Candy Cooking Temperature Chart

Hardness	Temperature	Cold Water Test
Soft Ball Stage	234 – 240° F 110 – 115° C	Forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water.
Firm Ball Stage	242 – 248°F 115 – 120°C	Forms a firm ball that holds its shape until pressed.
Hard Ball Stage	250 – 268°F 120 – 130°C	Forms a ball that holds its shape but is pliable.
Soft Crack Stage	270 – 290°F 130 – 145°C	Separates into hard but not brittle threads.
Hard Crack Stage	300 – 310°F 150 – 155°C	Separates into hard, brittle threads.
Caramel Stage	320 – 350°F 160 – 175° C	Do not use cold water test. Mixture coats metal spoon and forms light caramelized mass when poured on a plate.

Note: All Centigrade
figures are rounded off to the nearest tenth.

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Candy
Making Basics

Making candy at home can be a
special event — invite friends and family for a taffy pull or
to make popcorn balls. It’s also satisfying to personalize candy
we take for granted. Making your own gumdrops, lollipops, fudges,
truffles or taffy can lead to wonderful flavor combinations that
are better than "store bought".

• Always use the recommended size
  saucepan. A smaller or larger pan could affect quality and cooking
  time. If a size is not stated, size is not important.

• Don’t double the recipe — make
  another batch. Increasing ingredients changes cooking time.

• A cool, dry day is best for
  making candy. Heat, humidity and altitude can affect quality.
  On a humid day, cook candy to a temperature a degree or so higher
  than the recipe indicates.

• Consult an altitude table to
  determine boiling point in your area, then adjust recipe if necessary.

• To prevent crystallization or
  grainy candy, sugar must dissolve completely over low heat; stir
  down any grains from side of saucepan. After candy has boiled,
  do not stir until it has cooled as the recipe indicates. To prevent
  crystals, do not scrape pan or stir candy during cooling.

• Use a reliable candy thermometer.
  check your candy thermometer for accuracy by placing it in water
  and bring it to boiling. The thermometer should read 212*F /100*C
  (see Note). If the reading is higher or lower,
  take the difference into account when testing your temperature
  while making candy.

• To get an accurate reading,
  be sure the thermometer stands upright in cooking mixture and
  bulb does not rest on bottom of pan. Read it at eye level; watch
  temperature closely. After 200*F (95*C), temperatures go up very
  quickly.

• If you don’t have a thermometer,
  use the cold water test. Using a clean spoon, drop small amount
  of cooking mixture into a cupful of very cold water. Test hardness
  with fingers (see candy cooking test chart). If candy does not
  pass test, continue cooking. Repeat water test with clean water.

Source: Information adapted
from Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Edition (Prentice Hall,
1991).

Note:

At high altitudes, the atmospheric
pressure is less and the boiling point of the liquid will reached
at a lower temperature. To check the temperature of the boiling
point of water in your altitude, place a thermometer in boiling
water (suspend it in the water so that it does not touch the
pan bottom). Leave the thermometer in water of a few minutes
after the water is boiling to allow the thermometer to reach
it’s maximum temperature. This lowered boiling point amount to
1.9 degrees F. for each 1,000 feet increase in altitude.

Approximate Boiling
Temperatures of Water at Various Altitudes

Altitude:	Temperature:
Sea Level	212 degrees F
2,000 ft.	208 degrees F
5,000 ft	203 degrees F
7,500 ft.	198 degrees F
10,000 ft	194 degrees F