the heat goes into the work of evaporating water molecules from the syrup, and less into actually raising the temperature of the syrup; so the syrup temperature rises only gradually But as the sugar concentration passes 80%, there’s so little water left that both the temperature of the syrup and its boiling point rise more rapidly As the concentration approaches 100%, the temperature rises very fast, and can easily overshoot the desired range and brown or scorch the sugar To avoid this, the cook should reduce the heat toward the end of cooking and keep a careful eye on the syrup temperature Setting the Sugar Structure: Cooling and Crystallization The final texture of a candy is determined by the way in which the sugar molecules in the cooked syrup cool and settle into a solid structure If the sugar forms a few large crystals, then the candy texture will be coarse and grainy If it forms many millions of microscopic crystals that are lubricated by just the right amount of syrup, then the candy will be smooth and creamy And if it forms no crystals at all, then it will be a hard, monolithic mass The trickiest stage of candy making thus comes after the cooking, when the syrup cools from 250–350ºF/ 120–175ºC down to room temperature The rate of cooling, the movement of the syrup, and the presence of the smallest particles of dust or sugar can have drastic effects on the candy’s structure and texture Confections and the Sugar Syrups They’re Made from Sugar confections are made from syrups with particular sugar concentrations This chart lists some common confections and two distinguishing qualities of their syrups Syrup Behavior Syrup ... cooling, the movement of the syrup, and the presence of the smallest particles of dust or sugar can have drastic effects on the candy’s structure and texture Confections and the Sugar Syrups They’re Made from.. .and grainy If it forms many millions of microscopic crystals that are lubricated by just the right amount of syrup, then the candy will be smooth and creamy And if it forms no... They’re Made from Sugar confections are made from syrups with particular sugar concentrations This chart lists some common confections and two distinguishing qualities of their syrups Syrup Behavior