Maple Sugar

[Sugarmaker]

Galena,
Generally my sugar is finer and more consistent in grain size than in the last picture. Looks a little lumpy! The term creep is when you spoon a bunch of sugar into a pile and the exterior surface "creeps" down the slope of the sugar. It is a measure of moisture content. (crude) Too wet it clumps and wont move. Too dry and it doesn't pile up much. Jake may be able to add to that.
The key I have found is to get close or over 260 F. (and yes butter or defoamer around the top inside edge of the pan is a must) Seems to work best. If you made maple icing then you may not have boiled it long enough or your syrup is not going to make sugar crystals well to begin with.
Regards,
Chris

[Galena]

Thanks Sugarmaker, helps a lot! I made a couple more batches of sugar and much happier with the results. Another batch turned out darker and got clumpy, this was before I realized why you had to wipe down the underside of the mixer! I just used the KitchenAid to grind it down on very low speed to sprinkles size. Next batch, I took it what I call the 'cookie dough' stage, which I'd say is the second-last pic in your last post, then took it off. I sieved it through a large sieve using a wooden spoon, and shook it out onto a baking sheet and left it out to dry a little more. Looks consistent and great!

[canaanmaple]

well it's easter, so I am resurrecting an old thread instead of starting a new one :P

searching for reasons of getting very fine sugar crystals when making sugar.... for some reason, when I use a 30 quart hobart stand mixer, I end up getting very fine crystals. (with almost nothing to sift out which is good I suppose) So I have seen it say temp matters, and I get same results with 255 or 260. (my water boils at 207) And I saw it say in this thread that mixing too long can turn it to powder. However, I don't mix too much longer than after the steam finally stops pouring off.
I prefer a coarser granular myself.

I am curious about what other factors can dictate the size of the granules in the end product? Grade of syrup too light maybe? Temp still not high enough? I do 2 gallon batches at once, yielding at least 13lbs each. Maybe Tim knows this coveted answer? Thanks!

[Sugarmaker]

canaamaple,
Well maybe my next batch will not be good, but made some nice sugar with good creep a month ago using just about the method and equipment you describe too. I do a gallon of Amber boiled to 260, pour it into the Hobart and begin to mix. I usually dont finish the batch till the bottom of the outside of the bowl is warm but not hot. I have stirred too long and it has made fine grains. Interesting that you stir only a little longer than the steam comes off? I have to go a lot longer. What speed do you mix at?
Humm? All syrup is not create equal for sure.
Regards,
Chris

[GeneralStark]

I make over 1k pounds of sugar annually and I find that there are no hard fast rules. I typically use a blend of amber and dark syrup to get more flavor and personally like to cook to 265F. I have found that using my process this yields a better texture sugar for most of my customers. The end user and your process will dictate what texture or quality sugar you will want to end up with.

That said a few factors you can control are how you cook the syrup, like what type of pan and the depth of the syrup, how much quantity at once you are cooking, how long you stir, how you sift and then how long you dry to get good creep. I typically end up with finer sugar if I cook beyond 265, or if the sugar is getting burned in the pan while cooking it. Turning the heat down as the syrup temp. gets higher is important IMO.

Invert sugar levels in the syrup are an important variable and can be a factor in the texture of the resulting sugar. The temp you cook to will also relate to the invert variable.

So, hard to say exactly what you can do to adjust the texture of your sugar but certainly these may be a few things to consider.

[canaanmaple]

canaamaple,
Well maybe my next batch will not be good, but made some nice sugar with good creep a month ago using just about the method and equipment you describe too. I do a gallon of Amber boiled to 260, pour it into the Hobart and begin to mix. I usually dont finish the batch till the bottom of the outside of the bowl is warm but not hot. I have stirred too long and it has made fine grains. Interesting that you stir only a little longer than the steam comes off? I have to go a lot longer. What speed do you mix at?
Humm? All syrup is not create equal for sure.
Regards,
Chris

I mix at the lowest speed possible. I've read elsewhere some people recommend going to 270-275 so I guess thats worth a try also. At least it sells well no matter what size crystals