Sugar
Notes
Brix: Grams of sucrose in 100 grams of solution, ie percent.
Solubility of sugar in water
Sucrose has the greatest solubility of the disaccharid sugars
Temp C |
Temp F |
Specific Gravity |
Brix |
Grams of sucrose dissolvable by 100g of water |
0 |
32 |
1.31490 |
64.18 |
179.2 |
5 |
41 |
1.31920 |
64.87 |
184.7 |
10 |
50 |
1.32353 |
65.58 |
190.5 |
15 |
59 |
1.32804 |
66.30 |
197.0 |
20 |
68 |
1.33272 |
67.09 |
203.9 |
25 |
77 |
1.33768 |
67.89 |
211.4 |
30 |
86 |
1.34273 |
68.70 |
219.5 |
35 |
95 |
1.34805 |
69.55 |
228.4 |
40 |
104 |
1.35353 |
70.42 |
238.1 |
45 |
113 |
1.35923 |
71.32 |
248.7 |
50 |
122 |
1.36515 |
72.25 |
260.4 |
55 |
131 |
1.37124 |
73.20 |
273.1 |
60 |
140 |
1.37755 |
74.18 |
287.3 |
65 |
149 |
1.38404 |
75.18 |
302.9 |
70 |
158 |
1.39083 |
76.22 |
320.5 |
75 |
167 |
1.39772 |
77.27 |
339.9 |
80 |
176 |
1.40493 |
78.36 |
362.1 |
85 |
185 |
1.41225 |
79.46 |
386.8 |
90 |
194 |
1.41996 |
80.61 |
415.7 |
95 |
203 |
1.42778 |
81.77 |
448.6 |
100 |
212 |
1.43594 |
82.87 |
487.2 |
Sugar cooking temperature vs Brix
Temp (C) |
Temp (F) |
Brix |
---|---|---|
100.3 |
212.5 |
2 - 6 |
100.4 |
212.7 |
8 - 12 |
100.5 |
212.9 |
14 - 18 |
100.6 |
213.1 |
20 |
100.7 |
213.3 |
22 - 24 |
100.8 |
213.4 |
26 |
100.9 |
213.6 |
28 |
101.0 |
213.8 |
30 |
101.1 |
214.0 |
32 |
101.2 |
214.2 |
34 |
101.3 |
214.3 |
36 |
101.4 |
214.5 |
38 |
101.5 |
214.7 |
40 |
101.6 |
214.9 |
42 |
101.7 |
215.1 |
44 |
101.8 |
215.2 |
46 |
101.9 |
215.4 |
48 |
102.0 |
215.6 |
50 |
102.1 |
215.8 |
52 |
102.3 |
216.1 |
54 |
102.4 |
216.3 |
56 |
102.7 |
216.9 |
58 |
103.0 |
217.4 |
60 |
103.4 |
218.1 |
62 |
104.0 |
219.2 |
64 |
104.8 |
220.6 |
66 |
105.6 |
222.1 |
68 |
106.5 |
223.7 |
70 |
107.4 |
225.3 |
72 |
108.4 |
227.1 |
74 |
109.4 |
228.9 |
76 |
110.6 |
231.1 |
78 |
112.0 |
233.6 |
80 |
113.9 |
237.0 |
82 |
116.3 |
241.3 |
84 |
119.3 |
246.7 |
86 |
123.1 |
253.6 |
88 |
127.8 |
262.0 |
90 |
131 |
268 |
92 |
143 |
290 |
95 |
149 |
300 |
99 |
166 |
330 |
100 |
Sugar cooking stages
Temp (C) |
Temp (F) |
Stage |
---|---|---|
106 – 112 |
223 - 234 |
Thread |
112 – 115 |
234 - 240 |
Soft-ball |
116 – 120 |
242 - 248 |
Firm-ball |
122 – 130 |
250 - 266 |
Hard-ball |
132 – 143 |
270 - 290 |
Soft-crack |
146 – 155 |
295 - 310 |
Hard-crack |
> 160 |
> 320 |
Caramel |
171 - 179 |
340 - 355 |
Light Brown Caramel |
179 - 182 |
355 - 360 |
Medium Brown Caramel |
190 - 193 |
375 - 380 |
Dark Brown Caramel |
Cold water test: Drizzle a small amount of the sugar syrup from a spoon into a cup of cold water.
Thread Stage:
Uses: syrups, fruit liqueurs, and some icings.
Cold water test: Syrup forms fine/loose threads at the bottom of the glass. Won't ball up. Doesn't quickly dissole.
Soft-Ball Stage:
Uses: fudge, fondant, pralines, peppermint creams, Italian meringue, and buttercreams.
Cold water test: Syrup forms a soft, sticky ball. When removed from the water it will slowly flatten.
Firm-ball Stage:
Uses: caramels, nougats, and taffy.
Cold water test: Syrup forms a firm ball that won’t flatten when removed from the water. Removed from the water it's still malleable.
Hard-ball Stage:
Uses: gummies, nougat, rock candy, popcorn balls, and marshmallows.
Cold water test: Syrup forms thick threads as it drips from the spoon. Forms a hard ball in the water. It's firm but still malleable with some effort.
Soft-crack Stage:
Uses: butterscotch and saltwater taffy.
Cold water test: Syrup forms firm but pliable strands.
Hard-crack Stage:
Uses: toffee, nut brittles lollipops, and barley sugar.
Cold water test: Syrup forms hard and brittle strands.
References
Exploratorium, THe Accidental Scientist, Science of Cooking: Candy Making Stages
Cook's Info: Stages of Cooked Sugar Syrups for Candy – Temperature Guide