Stages of sugar cooking

The stages of sugar cooking are named for the appearance the syrup has when a small sample of it is removed and dropped into cold water. Confectioners use their fingers for this test, dipping them first into ice water, grabbing a little boiling syrup, then returning the syrup quickly to the ice water. The cooled syrup is then examined to determine the stage to which it has been cooked. The higher the temperature the syrup has reached, the less water remains in the sugar, and the firmer the resulting sample of sugar is. The following table describes a few of the stages of sugar cooking commonly used. Some confectioners break the stages down further, but for greater accuracy it is better to simply use a thermometer.