PapaSmiff
02-20-2011, 08:55 AM
Wow, it was a bit tense and confusing at times, but the soft candy came out good. The nuts appeared to be a failure at first, but turned out OK. Here's what I did.
Confusion
The first confusing item was when my syrup began boiling at about 212F. Then I boiled a pan of water and found it boiling at about 200F. So I decided that I'd boil the syrup until ti reached 232F or so.
Error - Impatience
Well I got impatient and stopped before 232F. Let it cool, but got impatient again and poured 1/2 of it on the nuts at about 195F. We stirred the nuts but it never hardened. So I put them in the oven at about 175F for about 20 minutes. They turned out OK, but I'm sure they would have been better if I did it right the first time.
I started stirring the remainder but it never turned cloudy. I saw the error of my ways and decided to add a little water to the soup and put it back on the burner.
Success
For the second attempt, I let it get to 232F, and let it cool to 180F. Then stirred it for a few minutes until it turned cloudy. Poured it into some aluminum foil molds that we made. Let it cool and and it turned out good.
Now I'm hooked. I expect that for the early part of each season, I'll be making lot's of coated nuts and candy, since most of my family likes the medium amber and dark amber stuff better than the light amber (my favorite).
Confusion
The first confusing item was when my syrup began boiling at about 212F. Then I boiled a pan of water and found it boiling at about 200F. So I decided that I'd boil the syrup until ti reached 232F or so.
Error - Impatience
Well I got impatient and stopped before 232F. Let it cool, but got impatient again and poured 1/2 of it on the nuts at about 195F. We stirred the nuts but it never hardened. So I put them in the oven at about 175F for about 20 minutes. They turned out OK, but I'm sure they would have been better if I did it right the first time.
I started stirring the remainder but it never turned cloudy. I saw the error of my ways and decided to add a little water to the soup and put it back on the burner.
Success
For the second attempt, I let it get to 232F, and let it cool to 180F. Then stirred it for a few minutes until it turned cloudy. Poured it into some aluminum foil molds that we made. Let it cool and and it turned out good.
Now I'm hooked. I expect that for the early part of each season, I'll be making lot's of coated nuts and candy, since most of my family likes the medium amber and dark amber stuff better than the light amber (my favorite).