Making sugar by hand (video)

[abbott]

Ok, so its not exactly a masterpiece. This is my wife stirring a 3 qt batch of syrup in an 8 qt pot. We add 2-3 drops of canola oil. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to come up to 260. Then move it to the sink and stir. It's really only a couple minutes of hard work. Sift once it has cooled (grind up the lumps and re-sift those) and we typically get 5+ lbs of granulated sugar and less than 1/2 lb of "crunchies". We'll have 2 pots going at once and start a batch every hour. One person can keep up with it, but if we're both around we'll often take turns stirring.


https://www.facebook.com/AbbottsFamilyFarm/videos/814371045378197/

[MapleCamp]

Thanks for that Im going to give 3 qts a try.:cool:

[n8hutch]

Nice video Steven ,kinda looks a lot like how I did it. Imagine that. Thanks for the pointers.

[abbott]

Thanks for that Im going to give 3 qts a try.:cool:

Good luck. As long as you don't boil over and get it all the way up to 255-260, it should work. Worst case scenario is you come out with a lot of chunks mixed in.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

What are you guys using for a sifter? The hand crank flour sifters or just a manual pan sifter? Does it matter? I'm planning to try and do some this weekend.

[n8hutch]

I've been using a Large Hand Crank sifter, the last 2 batches I've made have not been as Dry when finished as previous batches, I'm thinking that it might be Humidity related? Or possibly an Invert sugar thing? Either way I think it would be best to do on a Dry air day or in an Airconditioned kitchen. Good luck

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Thanks Nate, we've found with our lollipops that humidity can make or break success so I guess that doesn't surprise me about the sugar. Do you let it cool down to room temperature for sifting or while its still warm? Does it matter?

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Just want to say thanks for posting the video. Just did some last night and got 4.75 lbs sugar and 0.5 lb crunches. Came out great, plan to do more soon.