How to Test Candy Temperatures Without a Thermometer (2024)

FAQs

How to Test Candy Temperatures Without a Thermometer? ›

Drop a small amount of the candy mixture with a teaspoon into a small bowl of cold water. Each time you test the candy use a fresh bowl of cold water. If the candy forms a thin thread and does not "ball up", it is in the thread stage or 230°—235°F.

For the Cold Water Test: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the syrup (candy mixture) is dropped from a clean spoon into a small bowl of very cold water (not ice cold). Quickly examine and/or carefully pick up the sugar from the cold water. The firmness of the sugar indicates the highest temperature the syrup reached.

Insert your candy thermometer in a pot of water so it does not touch the sides or bottom if the pot. Bring the water to a boil. Leave the thermometer in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Check the temperature, the thermometer should read 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celcius).

For those who feel unsure about committing to a Thermapen, we recommend the ThermoPop^®. Its ±2°F(1°C) accuracy is still tight enough for candy work, and it can also be used to stir through the whole pot for a better understanding of the temperature.

If you do not have a thermometer

Touch your chest and back. If they feel hotter than usual, you may have a high temperature. You may also have other symptoms such as feeling shivery (chills). Touching your forehead is not a very accurate way of checking your temperature.

To check your sugar syrup has reached the correct stage without using a sugar thermometer, place a bowl of very cold water next to the hob. Using a clean spoon, carefully take a little of the syrup and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave to cool for a moment then pick up the ball of syrup.

Even without a candy thermometer, you can still check if the fudge is cooked by doing a cold water test. Drop a piece of hot fudge into a glass filled with ice water. It should form a soft ball that can easily flatten between your fingers.

Let's start with measuring half a cup of water and half a cup of rubbing alcohol and mixing them together in the bottle or jar. Then add a few drops of food coloring so that later you can easily see the solution reacting to the different temperature changes.

If you don't have one, however, or if it's not within reach when you need it, the touch test also works: Touch the cut of meat with your finger and then feel the fleshy part of your hand underneath your thumb. The meat is raw if it feels like the fleshy part.

Can I use a regular thermometer if I don t have a candy thermometer? ›

While you may think you can get away with using a meat thermometer in place of a candy thermometer (or vice versa), this is definitely not the case. A candy thermometer's long, narrow shape allows you to safely check the temperature of hot sugar or hot oil without burning yourself.

There are several reasons why smartphones cannot reliably measure body temperature: 1) Sensor limitations: measuring body temperature accurately requires a specialized infrared thermometer with a specific focus on human body measurements.

While it is possible to use your smartphone to find out the temperature in a room, it is not through a thermometer function. Some applications promise to turn your smartphone into a thermometer. However, user reviews show that their effectiveness is far from proven.

Hold your hand near the water.

If you feel heat radiate off of the water, it is hot and may burn you. If you feel no heat, the water will either be room-temperature or cold. Do not stick your hand directly into water—either in a kitchen or in nature—without first holding your hand above it to gauge the temperature.

To make candy or jelly at home, it's essential to have a thermometer that can process particularly high temperatures. Though a meat thermometer might seem like a convenient substitute, it doesn't have the ability to read and process temperature to the same extent that a candy thermometer does.