It's wintertime and what better time is there to make the most use of your versatile candy thermometer? The cooler months are a perfect opportunity to gather the kids around the kitchen table and make sweet treats such as pecan brittle, candy apples or chewy, gooey taffy.
Making candy can be a delectably delicious experience if you are aware of how to correctly use a candy thermometer. Creating fun, sweet goodies can also be a disaster if you don't use the proper equipment and follow the steps and procedures exactly as specified. Most cooks with even moderate kitchen experience are already aware that a candy thermometer can be one of your best kitchen tools to help ensure that many family pleasing recipes become kitchen success stories.
Whether you'll be using a liquid thermometer, a coil spring "dial" thermometer, or a digital thermometer (the most accurate type), you'll want to test your thermometer for accuracy before attempting to use it in a recipe. Even the expensive, high end candy thermometers require routine accuracy checks to establish that they are working correctly. If you fail to carry out this simple procedure an inaccurate candy thermometer can easily result in your candy being under or overcooked.
The best way to accomplish this test is to let the thermometer stand undisturbed in a pot of boiling water for ten minutes. At the end of that time check the reading. Your candy thermometer should read 212 degrees F. Once it has been determined that your thermometer is giving an accurate reading, you're ready to begin!
How to Use a Candy Thermometer
Gather all the cooking utensils and ingredients you'll need for your candy recipe and have them close by. Timing is everything when it comes to making candy. A minute or two of overcooking can ruin a perfectly good recipe.
I wish all the foolish days of my life which I have spent at American watering-places thinking I was amused at five changes of dress a day, dinner parties with the thermometer at 90 degrees, etc., could have been given to Ghent and Bruges. What relics of a grand and poetical and useful race! What visions of history! What gems of art and architecture! Why, just one look at the Hotel de Ville in Ghent, with its facade of richest flamboyant Gothic and one of its sides in the Italian Renaissance, is worth two balls at Delmonico’s.
—M. E. W. Sherwood (1826–1903)
Next, add the ingredients as directed by the recipe and place the candy thermometer in the pot with the cooking candy, making sure the bulb of the thermometer never touches the bottom of the pan (this will result in a false, higher reading). Cook the mixture until the cooking stage in the recipe is reached. While some recipes provide a goal temperature to reach during this stage, others use sugar stage terminology, such as "thread", "soft ball", "firm ball", "soft crack" or "hard crack". The thermometer, for example, will show a 230-235F reading at the lowest, "thread" stage, and will register 300-310F at the other extreme - the "hard crack" stage.
When the desired cooking stage is reached, as evidenced by your thermometer, remove the thermometer carefully (use a potholder - it will be hot!), and complete the recipe following the directions provided.
Sweet Tips, Unique Features, and Other Uses!
Many cooks agree that there's some truth in what your mother may have told you - it's best to do your candy making on sunny days, when the air pressure is high.
Always make sure that your candy thermometer has a clip attached that will stabilize it against the side of a pot without you having to hold it in place.
Never allow the bottom tip of the thermometer to rest against the bottom of a pot on the stove. The pot's bottom surface can produce unreliable temperature readings.
Remember that there is no mercury used in these types of cooking thermometers.
A variety of styles of thermometers are available to the candy cook today, including those with antibacterial tubes, stainless steel stems, freezer and oven safe models, and those with Celsius vs. Fahrenheit readings.
Use your candy thermometer for other types of recipes as well! Using your candy thermometer is helpful when you need to check the temperature of yeast while you are making bread.
You can even use a candy thermometer to check the oil temperature when you are going to be frying foods.
Martin is an avid cook and enjoys writing about his favorite recipes and products. Take a look at his recommended candy thermometer at MyChefsFavorites.com where you can pick up a great selection of cookware items.