Scorched Syrup

[Dan F.]

Hello. I have searched these forums and cannot find anyone with a similar problem. I have made a very small batch of syrup on my stovetop for several years with no problems. Last year I somehow scorched the batch using the same equipment as I have in the past. I realize it is possible to do so if you boil over the sap but this did not happen. I have such a small evaporator and such a limited amount of time to work I add sap to the pot throughout the day. I actually noticed the syrup begin to take on a scorched look and taste as I was adding more sap. I use a six gallon pot as an evaporator. I am using a natural gas household stove. The only difference last year from other years is a new gas stove although the burners seem to work about the same as the old stove. I would appreciate any comments and suggestions.

Regards,
Dan

[C.Wilcox]

If you didn't have a giant foam up in the pan while you were cooking and there's no buildup of burnt sap around the inside rim of the pan I don't know how you would get scorched syrup. Are you certain the taste is due to scorching or could it be that syrup is just very strong flavored? Your approach appears to be a long boil where you add sap all day. That will give you a much darker syrup because the sugars are being cooked longer and longer. My cousins use a similar approach as you, but they start with over 600 gallons of sap. By the time it's all boiled down the syrup is nearly black and very strong tasting (and delicious).

[Dan F.]

Thaks for your reply. I have indeed had dark syrup in past years and much stronger than that of some of my syrup-producing friends. I had two other people sample my syrup last year and they thought the taste was scorched. Additionally, and not mentioned previously, I had a lot of dark precipitate suspended in the syrup which did I allowed to settle and also filtered. That tactic did not improve the taste.
I am not giving up. I will be tapping soon and will see what happens this year.

[DrTimPerkins]

Did you have a heavy niter build up in the pan? It could be a burnt-niter off-flavor.

[Dan F.]

In previous years the niter buildup on the bottom of my pot was, in my opinion, minimal. That is to say there was a thin buildup of niter "sand" on the bottom of the pot.
Additional information: I use the same few trees in my yard that I have been using off and on for years. I don't make syrup every year. I boil my sap down in a 6 gallon enameled pot.
Thank you for your comment. I really do appreciate every bit of information I have obtained in this forum.

[crawflyer]

are you seeing any scorching in the pan at all? I finish over propane and if I use too much heat the sides of my finish pan will heat up to the point that it scorches at the syrup line.

[Dan F.]

There wasn't any scorching at the syrup line but there was dark particulate suspended in the syrup. The particulate settled a lot over the course of a day or so. I tried filtering several times with no improvement in flavor.

[Flat47]

Could this be a case as discussed here:
http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?14035-Temp-but-not-density-at-end-of-season&highlight=temp

[Dan F.]

For a stovetop amateur I guess I have been pretty lucky. I have used neither hydrometer nor thermometer in the past and have merely gone by taste and appearance. My syrup has always been OK and similar to the larger-scale product from my friends and area bulk producers. I now understand about temperature and density variables affecting the boil. I guess I will learn a bit more about density and temperature and see if that knowledge will help me avoid a repeat of last year.
Thanks again to all of the experienced posters here who have offered comments.

[tbear]

I was making "off" flavored syrup off and on over the past few years. Absolutley had me baffeled! Last year I found (through the good people here) that one should use only stainless steel or glass when making syrup. I'm not sure this information will help you, however it sure helped me. I was filtering into a large Tupperware bowl from time to time hence the (sometimes) "off" flavor.