Candy Making

Boiling sugar is extremely hot (more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit, in many cases) and can cause severe burns if mishandled. The core body temperature is only 98 degrees Fahrenheit, so a 200-degree difference can cause a lot of pain, indeed.

To stay safe when handling boiling sugar, follow these guidelines:

Keep your work space clear

Some candy recipes can be done with kids, however, many should not be performed with children in the kitchen. When making candy that involves boiling chocolate or sugar in a kettle or pot, ask your children to go to another room and wait for the candy to cook.  Pets should also stay out of the kitchen when you are cooking candy.

Pay full attention to what you are doing

When handling boiling sugar that can potentially cause massive burns, don’t do anything else while making the candy.

Pay full attention to the mixing instructions, cooking time and target temperature so you can perform the recipe quickly and hassle-free.

This is another reason why the kitchen should be clear of distractions – because accidents tend to happen when you are not paying full attention to what you are cooking.

Watch your surroundings

When cooking candy, you may not immediately notice the few drops of boiling sugar on your countertop. Beware of these small drops of boiling sugar – one touch and these small drops can cause painful blisters on your arm or hand.

Place a clean, moist cloth nearby so you can wipe away spills quickly before the sugar hardens. Having some ice water handy is also a good measure to reduce the potential damage in case boiling sugar does burn you.

Choose the farthest burner for the cooking candy

Some kitchen ranges can have as many as four or five different burners. While many people like cooking on the burners that are nearest to them, this should not be done when cooking candy.

Instead of placing the pot or saucepan on the front burners, place these cooking wares on the back burners.

This way, you are increasing the distance between your body and the cooking candy. When a spill occurs, the kitchen range will take the brunt and not you (or someone near the kitchen range).

Never taste freshly cooked candy

As we have mentioned earlier, freshly cooked candy can reach up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature.

No matter how much you blow on a spoonful of freshly cooked candy, the core or center of that piece will still be as hot as the entire batch on the burner. Don’t taste anything until the entire batch has cooled for a sufficient period of time.

Mix the batch with the right tool

Metal conducts heat quite efficiently, so avoid using metal mixing spoons when you are cooking candy on your kitchen range.

Thick wooden spoons with long handles are recommended. If you mix the batch with a metal spoon, there is a big chance that the mixing spoon will become too hot to comfortably use after a few minutes.

To prevent the sugar from sticking to the wooden spoon, grease the spoon with butter or cooking oil before using it.
Now, in addition to using wooden spoons when cooking candy, it is also important that you have a pair of thick oven mitts handy when you are transferring the candy from one place to another.

Keep the pot awayfrom your face and chest, as the steam is as hot as the candy and can do even more damage when it comes in contact with your skin.  The same principle applies when you are adding other ingredients to a bubbling batch of candy.

When liquid or solid ingredients are added to boiling sugar, the surface will most likely release a burst of steam – enough to hurt your hands. So stand back and use a long wooden mixing spoon when adding ingredients to your candy.

How to “hold” the cooking candy

“Holding” is a term that denotes the lowering of the temperature of a batch of candy to prolong the cooking process.

This can be achieved by adding a few tablespoons of water to the candy, which increases its moisture content immediately. “Holding” should only be done if your candy thermometer displays the target temperature already (and not before).