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.].
454K 142 2.5
Last modified on: April 3rd 2019
Keywords for this recipe:You will need:
- 1
200 g caster sugar - 2
3 tablespoons water - 3
5 drops lemon juice - Total weight: 245 grams
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
| Preparation | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min. | 38 min. | 43 min. |
At what time:
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ? - Work this out...
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
| Whole recipe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 800 Kcal or 3,349 Kj | 0 gr | 200 gr | 0 gr |
| 40 % | 0 % | 19 % | 0 % |
| Per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 327 Kcal or 1,369 Kj | 0 gr | 82 gr | 0 gr |
| 16 % | 0 % | 8 % | 0 % |
How much will it cost?
- For : 0.16 €
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Source
Gaston Lenôtre.
This recipe uses (among others)
 | Caster sugar: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Blackberry and almond fondant tart, Cannelés, Gâteau Basque , Praline, Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée, ... All |
 | Lemon juice: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Coriander and cashew nut pesto, Cauliflower and avocado rémoulade, Souda salad, Avocado with gravlax, Red endive appetizers, ... All |
 | Water: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Tomato foccacia, Pumpkin (or potimarron) soup, Salmon chard rolls, Rum babas, How to prepare endives , ... All |
Other recipes you may also like
Pâté de campagne
Here is a personal version of the famous country pâté. It's an interesting recipe to prepare in large quantities because it keeps well and freezes easily. The secret of a good pâté is of course the ingredients, but also how it is cooked.1.9M 23.7 7 hours 54 min. October 3rd 2019
Tartiflette
A personal version of a classic recipe from Savoy.563K 14.6 1 hour 27 min. September 16th 2019
Surprise bread
This recipe is for a large surprise bread so you can make six layers (48 small sandwiches if you divide each layer in 8), with three different flavours: smoked salmon/lime, smoked ham/butter, mayonnaise/chicken.664K 84.5 6 hours 24 min. December 27th 2020
Blackcurrant coulis
Blackcurrants make a very good coulis, but it's a bit more difficult than with other fruits. Here is a simple method to help you succeed.421K 23.5 25 min. February 21th 2011
Spaghetti with mussels and basil
Mussels and pasta cooked separately, then combined in a cream sauce made with the reduced mussel juices.139K4.1 1 hour 40 min. September 14th 2011
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2023-02-05)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post your comment or question
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 e-mail address 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.