Rock Candy

To make rock candy, a supersaturated sugar solution is boiled without the addition of a doctoring agent and is then carefully poured into a meticulously cleaned vessel. Strings or sticks that have been seeded with granulated sugar are suspended in the syrup, and the whole assembly is covered and left undisturbed for a period of two to three weeks. During that time, large sugar crystals form on the seeds, resulting in the characteristic rock-candy appearance. The strings or sticks with the crystals on them are then removed from the syrup, rinsed briefly in cold water, and allowed to dry. Rock candy is an example of the formation of large crystals due to little or no agitation. Larger crystals and a reduced processing time can be achieved by keeping the syrup warm during crystallization.