What Is the Soft-Crack Stage? (2024)

FAQs

What Is the Soft-Crack Stage? ›

Soft Crack – Must reach at least 270 degrees on a candy thermometer or form hard but not brittle

If the candy forms flexible, but not brittle threads after dropping a small amount into cold water, the candy is at the soft crack stage or 270°—290°F. Cook candies such as butterscotch to this temperature.

making of fudge

termed in kitchen parlance the soft ball stage, that point between 234 and 240 °F (112 and 115 °C) at which a small ball of the candy dropped in ice water neither disintegrates nor flattens when picked up with the fingers.

Soft-ball stage refers to a specific temperature range when cooking sugar syrups, occurring between 235 and 245 F. In addition to using a candy thermometer, this stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water.

Soft Crack

You'll see the soft crack candy stage begin with the appearance of small bubbles rising to the surface of the sugar. At this stage, the sugar will separate into brittle threads that bend slightly before breaking when handled.

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. If it's pliable, sticky and can be moulded in your fingers easily, it has reached the soft ball stage and the syrup can be used to make fudge and marzipan.

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.

The fudge needs to be cooked at a vigorous boil and needs to get to a minimum of 116C/240F, so you may need to increase the heat slightly. This is the soft ball stage and if you drop a little of the mixture into a glass of cold water then it should form a firm ball that you can still squeeze between your fingers.

The fudge is ready when a candy thermometer reads between 112°C to 114°C (234°F to 237°F) or the mixture forms a soft ball in cold water.

If you don't heat your fudge to a high enough temperature, you'll end up with a soft product. And if you heat the mixture too much, your fudge may be harder than you'd like.

What is the crack stage of a candy thermometer? ›

Hard-crack stage occurs at 300 to 310 F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can use the cold water test in a pinch: Drop a spoonful of hot syrup into cold water, then remove the candy from the water and attempt to bend it.

Boil 1 1/2 hours. Stir often. Cook until it forms soft ball or 235 deg. F.

Hard Crack: With a clean spoon, when the syrup dropped into ice water it separates into hard, brittle threads that break when bent. You can actually hear a crack when the syrup hits the cold water.

Fine hair is typically very soft and delicate. Made up of only two hair layers (the cortex and the cuticle), these hairs can be silky smooth and sleek, but they're also the most prone to breakage. If your hair doesn't hold heat styling all that well or is often weighed down by product, you probably have fine hair.

The word texture means: what things are made of and how they feel. Textures can be described as “rough”, “smooth”, “hard”, “soft”, “liquid”, “solid”, “lumpy”, “gritty” etc. The word “texture” is used for many different things.

about 18 min to reach boiling. about 40 minutes to reach soft ball stage. 60 minutes to cool.

Soft-ball stage is where most fudges are formed. Firm-ball stage is best for soft caramels. Hard-ball stage is great for marshmallows and rock candies. Soft-crack stage is where saltwater taffy and butterscotch if formed.