nervous about scorching

[emu742]

I have 1.5 gallons sap boiling in the kitchen. When it gets down to syrup, I should have about 1/2 - 1 cup.

Is this too risky and tiny of an amount? I'll be standing right by with a spoon to stir and thermometer etc.

I don't want to scorch it... I have never made syrup before or seen it done.

Does it have to be a certain depth to avoid scorching, OR is it a matter of diligence and taking care to stir, turn down heat, etc?

I have a 2 qt or a 3 cup saucepan .. I guess the 3 cup would be better when it gets close?

I know I am just being a typical nervous newby, but thank you for any advice :)

[adk1]

need to keep adding sap to it really. in the kitchen? wallpaper coming off yet?

[Greg Morin]

go to a smaller sauce pan when you get closer

[adk1]

why are you going through all of the trouble for 1/2 to 1 cup of syrup?

[maple flats]

I would suggest you bring it down to about 2 or better 3 cups, take it off and refrigerate. Then when you have a total of 3 more gal of sap reduced, add the 1st batch back in and finish it. Even with a small sauce pan you risk doing a 1/2 cup batch. Be careful as it starts to foam. Add a tiny bit of butter or milk to control foam. If trying butter, get some on a knife and wipe off all you can on the side of the butter dish and then stick it into the sap/syrup. It takes very little, but without it the boil can go real bad real quick as things foam over. Try sheeting to know when you have syrup. Take a teaspoon and get some syrup? and then dump it back in the pan, watch the edge of the spoon, when it is syrup it will form a sheet as it comes off the spoon. Use the side of the spoon rather than the end to dump. Good luck.

[emu742]

Wallpaper is still intact, for now. Our humidity finally rose from 20 to 35 on the barometer (woodstove w/ blower makes it DRY) so we'll take the extra humidity.

Doing a small amount to get the feel of it, and also won't have much to work with (just 1 tap on 1 tree), so gotta do everything 'mini'. Don't want to do it all in one shot and mess up all at once.

I froze most to finish later in a bigger batch.

But I took 1/4 cup and reduced to 1 tablespoon. Didn't scorch in my little 3 cup pan. It foamed a bit, turned syrupy with a real light amber tint. BUT sitting in my coffee filter it turned into a toffee consistency haha :) SO.... tastes good but won't be pouring it anytime soon! I wanted to get a feel of it all and go by site and feel, but I'm sure it got far too hot if it's crystallizing like that. Now I'm a bit more confident to take a big batch and watch the temperature closely (couldn't monitor 1/4 cups worth temp).

I threw a teaspoon on the snow to cool some and it was great. Very light caramel flavor. :)

Thank you for all the feedback, this is so fun. I appreciate the help.

[Brent]

from the voice of ....

You will not see the scorching start. It takes place under a foam of small bubbles. In fact the foam of small bubbles is why you get the scorch. So much of the fluid goes up off the pan surface in foam that there is nothing there to absorb the heat ... then you smell it.

Remember the scale of concentration is steep
1 gallon of 2% out of the tree
boil off 2 quarts and you've got 4% (2 quarts left)
boil off 1 more quart and you've got 8% (1 quart / 4cups left)
boil off 2 more cups and you've got 16% ( 2 cups left )
boil off 1 more cup and you've got 32% (only 1 cup left )
boil off 1/2 more cup and you've got 64% ( only 1/2 cup left

boil of a couple more tablespoons and you've got syrup
boil of a few more tablespoons and you've got smoke

The speed it goes at near the end is what catches you.

[molzep]

With that small amount, you'll have trouble filtering. You probably lose 1/2 cup in a filter! Try filtering when you're at 2 cups or so.