When cooking candies that require stirring, occasionally slide the thermometer around the kettle and stir where it stood, to prevent scorching, being very careful not to lift the bulb out of the syrup.
While the thermometer is tested, and is subject to sudden changes of heat, it is always advisable to warm it slightly before putting it into the boiling syrup. The thermometer is too expensive to take any risks. There is no danger of its breaking when put into the boiling syrup, for that is the use for which it is intended.
Always remember when making candy, that as soon as the thermometer registers the right degree, lift it out of the syrup very quickly, and set it in a pan of water and get your batch off the fire as soon as possible. You must move quickly, or the candy is liable to go up one or two degrees and that is sufficient to spoil your batch.
Never put it in cold water after taking it out of the batch, but have a pan of warm water ready so you can set it in as soon as your batch is done. This will keep your stove from getting smeared and also protect your thermometer. The thermometer will never make a mistake if you read it correctly.
Few people are aware that professional candy-makers use a thermometer, and are under the impression, that all candies are tested in cold water, better known as the hand test. Until a few years ago, the candy thermometer was almost unknown and candy makers everywhere used the hand test; but when the thermometer was introduced for candy-making, they were quick to see the possibilities of such an invention and abandoned the water test, because by cooking with a thermometer, the candy was always the same, no batches too hard or too soft, as was the case with the old way.
We will give you the different hand test degrees as compared with the degrees on a thermometer:
| Hand Test. | Thermometer. |
| Pearl | 220° |
| Small Thread | 228° |
| Large Thread | 236° |
| Blow | 240° |
| Feather | 242° |
| Small or Soft Ball | 244° |
| Large or Hard Ball | 250° |
| Small or Light Crack | 254° |
| Hard Crack | 284° |
MATERIAL USED FOR CANDY MAKING
Sugar. In all the recipes that call for sugar, use granulated sugar unless otherwise specified.