I just broke my second maple syrup hydrometer (the one that I use to test if the almost-syrup that I'm heating has become syrup):
  1. In the cup? I used to place it in the test cup between tests, but I shattered the first one by dropping it, instead of gently placing it, into the test cup when there wasn't any liquid in the cup.
  2. On a plastic mat? Then I started placing both the hydrometer and the test cup next to each other on a ribbed plastic mat, but I shattered the second one when I jarred the mat, and the test cup fell over on the hydrometer.
Now I'm looking for a third way to store the hydrometer between tests. Have any of you worked one out that is clumsiness proof?