Newbie with questions

[Georgetrt]

I have a question.... I was boiling on my stove top and it's a gas stove. When I put the temp probe in the sap it tells me that I'm above 219 but when I check with the hydrometer it was still too thin according to braum... Which one do I rely on more? Any help would be appreciated. I'm guessing that the temp was altered by the flame on the stove??

Thank you!
George

[BSD]

did you compensate the brix for temperature?

[Georgetrt]

what do you mean compensate for the brix and temp?

[psparr]

Two things. 1 don't let the probe touch the bottom of the pan. That will give you an off reading.
Syrup changes with barometric pressure. So it may need to go higher. Temp gets you close but a hydrometer will be more accurate.
Search for a temperature compensation chart on here or google it.
The cooler the syrup the lower the Baume or brix will need to be.

[Cedar Eater]

Your thermometer may be off. Test it by verifying that water boils hard at 212.

[BSD]

Your thermometer may be off. Test it by verifying that water boils hard at 212.i've learned to check thermometers against each other. I bought a nice dual channel digital thermometer and each probe reads different from another. and the whole thing is off by 35-40 degrees. @ 211-212 they were reading 246-250.

[Sugarmaker]

I would use/ trust the hydrometer first. carefully fill the hydrometer with boiling syrup. insert hydrometer.
Also as mentioned please check your thermometer in boiling water. Around here water boils at 210 F. So syrup would be made at 217. I have two thermometers that read almost 2 degrees different.
Also if you dont have it get a thermometer that reads in 10ths of a degree.
Regards,
Chris

[Rangdale]

I second the hydrometer. We were boiling to 220 the first couple of years and it seemed thin. Bought a hydrometer and low and behold..we were making maple water. Had to get the temp up to 223 before it read correctly on the hydrometer. Just with several of the bigger guys in my area and they said the same was true for them.

[Galena]

FWIW someone here on MT told me to always finish at 225, ignore size of bubbles, drip rate and apron on spoon etc. I still do do look at those but with the help of both an olde-fashioned immersion candy therm, and a new digital therm, both bought at a professional chef supply place - I don't trust the ones bought at hardware and/or grocery stores, they've let me down too often in the past.

Anyway finishing at a properly read 225 - after calibrating BOTH therms in hard boiling water which can be 210-214 - means that I get within 1-2 hashmarks of Brix when I go and hydro it. Hope this helps!