Humidity is the enemy of candy makers. Most recipes can already be a little temperamental, so if the weather isn't ideal, it can make it trickier to perfect a sugary candy recipe. But you don't necessarily have to wait for the cold, dry days of winter to make a batch of your favorite candy. With a little knowledge about how humidity and the weather can affect candy making, plus a few tips for how to combat the effects, you can make your own candy in almost any climate. If you're preparing a batch of candy in summer or if you live somewhere that's warm all year round, use this advice to help your next batch of candy turn out just the way you like it.
Dera Burreson
How Does Weather Affect Candy Making?
Candy recipes usually call for precision, such as heating sugar to a specific temperature, then cooling it quickly. When the weather is hot or humid, it can take longer for the candy to cool or it can absorb excess moisture from the air, which might cause the sugar to crystallize or the texture to soften instead of becoming hard and crisp. That's part of the reason why candy making is so popular in winter; the best climate for making candy has a relative humidity of less than 35%, and cold air usually has less moisture than hot air. But if you live in an area that's hardly ever that dry (or if you're craving a batch of peanut brittle when the weather is warm), you can always use your air conditioner or a dehumidifier for about a day or so before making candy.
How to Adjust a Candy Recipe for Higher Humidity
If the weather conditions are less than ideal, you can still make a great candy recipe with a few tweaks. Because excessive softness in candy is the result of high relative humidity, you can also cook hard candies, such as peanut brittle, to 2 degrees higher than the temperature your recipe calls for. The additional 2 degrees in cooking temperature will compensate for moisture in the air so your candy will still have the correct texture.
Accuracy is also important for candy, especially if you're adjusting a recipe for the weather. Always be sure to use a candy thermometer for precise readings, and check the thermometer you're using (even if it's brand new) to make sure it's giving the correct temperature. To double-check, before you start making candy, clip the thermometer to a pot of water, making sure the tip of the thermometer isn't touching the bottom of the pan. Then, heat the water to a rolling boil on the stove. Check the temperature on the thermometer once the water is boiling; it should match the boiling point of water in your region (at sea level, water boils at 212°F, but the boiling point decreases as the altitude increases). If the thermometer gives the correct temperature for boiling water, you know it will give accurate measurements as you're heating sugar and water. If the thermometer isn't accurate (say it's off by 5°F), then you'll know to add or subtract that amount from the reading to get the correct temperature.
Kritsada Panichgul
How to Temper Chocolate in Hot Weather
If you're tempering chocolate for a candy recipe (slowly melting and then cooling chocolate to give it a glossy finish), that process can also be affected by the humidity. Just like any other candy, you'll have the best results if you do it on a cool, dry day. However, if you're tempering chocolate on a warm or humid day, the most likely spot for trouble is cooling the chocolate to the right temperature.
Hot weather might make chocolate cool too slowly; however, you can help gently cool it by dipping the bottom of the bowl into room temperature water (don't let any water touch the chocolate itself). This will help slowly cool the chocolate to the correct temperature without letting it get too cold. Don't use cold water or place the bowl in the fridge; this could cool it down too quickly, causing the chocolate to crack or lose its shininess. Once it's been properly tempered, the chocolate will make candies like truffles look even more appetizing.
Storing Candy
Whether the weather is humid or not, how you store your candy will also affect the texture and how long it lasts. Keep different types of candy in separate, airtight containers in a cool, dry place like your pantry or the refrigerator. This is especially important if you live in a humid climate since the finished candy could absorb moisture from the air, which will cause it to go soft sooner.
Because excessive softness in candy results from high relative humidity, cook hard candies
hard candies
A hard candy (American English), or boiled sweet (British English), is a sugar candy prepared from one or more sugar-based syrups that is heated to a temperature of 160 °C (320 °F) to make candy.
Brittle is a type of confection consisting of flat broken pieces of hard sugar candy embedded with nuts such as pecans, almonds, or peanuts, and which are usually less than 1 cm thick.
, to 2 degrees higher than the temperature your recipe calls for. The additional 2 degrees in cooking temperature will compensate for moisture in the air, so your candy will still have the correct texture.
On a humid day, once the candy has cooled to the point where it is no longer evaporating moisture into the air, it can actually start reabsorbing moisture from the air. This can make the resulting candy softer than it is supposed to be.
Normally, you'd stir continuously and heat your pan until it reaches the temperature suggested in your Homemade Fudge Recipe. However, on a humid day you will need to ensure you boil your Fudge to 0.5 degrees higher than the normal temperature.
Because excessive softness in candy results from high relative humidity, cook hard candies, such as nut brittle, to 2 degrees higher than the temperature your recipe calls for. The additional 2 degrees in cooking temperature will compensate for moisture in the air, so your candy will still have the correct texture.
If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.
A good rule of thumb if baking on a humid day is to start by removing a quarter of the total amount (so use 3/4 cup of liquid if your recipe calls for a full cup), and then add some of the moisture back in (one tablespoon at a time) if it looks like your dough or batter has not yet reached the ideal consistency.
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
Fudge usually behaves this way when it's not cooked to a high enough temperature (due to oversight or a faulty candy thermometer). If your fudge is tough, hard, or grainy, then you may have made one of several mistakes: You may have overcooked it, beaten it too long, or neglected to cool it to the proper temperature.
If the temperature gets too hot and the caramel becomes too hard as it cools, you can put it back in the pan with a couple of tablespoons of cold water to try and save it.
Labuza and Labuza (2004) studied the stability of cotton candy, which consists of sucrose. They found that by storing it at room temperature with reduced humidity between zero and 11 % the cotton candy stayed amorphous for up to 2 years. ...
At this temperature, sugar syrup dropped into cold water will form a soft, flexible ball. If you remove the ball from water, it will flatten like a pancake after a few moments in your hand. Fudge , pralines, and fondant are made by cooking ingredients to the soft-ball stage.
Chile is considered to be one of the driest countries in the world. The northern part of Chile, particularly the Atacama Desert, is one of the driest places on Earth. Retirees can choose to live in Antofa*gasta or San Pedro de Atacama, which are some of the best places to retire in Chile.
Use dehumidifiers and air conditioners, especially in hot, humid climates, to reduce moisture in the air, but be sure that the appliances themselves don't become sources of biological pollutants. Raise the temperature of cold surfaces where moisture condenses. Use insulation or storm windows.
Dry heat can be easier to handle. While it might be hotter, it's often easier to tolerate than humid heat. Lack of moisture means you're not dealing with that oppressive, sticky feeling.
Check out the weather forecast before making hard candy. Did you know that humidity can affect the outcome of your candy? Sugar attracts water, so rainy and humid days can hamper your attempts at making hard candy. It's best to wait for a clear and dry day.
Controlling excessive humidity is critical to avoiding quality issues like chocolate blooming. Chocolate blooms, specifically sugar bloom happens when humidity starts to dissolve sugar crystals on the surface of the chocolate and leaves behind a white powdery-looking film.
The high ash sugar starts gaining moisture at something more than 40% humidity while the low ash sugar maintains a constant mositure content to more than 60%. All three sugars increase rapidly in moisture above 75% and at 85% humidity start to liquefy.
Hard candy like Jolly Ranchers, lollipops and other individually wrapped candies can essentially last forever if they're stored right and kept away from moisture. Dark chocolate can last one to two years in a cool, dark, dry place. Milk and white chocolate will last up to 10 months.
Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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