Flat
Candy Thermometer -
For tempering real chocolate, and for cooked
candies. This one really works! The clip keeps the thermometer off the
bottom of the pan for a true reading and i may be used for stirring. This
precision thermometer is essential for making hard candy, nougat, fudge
and more. Simply clamp to side of bowl or pan; the bulb is held securely
without touching sides for precise readings. Easy-to-read numbers help
you keep track of changing temperatures at a glance. Measures from 100
degrees to 400 degrees F and 20 degrees to 200 degrees C. Stainless steel
construction.
The first thing that should be done
each day, before you start, is to TEST YOUR THERMOMETER: Immerse the thermometer
into cold water. Bring the water to a boil. At what temperature DOES water
boil today at your house?
We are
taught that water boils at 212 degrees...well...very seldom! At sea level
water boils at 212 degrees (on a sunny day.) Water will boil at different
temperatures depending on altitude. Most of us don't live at sea level...and
it can be cloudy or raining...So we learn to compensate:
If YOUR
water boils at 210 degrees, you should ALSO reduce the candy-cooking time
by 2 degrees. (Most of the time, water boils here about 208 degrees).
HERE'S HOW IT IS: IF you were to cook the candy to the usual - say - 280 degrees ON the thermometer, then it would be 2 degrees overcooked. Since the weather or ground level has caused your thermometer to be 2 degrees off, you would need to cook it only to 278 degrees.
Try not to cook candies on a rainy day. The barometric pressure, when the air is heavy- on rainy and cludy days, holds the thermometer down. Candy is done sooner too. "Make candy when the sun shines," ...motto of good candy makers. It is very difficult to make candies that turn out perfect on rainy days...even for an experienced candymaker. I recommend a TAYLOR or WILTON thermometer. They are around $10-15.00. These are encased in metal and the bulb will not accidentely touch the bottom of the pan and give false readings. I also use it to stir with if I am making candy that should be stirred.
You are 'on your own' if you insist on using the cheapy 'cylinder' thermometer! Once it will be closer to the bottom of the pan than another time, etc. Besides, I've been told by a manufacturer that these aren't even calibrated. This means one may give a different reading than another both doing the same thing in the SAME place. No good...waste of money.
Also, it is claimed, the temerature is only for pure water. If you have water like we do here, the contaminents may also affect the boiling point.
OTHER: You will need 2 kinds of pans too.
1.) Use a thin (good quality) pan for candies that MUST STAY IN THE PAN for any length of time for cooling. If you leave the thermometer in the pan, you may notice the temperature rising even after the candy is removed fro the stove. Using a heavy pan, your candy will burn, in this case.
2.) Use a HEAVY PAN for fudges, fondants, etc., that are to be dumped immediately onto your marble slab. You can get so good at this candymaking as to win yourself a wonderful reputation as the BEST candy maker in town! You should expect these candies to be the best you have ever eaten. If they are not, you are doing something wrong. Watch the flavoring and color! Too much of either and candy won't taste good. Oil flavorings are very strong and can fool you. They are like purfume...you go around the purfume counter smelling it and pretty soon, your nose is 'numb.'