Candy and cream do's and Dont's

[blissville maples]

I'm sure there is a thread somewhere that answers this but to get some precise info I figured this would be best. There's alot to making good candy and cream and I can only do it occasionally! Seems as though every batch is different, I started keeping track of various temps and things that happen during the process to try to pinpoint the dos and don't, however this is going to use alot more syrup than I want to use if I keep trial and error.

I heat candy to 235.5 cool to 165, stir gently until thickens then pour- comes out grainy. I'm wondering if I stirred this batch too long and should have poured sooner???
Otherwise the weather was low pressure and maybe it was syrup was too hot(even though 235.5 should be good based on boiling water).

Will speed of stirring, stirring too long turn an otherwise nice candy grainy?

Now to cream.....other than a lower temperature I would assume all the above apply. I've made 3 batches this year and I didn't keep track of the temperature but the first batch came out superb just like peanut butter the other batches have been somewhat grainy. I think the first batch was 234-235 and the second was slightly cooler maybe 233, again I wasn't writing the temperature down as I am now, cooled to approximately 100-120, first batch that came out good may have been to 60 degrees, but all the rest are slightly grainy not horribly but not peanut butter like, like it ideally should be.
Again heating cooling rate of stirring all effect this I'm sure my next batch I plan to try 232-233 for target temp.
Ive read the cooler you cool the cream the creamier it is but I cannot say for sure


some good pointers that work time and time again and produce consistent results would be great, not sure how much sugar everyone can consume around here, the scrap pile is getting big!!
Thanks

[unc23win]

I boil to 22-24 above boiling for cream which is 234 for me and then freeze it overnight in the freezer then take it out and let it get to room temp then make cream that is with a cream machine.

For candy I go 32-34 above boiling I use 245 and then cool it 200 then start stirring.

[Russell Lampron]

You're not getting your syrup hot enough for candy. I heat mine to 244 and stir at 175. The candy comes out hard enough to handle without falling apart and soft enough to melt in your mouth. The grains of sugar are so fine that they are practically unnoticeable. I stir it by hand and it only takes a couple of minutes to get it to candy consistency.

I heat the syrup for cream to 234 and put it in an ice bath to cool it to room temperature and then stir it by hand. It takes a lot longer than stirring candy to get it to cream consistency. When it starts getting easier to stir it is getting close.

On both the candy and the cream if you stir it too much and it becomes difficult to pour or hardens stir some water into it to get it back to pourable consistency. I've tried heating it in a microwave which will make it pourable but it turns into a brick when it cools.

[blissville maples]

Ok, would underheating cause it to become grainy? At 235.5 it still hardens.......I'll try hotter next time maybe that could be the issue...I hope. We usually pour before it gets super hard, but I'm wondering if im still stirring too long, however last year, just to see what would happen, I stirred for only a few seconds then poured one mold and it never hardened so now I stir until I know it's thickening.....

Making candy is neat and fun but I wish I could nail it every time!!

Also curious to add water back in to pour, couple big batches stiffened up before we could pour it all, I'll have try....

[Moser's Maple]

Do’s:

1. Are far as heat for candy, if it’s setting for you then it’s hot enough. Now if it is not keeping well, then you may have to raise your boiling point.
2. Each producer has their own unique way to produce a product so what may work for them may not work you you and vice versa so keep practicing.
3. Attend a maple conference or open house where they are demonstrating value added.

Don’t’s:
1. Ask a good value added person to give a straight answer.
2. Ask a good value added person their secret to buttery smooth cream, or melt in your mouth candy.

[Russell Lampron]

I'm thinking that under heating will cause grainy candy. I heat my syrup to 234* when I make cream and if I stir it too soon like at 165* it comes out grainy. I heat my syrup to 244* when I make candy and stir at 175* and it comes out smooth. I'm not sure why the sugar crystallizes the way that it does at the different temperatures but 10* more does make a difference with the candy.

[blissville maples]

Thanks for the info Russ.....I made a batch at 240 cooled to 175 came out a little less grainy, I think. I noticed the last few that I stirred a bit longer and were closer to set turned lighter in color then the first ones- kinda funny. I'm going to try 244 tonight, I guess I keep worrying that the hotter I go the more sugary it will be, maybe that's where I'm going wrong. I'm destined to try every temperature out there in a process of elimination of I have to.

The best batch I made last week I actually made cream first and with the candy syrup I poured it into the remnants of the cream mixing pot and it came out firm like candy but soft and almost buttery like cream when eaten. I think I may just do it all like that because that stuff you keep going back for and I can't seem to replicate it any other way.

Even so it's pretty fun to make and see how the different temperatures and this and that make different candy

[maple flats]

Do you have that much market for it or are you just reprocessing to get the best results?

[blissville maples]

I would like to put some in small jars as self serve at store counter/deli counter maybe package some, have a couple stores who would likely place a couple. However I want to have a superb product that is irresistible not just sweet. I've been told " some like the grainy stuff" but I never seem to want more of the grainer candy or cream, but if it's soft and creamy thats hard to stay away from.

At the very least I'd like to nail it down so I can at least enjoy a nice soft candy and cream.

I read on a candy making website that the heating temperature directly corresponds to the stiffness of the candy based on sugar density and how close together the actual sugar molecules are which is why the hotter you go the stiffer it is and the lower you go the softer it is like cream. They say that the cooling temperature directly and only relates to the size of the sugar crystals. If that's true I'm going to try my candy cooling down to room temperature.

I read I believe from a previous thread that one person to make cream puts their hot syrup in the freezer overnight then brings it up to room temperature the next day and stirs, come out creamy.

Hey, I'll figure it out I always do, but time is precious!!
As the old saying goes many ways to skin a cat

[blissville maples]

Well from what I've found out in doing my last batch, unless I was just lucky or it was a slightly higher heating temp, the secret is letting the hot syrup sit for a few hours before stirring. Although after 20 minutes the temp is down to 175 I think the extra couple hours "relax" the sugar molecules so they are finer.......watch the next batch come out grainy!!!