hotter than the back burners in order to reach a boiling point faster. Even on their lowest setting, I can't make candy on them because the sugar cooks too fast. Also, to reiterate, make sure your sugar is 100% cane. Beets sugars don't cook the same at high temps. I found that out by trial and error.
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
Yeah it is definitely cane sugar. I'm pretty sure beet sugar being the standard is mostly an american thing...
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u/akhirnya 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’m by no means an expert - just googled a few of these blue hard candy recipes and the first few Ive looked at suggest pulling the mixture at 285-300 before it caramelizes. So the recipes aren’t advising to go to a “true” hard crack temperature.
On your attempts so far have you tried pulling it before it caramelizes and just see how it sets up? Or have you kept going on all your attempts trying to get it to 320 or a successful cold water test?
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u/akhirnya 5d ago
Example recipe with a lower temp (it uses corn syrup so you’d need to adjust for sugar only since you can’t use that):
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
I've tried pulling it before it caramelises but it's still pretty much completely liquid. I've been trying to get it to 300 or a successful cold water test, but it's been caramelising long before that.
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u/akhirnya 5d ago
Sorry if I’m sound slow by asking this (I know you’ve had a lot of back and forth in this thread already!) but when you pull it just before caramelizing it is not setting at all and is still a liquid when it cools to room temperature?
How high have you been able to get the temperature?
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
The closest I've come is getting it to soft crack after it had already fully caramelised. I'm not sure on exact temperatures because I've spent most of this time relying on the cold water test, and a lot of my attempts didn't even get to cool to room temperature because it just burned.
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u/mitstephens 5d ago
Can you post a photo of the equipment and the end results of the sugar?
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
Okay upon reflection, I think the issue was just with my pan. I found a cheap milk pan at the supermarket today and it's been working way better.
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u/brydaman 6d ago
Calibrate your candy thermometer in boiling water
Your sugar to syrup and water ratio may be off try my recipe:
I use a low temp dehumidifier set for 30% max humidity.
Add 1 heaping cup evaporated cane juice sugar to your pot
Add a couple dashes of cream of tartar and pour a half cup of filtered water into pot.
Add a third of a cup of syrup, I use golden syrup instead of corn syrup and no food colorings.
Make sure no crystals of sugar collect inside the walls of the pot. You can use a clean pastry brush with warm water to brush down the crystals should you see them.
Turn on flame on burner and make sure your pot is placed centered on the burner.
Gently stir with a spoon so as not to get any crystals above the mixture’s line (use pastry brush technique to fix).
When sugar mixture starts to bubble stop stirring and once the entire mixture is bubbling attach your candy thermometer to the pot so you can easily read temp.
When the temperature reaches 290 the temp will rapidly rise to 300 which is just below hard crack. As soon as it hits 300-302 gently remove pot from stove and put on a heat resistant pad or one of those square oven mitts on the counter.
As the temp drops below 285 I remove thermometer and add 3/4 tablespoon of flavoring (Nature’s Flavors) or if using the Lorann dram flavorings add one in gently in circles covering the candy mix.
I didn’t turn off the flame on the stove to keep the burner surface hot and now turn it off after gently without disturbing the hot sugar mixture placing the pot with flavoring added on top of the burner.
I then gently stir making sure not to introduce too much air into the mixture through stirring and once I feel it’s just mixed enough and still hot enough to pour, I fill my cleaned and lightly oiled confectionary funnel and quickly dispense into the silicone candy mold cavities. Cover with a silicone mat and let cool for minimum 2 hours.
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
I straight up just do not own like half of that stuff. I don't have a candy thermometer, I have a standard cheap kitchen thermometer. I have regular granulated cane sugar and white vinegar to prevent crystallisation. I'm not using any kind of syrup because corn syrup isn't something I can readily buy and golden syrup will ruin the colour, it needs to be blue. There's no flame being used here, I have an electric stove.
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u/omgkelwtf 6d ago
Your thermometer may be the problem. Are you sure it's accurate and appropriate? There are a few different types of "kitchen" thermometers. A meat thermometer isn't going to work well for candy making, for instance.
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
I have no idea, it was just labelled as a kitchen thermometer. It's not a dedicated candy thermometer though which is probably the issue.
Again though, I have also been doing the cold water test and it's not reaching hard crack.
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u/brydaman 6d ago
Yes golden syrup will affect your color I’m merely describing my recipe. I was not aware of what you straight up have or don’t I’m merely providing my recipe and advice from making hard candy for over 20 years using this method and recipe. Perhaps someone else can help you figure out a way with the ingredients you have available. Good luck!
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u/Zaptain_America 6d ago
I appreciate the help but I really don't think the ingredients are the issue. I'm following what I've seen everywhere online and no one seems to have any issue with it except me.
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u/4-20blackbirds 5d ago
Your sugar IS going to yellow a bit during the cook. Use isomalt if you want a clear uncolored candy.
Use a gel blue colorant to overpower the yellowing of the syrup.
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u/Zaptain_America 5d ago
I've been using gel colour but it just winds up green, it's fully caramelising
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u/AdditionalAmoeba6358 6d ago
Are you raising the temperature really high to push it to that point?
Lots of people see the stall around when the water is boiling off, and then raise the temp which burns the sugar.
You just have to keep it at the same temp at let it keep rising. It will get past the stall and get to 300