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How to Make Perfect Homemade Hard Candy
The Secrets To Making Perfect Hard Candy
By Deon Melchior
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Just the thought of that delicious flavorful hard candy that the gourmet candy shop sells is enough to make your mouth water. In fact it's enough to have you heading off to the shop to buy some. But why not make your own? Once you know the secrets to making perfect hard candy you'll wonder why you never made it before. Making hard candy is a lot easier than you think. All you need is the right tools, some basic ingredients, and your creativity. It's the perfect time to let your imagination run wild and your artistic flares rule. Your friends and family will think you are the new Martha Stewart. First you need to go get the basic candy making tools. You probably already have them in your kitchen. You will need a 3 or 4 quart saucepan that has a nice heavy base, a pastry brush, a long handled wood spoon, and a candy thermometer. You may not have the candy thermometer and a word of advice is to buy a good one so that it reads accurately. Make sure it has the metal clamp so you can attach it to the side of the saucepan. |
Now before you start making your hard candy you need to get the weather forecast. No you don't need the forecast because you are going to time your candy making for a dreary day that you don't want to go out. You need it because humidity plays a big role in how your hard candy will turn out.
Why is that? That's because sugar attracts water and so rainy days or days that have a high humidity level can really mess up your candy, so it's better to wait for a drier day.
If you've just purchased a new candy thermometer you'll want to test it in advance. You can do this by putting it in a pan of water then bringing the water to a boil. When the water boils it should read 212 degrees at sea level. If it registers anything else which it can if you are not at sea level then note the reading and when you are making your candy you'll have to adjust. So if it's reading 215 then you'll need to adjust by three degrees. If it's off by more than 5 degrees you need a new thermometer.
One of the keys to perfect home made candy is to use fresh ingredients. Sugar is the main ingredient in all hard candy and you should always start with a package that is unsealed. I know you're thinking sugar stays fresh. Well yes and no. It in fact stays fresh and certainly usable for almost every recipe other than candy. That's because sugars granular nature tends to attract water which will mess with your candy recipe. So if you want the best candy possible start with fresh sugar.
The butter you use in your recipe needs to be unsalted are your candy will flop. Both margarine and salted butter will affect the cooking time, texture, and taste of your candy, and not for the good.
When adding food coloring start with a little and then add more if you need it. Color can look a lot more appealing before it's mixed into the candy. It's very easy to add too much and have candy that's just way too intense to be appealing. So start with a little and continue to add until you reach the desired color.
Once your candies are cool you are going to have to store them in airtight jars. You don't need to wrap them but they do need to be stored in a container that has no other types of candies because some candy loses moisture and this will ruin your hard candy.
There are all kinds of hard candy recipes available online. And now that you know the secrets to making perfect hard candy why not give it a try. You'll be happy you did!
Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click.