Cooking sugar
Cooking sugar, which is one of the basics of patisserie and sweet-making, is a delicate operation in which sugar is heated from 100°C or 212°F to 180°C or 356°F. Here is some information on this tricky subject.
[Translator's note: the terms used below correspond to the French tradition, as often used by English-speaking chefs, but there are other stages and terms in other traditions. Best to use a thermometer, and be guided by temperature, as the English terms commonly used in domestic cooking cover less precise stages, broader temperature ranges, and so could lead to confusion.].
[Translator's note: the terms used below correspond to the French tradition, as often used by English-speaking chefs, but there are other stages and terms in other traditions. Best to use a thermometer, and be guided by temperature, as the English terms commonly used in domestic cooking cover less precise stages, broader temperature ranges, and so could lead to confusion.].
298,8562.2/5 for 94 ratings
Last modified on: April 3rd 2019
You will need:
- 1
200 g caster sugar - 2
3 tablespoons water - 3
5 drops lemon juice - Total weight: 245 grams
Measures:
How long does it take?
Time required
| Preparation | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min. | 38 min. | 43 min. |
At what time?
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at a certain time?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at a certain time?
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
You will also need a sugar thermometer ( up to 200°C or 392°F) or even better, an electronic thermometer.
Pour water, a few lemon juice (or vinegar) drops, and sugar into a pan.
The exact volume of water doesn't matter, because sugar starts to cook only when all the water is evaporated. So it's not necessary to use very much water.
Pour water, a few lemon juice (or vinegar) drops, and sugar into a pan.
The exact volume of water doesn't matter, because sugar starts to cook only when all the water is evaporated. So it's not necessary to use very much water.
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Put the pan on high heat with thermometer in, and bring to the boil.
You will notice that for quite a long time, the temperature will stay around 100°C or 212°F, that will be the case as long as there is still any water remaining with sugar.
You will notice that for quite a long time, the temperature will stay around 100°C or 212°F, that will be the case as long as there is still any water remaining with sugar.
Stage 3
For the following stages, you will probably see some impurities coming out of the sugar that will stick round the sides of the pan.
Stage 4
As they heat they will eventually burn and might add a bitter taste to the sugar. You can remove them with a brush dipped in clean cold water.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Stage 1: 106°C or 223°F, sugar is cooked to "thread" stage (used for some jams for example).
Stage 6 - 3 min.
Stage 2: 110°C or 230°F, sugar is cooked to "pearl or soufflé" stage (used for other jams and blackcurrant liqueur for example).
Stage 7 - 3 min.
Stage 3: 118°C or 244°F, sugar is cooked to "soft ball" stage (used for Italian meringue for example).
Stage 8 - 3 min.
Stage 4: 125°C or 257°F, sugar is cooked to "hard ball" stage.
Stage 9 - 3 min.
Stage 5: 135°C or 275°F, sugar is cooked to "soft crack" stage (it sticks to your teeth).
Stage 10 - 3 min.
Stage 6: 140°C or 284°F, sugar is cooked to "crack" stage (no longer sticky and it snaps).
Stage 11 - 3 min.
Stage 7: 155°C or 311°F, sugar is cooked "hard crack" stage (it snaps like glass).
Stage 12 - 3 min.
Stage 8: 160°C or 320°F, sugar is now "light caramel" (straw-coloured).
Stage 13 - 2 min.
Stage 9 (and final): 180°C or 356°F, light caramel becomes "dark caramel" (it's coloured). You should cool it and use it immediately, because it will continue cooking a little further, even off the heat.
Be careful: beyond 190°C or 374°F, caramel starts to smoke, burns and is spoiled.
Be careful: beyond 190°C or 374°F, caramel starts to smoke, burns and is spoiled.
Remarks
Cooking sugar is a delicate operation due to the high temperature, working with caramel at 180°C or 356°F can be very very dangerous. This why this is one of the only recipes on the site that you should make without any children around you.
In former times (not so long ago) patissiers had no thermometer, so to know the temperature of the sugar they dipped two fingers in water then in the cooking sugar, and then by touching their fingers together then releasing, they could tell by the behaviour of the sugar what stage it was at: thread, soft ball, hard ball, etc. That's the origin of the strange names of the stages.
Lemon juice drops are there to prevent sugar from brutal not wanted crystallization. I thougt it was a legend, so I don't put in, until it really happen to me when I was preparing a red sugar :
In former times (not so long ago) patissiers had no thermometer, so to know the temperature of the sugar they dipped two fingers in water then in the cooking sugar, and then by touching their fingers together then releasing, they could tell by the behaviour of the sugar what stage it was at: thread, soft ball, hard ball, etc. That's the origin of the strange names of the stages.
Lemon juice drops are there to prevent sugar from brutal not wanted crystallization. I thougt it was a legend, so I don't put in, until it really happen to me when I was preparing a red sugar :
Pretty, but not usable...
Nutritional information
How much will it cost?
- For : 0.16 €
Source
Gaston Lenôtre.More recipes?
This recipe uses (among others) | Caster sugar: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: How to cook caramelized puff pastry well, Apple and almond gratin, Flaky chocolate brioche, Naan, Apple Strudel, ... All |
| Lemon juice: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Tomato ladybirds, Sea bass with coriander cream en papillote, Beetroot and cream cheese verrines, Strawberry, kiwi and mascarpone verrines, Crab Cakes, ... All |
| Water: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Sushi, Butter cream, Vegetable stock, Natural leaven, Stewed apricots, ... All |
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2019-06-30)
Note: We'll never share your email with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 9 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.Note: We'll never share your email with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
Post your comment or question
You are welcome, if you wish, to comment on this recipe: why you like it or not, what you have changed, what results it gave, point out a mistake or omission, etc. You can also ask a question. I answer all questions (in a broken English, sorry) unless someone else does it before me.
Please feel free to say what you think, I'm always very interested in your opinion. Your comment will appear on line with the recipe, so please write in standard readable English, not SIM or only in CAPITALS, otherwise your comment may be rejected.
Please look at advice for submitting a comment or image (what you should or should not do). By the way, don't type your e-mail address in the comment, otherwise you might be spammed.