Maple candy

[buckeyeboy]

I tried to make candy for the first time,not good. The candy did not set up in the molds,it is tacky when I touch it.I have left it over night at room temp. My question is how do I get it out of the molds ? What do you think I did wrong? I heated to 240,let it cool to about 180,then I stirred it about 5min. poured into the molds. Any suggestions.

[n8hutch]

My guess is you didn't get quite Hot enough, I always go to 241 min, on more Humid days I might go as high as 245, I always let it cool to 165-170 before I stir, it's also possible that you didn't stir it long enough because the syrup wasn't quite cool enough when you started. Best way I've found to get a mess like that out of the mold is to leave it soaking in water, I've tried freezing them and it still won't come out.

[fred]

Take it to 246 , then put it in a cool bath AND start stirring right away. When it looks "grainy" and milky, pour in a mold. We put a fan on right away. Set for an hour then start popping out

[ToadHill]

It’s one of two problems or could be a little of both. Either the invert sugar level was to high or the boiling point was to low. Invert sugars don’t crystallize well and prevent the sugar from solidifying. The only way to know for sure if the invert level was the problem is to measure it. Requires a 10 to 1 dilution of syrup in water and a glucometer. The Cornell confections Manual by Steve Childs explains it in detail. The type of syrup you use can give you a clue about the invert level, but it’s not necessarily definitive. Did you use early season light syrup? If so was it made from fresh sap that hadn’t set around to long? If so it’s likely the invert was low, which is what you want. As for the temp, 32 above the boiling point of water is the generally accepted number when using a Sipple machine and I would think it would be the same when doing it by hand. If it’s humid try going a little higher. Good luck.

[buckeyeboy]

Thanks for the replies,I tried the freezing method did not work. When soaking in water do I want it warm or cool?

[SeanD]

Hot water works better. Let it sit over night and it will rinse out easily, but before you do, scoop out as much of the taffy as you can with a spoon. You can add that missed batch to your next one.

[ToadHill]

I would be careful about adding this batch into the next one unless you know for a fact that the syrup was low in invert sugars and that this batch wasn't grainy. If what you have is grainy then adding it to the next batch will be sure to make it grainy also.