How To Make Rock Candy Syrup - Tiki Drinks and Food

TG The Gnomon Member MD-DC-VA Joined: May 01, 2007 Posts: 1293	TG The Gnomon Posted posted on Mon, Feb 11, 2008 4:43 AM When I want industrial strength instability in my rock candy syrup I use the pot method. The jar method prevents you from applying too much heat to the syrup because it relies mainly on the heat of the water, which can boil faster, but not get hotter. Take the syrup out of the jar and heat it directly in the pot and you can deliver much higher temperatures. That means you can force a lot more sugar into any given amount of water. That, in turn, means exceptionally dense RCS. Using that method you're limited by the heating capability of your stove and your resources. I occasionally run out of sugar using the pot method. You just keep stirring more in, edging the heat up, and eventually, you run out of sugar. If, however, you have a ton of sugar on hand, you'll reach a point where your stove is as hot as it can get and stirring as fast and long as you can you can't get any more sugar to dissolve. That's the upper limit for that particular set up. That's also way beyond what you'll ever need. That kind of syrup is so unstable, as it cools rock candy starts to form kind of like marble throughout the syrup. If you let it keep going, it will completely crystallize in a few days taking on the shape of its container. If you make a batch lof RCS like that, it should be strictly to make rock candy 'cause you'll get plenty of it whether you want it or not. The pot method gives you this capability. It can be a blessing or a curse. Using the jar method puts reins on going overboard. In any event, I would start with 1/4 to 1/3 the volume of the container where you'll be keeping it for the water component and just keep adding sugar until the volume expands enough to fill the container. Fill your container with water and pour it all into the pot, making note of the water level in the pot. You can take a chopstick and mark that level using it like a dip stick or just eyeball it. Empty that water from the pot and pour in an amount equal to 1/4 to 1/3 the volume of the container you'll be filling. As that water boils, keep adding sugar until the surface of the syrup reaches the target depth of your dip stick. You should probably try it with 1/3 first. If you like it stronger, go to 1/4 after that.

When I want industrial strength instability in my rock candy syrup I use the pot method. The jar method prevents you from applying too much heat to the syrup because it relies mainly on the heat of the water, which can boil faster, but not get hotter.

Take the syrup out of the jar and heat it directly in the pot and you can deliver much higher temperatures. That means you can force a lot more sugar into any given amount of water. That, in turn, means exceptionally dense RCS. Using that method you're limited by the heating capability of your stove and your resources. I occasionally run out of sugar using the pot method. You just keep stirring more in, edging the heat up, and eventually, you run out of sugar.

If, however, you have a ton of sugar on hand, you'll reach a point where your stove is as hot as it can get and stirring as fast and long as you can you can't get any more sugar to dissolve. That's the upper limit for that particular set up. That's also way beyond what you'll ever need. That kind of syrup is so unstable, as it cools rock candy starts to form kind of like marble throughout the syrup. If you let it keep going, it will completely crystallize in a few days taking on the shape of its container. If you make a batch lof RCS like that, it should be strictly to make rock candy 'cause you'll get plenty of it whether you want it or not.

The pot method gives you this capability. It can be a blessing or a curse. Using the jar method puts reins on going overboard.

In any event, I would start with 1/4 to 1/3 the volume of the container where you'll be keeping it for the water component and just keep adding sugar until the volume expands enough to fill the container.

Fill your container with water and pour it all into the pot, making note of the water level in the pot. You can take a chopstick and mark that level using it like a dip stick or just eyeball it.

Empty that water from the pot and pour in an amount equal to 1/4 to 1/3 the volume of the container you'll be filling. As that water boils, keep adding sugar until the surface of the syrup reaches the target depth of your dip stick.

You should probably try it with 1/3 first. If you like it stronger, go to 1/4 after that.

Post #360498 by The Gnomon on Mon, Feb 11, 2008 4:43 AM