Amorphous sugar. When sucrose is melted, or when solutions of
sucrose are heated to high temperatures and then allowed to cool, crystal-
lization does not occur immediately. A very brittle, very hard, solid,
transparent mass is formed. This form of sucrose is know^n as amorphous
sugar. It crystallizes very slowly, sometimes taking several months or
years to crystallize. Candies of this type are extremely hard. Some candies
are cooked to stages between those of the soft crystalline ones and the
hard amorphous forms. Caramels are examples of this type of candy —
they are fairly soft, yet are not crystallized.
Crystallization in candy making. Large crystals are the result of
growth, for which several days or weeks may be required. The growth
of the crystals is favored if the solution is not stirred, if the supersatura-
tion is not great, and if no crystals are added to the solution. Since small
crystals are desired in candy making, the procedure followed is the op-
posite of that for obtaining large crystals. The period of crystallization
is short, usually not over 30 minutes is required, the supersaturation is
great, and the solution is stirred after supersaturation is attained.
Stages of Cookery of Sucrose Solutions in Candy Making
The "cold-water" test. In the "cold-water" test, one can tell, from
the firmness or hardness of a portion of the sirup w^hich has been dropped
into cold water, whether the sirup has reached a concentration required
for the type of candy desired. The degree of firmness in the cold-w^ater
test is designated by different descriptive terms, such as soft ball, medium
ball, hard ball, and brittle. It should be remembered that there is no
definite stage between a soft ball and a medium one, but as the concen-
tration of the solution gradually increases, the firmness of the sirup tested
in cold water increases. One factor that causes variations in this test is the
fact that the colder the water in which the sirup is tested the firmer the
tested portion. Another cause for variation is that the portion being tested
is not always left long enough to become cooled.
Yet with long practise the cold-water test can be used with great preci-
sion to denote the stage of cookery of a sirup. It is the different interpreta-
tions of what constitutes a soft or medium ball that makes this test a more
difficult one to use. The number of terms used by different persons to sug-
gest the same stage of cookery is illustrated by the following. In looking
over a large number of recipes for a candy contest, it was interesting to
find that of 600 recipes nearly 200 had exactly the same proportion of
sugar, corn sirup, water, and egg white. But the directions for making the
cold-water test in these 200 recipes varied. Here are some of the terms used
to describe the portion of sirup tested in the cold water : Soft ball, medium
ADDITION OF CORN SIRUP AND OTHER SUGARS 55
soft ball, medium firm ball, firm ball, hard ball, solid ball, real hard, very
hard, hardens, threads, soft crack, cracks, crackles, cracks and hops, hairs,
spins hairs, strings, snaps, breaks, and brittle.
Page 48
Presented as published in 1932. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
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Amorphous sugar. When sucrose is melted, or when solutions of
sucrose are heated to high temperatures and then allowed to cool, crystal-
lization does not occur immediately. A very brittle, very hard, solid,
transparent mass is formed. This form of sucrose is know^n as amorphous
sugar. It crystallizes very slowly, sometimes taking several months or
years to crystallize. Candies of this type are extremely hard. Some candies
are cooked to stages between those of the soft crystalline ones and the
hard amorphous forms. Caramels are examples of this type of candy —
they are fairly soft, yet are not crystallized.
Crystallization in candy making. Large crystals are the result of
growth, for which several days or weeks may be required. The growth
of the crystals is favored if the solution is not stirred, if the supersatura-
tion is not great, and if no crystals are added to the solution. Since small
crystals are desired in candy making, the procedure followed is the op-
posite of that for obtaining large crystals. The period of crystallization
is short, usually not over 30 minutes is required, the supersaturation is
great, and the solution is stirred after supersaturation is attained.
Stages of Cookery of Sucrose Solutions in Candy Making
The "cold-water" test. In the "cold-water" test, one can tell, from
the firmness or hardness of a portion of the sirup w^hich has been dropped
into cold water, whether the sirup has reached a concentration required
for the type of candy desired. The degree of firmness in the cold-w^ater
test is designated by different descriptive terms, such as soft ball, medium
ball, hard ball, and brittle. It should be remembered that there is no
definite stage between a soft ball and a medium one, but as the concen-
tration of the solution gradually increases, the firmness of the sirup tested
in cold water increases. One factor that causes variations in this test is the
fact that the colder the water in which the sirup is tested the firmer the
tested portion. Another cause for variation is that the portion being tested
is not always left long enough to become cooled.
Yet with long practise the cold-water test can be used with great preci-
sion to denote the stage of cookery of a sirup. It is the different interpreta-
tions of what constitutes a soft or medium ball that makes this test a more
difficult one to use. The number of terms used by different persons to sug-
gest the same stage of cookery is illustrated by the following. In looking
over a large number of recipes for a candy contest, it was interesting to
find that of 600 recipes nearly 200 had exactly the same proportion of
sugar, corn sirup, water, and egg white. But the directions for making the
cold-water test in these 200 recipes varied. Here are some of the terms used
to describe the portion of sirup tested in the cold water : Soft ball, medium
ADDITION OF CORN SIRUP AND OTHER SUGARS 55
soft ball, medium firm ball, firm ball, hard ball, solid ball, real hard, very
hard, hardens, threads, soft crack, cracks, crackles, cracks and hops, hairs,
spins hairs, strings, snaps, breaks, and brittle.