Guest guest Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Actually, that is exactly what you do. The glass of water makes teh honey mixture cool rapidly to give you an idea of what the entire mixture will be like when it cools to room temperature. So you boil, and just take a spoon at the ten minute mark, dip in hot honey mixture, drip a small bit in glass, and when the little drip has cooled, take it out of the water and 'feel' it, see if it's soft and malable. If it sort of stays together like taffy, it's perfect. If it sort of gets runny, it's not quite there yet. If it gets rock hard like Ludens cough drops, I'm sorry, you've cooked it too long and now have hard candy when it cools. If you have a candy thermometer, I think teh soft ball stage is about 225 degrees F. I hope this helps. Making candy takes practice, so don't be discouraged if the first batch doesn't come out perfect. jonathan > > Hi, > > I'm in a sweets mood today. But I know almost nothing about making candy. > In the scdrecipe of Diva's fab fudge it says: > > " Bring honey and vinegar to a boil and simmer until it makes a soft ball in > a glass of cold water " . What does that mean? How would I know that the > honey and vinegar would be close to the point of making a soft ball in a > glass of cold water? Should I actually be spooning a little bit of the > honey-vinegar mix into a glass of cold water? If so, how much do I put it? > What should the ball look like? Like if I drop a little bit of the honey > mixture in, it will instantly look like a bead? > > I think I've asked this question before, but I've never had any success in > understanding the answer, so I'm trying again. Thanks! > > Ann in Des Moines > (SCD for 18 months) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Actually, that is exactly what you do. The glass of water makes teh honey mixture cool rapidly to give you an idea of what the entire mixture will be like when it cools to room temperature. So you boil, and just take a spoon at the ten minute mark, dip in hot honey mixture, drip a small bit in glass, and when the little drip has cooled, take it out of the water and 'feel' it, see if it's soft and malable. If it sort of stays together like taffy, it's perfect. If it sort of gets runny, it's not quite there yet. If it gets rock hard like Ludens cough drops, I'm sorry, you've cooked it too long and now have hard candy when it cools. If you have a candy thermometer, I think teh soft ball stage is about 225 degrees F. I hope this helps. Making candy takes practice, so don't be discouraged if the first batch doesn't come out perfect. jonathan > > Hi, > > I'm in a sweets mood today. But I know almost nothing about making candy. > In the scdrecipe of Diva's fab fudge it says: > > " Bring honey and vinegar to a boil and simmer until it makes a soft ball in > a glass of cold water " . What does that mean? How would I know that the > honey and vinegar would be close to the point of making a soft ball in a > glass of cold water? Should I actually be spooning a little bit of the > honey-vinegar mix into a glass of cold water? If so, how much do I put it? > What should the ball look like? Like if I drop a little bit of the honey > mixture in, it will instantly look like a bead? > > I think I've asked this question before, but I've never had any success in > understanding the answer, so I'm trying again. Thanks! > > Ann in Des Moines > (SCD for 18 months) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Actually, that is exactly what you do. The glass of water makes teh honey mixture cool rapidly to give you an idea of what the entire mixture will be like when it cools to room temperature. So you boil, and just take a spoon at the ten minute mark, dip in hot honey mixture, drip a small bit in glass, and when the little drip has cooled, take it out of the water and 'feel' it, see if it's soft and malable. If it sort of stays together like taffy, it's perfect. If it sort of gets runny, it's not quite there yet. If it gets rock hard like Ludens cough drops, I'm sorry, you've cooked it too long and now have hard candy when it cools. If you have a candy thermometer, I think teh soft ball stage is about 225 degrees F. I hope this helps. Making candy takes practice, so don't be discouraged if the first batch doesn't come out perfect. jonathan > > Hi, > > I'm in a sweets mood today. But I know almost nothing about making candy. > In the scdrecipe of Diva's fab fudge it says: > > " Bring honey and vinegar to a boil and simmer until it makes a soft ball in > a glass of cold water " . What does that mean? How would I know that the > honey and vinegar would be close to the point of making a soft ball in a > glass of cold water? Should I actually be spooning a little bit of the > honey-vinegar mix into a glass of cold water? If so, how much do I put it? > What should the ball look like? Like if I drop a little bit of the honey > mixture in, it will instantly look like a bead? > > I think I've asked this question before, but I've never had any success in > understanding the answer, so I'm trying again. Thanks! > > Ann in Des Moines > (SCD for 18 months) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 At 10:11 AM 9/26/2009, you wrote: I'm in a sweets mood today. But I know almost nothing about making candy. Having a candy thermometer is much more useful to me. If I try the other way, I'm so eager to get it finished that I always stop cooking early, and then my " stuff " melts all over the counter.... Small thread………………230°-236°F Long thread………………..240°-245°F Soft ball………………………244°-246°F Hard ball………………………250°F Very hard ball……………..280°F Brittle……………………………300°F Coloring point……………….315°F — Marilyn New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001 Darn Good SCD Cook No Human Children Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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