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I've tried several times to make maple candy but I'm at a loss. I bring it up to 135-136 degrees and it never hardens. I sell 30-40 gallons of syrup every year with dozens of requests for candy and with a new evaporator I'm hoping for 60 gallons this year hopefully with maple candy on my menu. Please help
244° You’re cooking it to cream temperature
I suspect you're not cooking it long enough. When we make it we go by appearance rather than temp. The syrop goes to a heavy roiling foam and is ready when the large bubbles kind of plop when they burst. When the foam starts to darken where it folds under itself. At that point remove from heat and fold back and forth with a wooden paddle until it cools some (about 10 min of stirring). As soon as you see sugar starting to form at edges pour quickly into molds.
If you cooked it right you will have light, golden brown sugar candies, too much and they will be dark brown and tasting of burnt sugar. Too little and the sugar will be soft or worse, stay as a sticky taffy that is very difficult to clean from the molds!
I go 135f but it all determines your barometric pressure. And that’s cream and candy. You really do need to have a good thermometer for this! Once it hits temp pull it off the heat and let it sit without bumping it untill it hits 180-190f stir it untill turns a whiteish color where the syrup losses it’s glossy look. And then pour into molds. If your not fast enough you can re heat and retry but I think it comes out more crystalish the second time
I'm confused. When it sits the temperature goes *up* 45 degrees?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rselleck91
Gabe
Take it to 32-34 degrees above the boiling point of water, which is not the same for everyone. The MES (Maple Expert Solutions) app is one of the best (FREE) tools you can have for boiling syrup, because it uses the barometric pressure and elevation to calculate the boiling point. Second tool is buy a good thermometer I really like the Thermoworks Chef Alarm with a 12" probe well worth the money. after boiling let it cool to 200 or less depending on how you are making it. If you have a machine cooling more will make softer candy. If you are pouring cool less so you can get it all poured. It takes practice either way. We make 300-400 pieces a week for me cooking to the right temperature is the key.
Jared
all good info, but they mist the most important thing lite syrup. late or dark syrup does not make good candy. might only make taffy. I only use the first two runs of the year for confections. it is all about inverted sugars. some test for the right levels. the darker the syrup the hotter the temp. start at 245-247. avoid humid days too.