Post #757025 by swizzle on Sat, Jan 9, 2016 5:12 PM

On 2016-01-09 12:56, mikehooker wrote:
Interesting points Ace. I think I'll try your blender approach as shaking for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar sounds awful. I've never refrigerated my sugar syrups, be it rich or simple, hot or cold pressed, and never had a problem with spoilage. And I've never added PGA to them either. Maybe I just go through my batches before they have a chance to go bad. All other homemade syrups I keep refrigerated though.

I've always refrigerated my sugar syrup regardless of how i make them and have never had any issues with spoilage and have never used PGA either. Having said that, i do only make about a cups worth at a time and it lasts for weeks in the fridge before i make a new batch, and although i may have used the cold process only a few times in the past, that is the only way i make it now. Two reasons: 1.) I'm lazy. I don't have to clean a saucepan or worry about getting distracted and having it 'cook' for too long. 2.) The time it takes for it to cool down is about the same time it takes for it to dissolve if you are shaking it, if not longer.

And unless you are in a super hurry mikehooker, you don't need to shake it for five minutes. I personally give it a good shake then leave it and a few minutes later shake it again and keep doing that. It only takes 10-15 minutes for it to be fully dissolved that way.