in Cold-Water Boiling Confection Test Point* ºF/ºC Thread 215–235/102–113 Syrups, preserves Soft ball 235–240/113–116 Fondant, fudge Firm ball 245–250/118–121 Caramel candies Hard 240–265/121– Marshmallows, ball 130 nougat Soft crack 270–290/132–143 Taffy Hard 300–310/149– Butterscotch, crack 154 brittle 320–335/160–168 Hard candies, toffee Light caramel for syrups, color, 340/170 and flavor 355– Spun sugar, sugar cages; 360/180–182 medium caramel 375–380/188–190 Dark caramel 410/205 Black caramel *Above 330ºF/165ºC, the sugar syrup is more than 99% sucrose It no longer boils, but begins to break down and caramelize Boiling points depend on elevation For each 1,000 feet/305 meters above sea level, subtract 2ºF/1ºC from every boiling point listed How Sugar Crystals Form Sugar molecules have a natural tendency to bond to each other in orderly arrays and form dense solid masses, or crystals When sugar crystals are dissolved in water to make a syrup, the water molecules overcome that tendency by forming their own bonds with the sugar molecules, surrounding and separating them from each other If the dissolved sugar molecules in a syrup get too crowded for the water molecules to keep the sugars apart from each other, the sugars will begin to bond to each other again and form crystals When the tendency of a dissolved substance to bond to itself is exactly balanced by the water’s ability to prevent this bonding, the solution is called saturated The saturation point depends on ... overcome that tendency by forming their own bonds with the sugar molecules, surrounding and separating them from each other If the dissolved sugar molecules in a syrup get too crowded for the water molecules to keep the sugars apart from each other, the sugars will... sugars apart from each other, the sugars will begin to bond to each other again and form crystals When the tendency of a dissolved substance to bond to itself is exactly balanced by the water’s ability to prevent this bonding,... substance to bond to itself is exactly balanced by the water’s ability to prevent this bonding, the solution is called saturated The saturation point depends on