Wayne Gisslen

Syrups and Dessert Sauces: Crystallization

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About
Graininess is a common fault in many candies and desserts. Graininess results when cooked sugar crystallizes, or turns to tiny sugar crystals, rather than staying dissolved in the syrup. If even one sugar crystal comes in contact with a cooked syrup, it can start a chain reaction that turns the whole thing into a mass of sugar crystals.
To avoid crystallization during the first stages of boiling, use one of these techniques:
  1. Wash down the sides of the saucepan with a brush dipped in water. This removes crystals that may seed the whole batch.

    Washing down the sides of a pan

  2. When first bringing the syrup to a boil, cover the pan and boil for several minutes. Condensed steam will wash down the sides of the pan. Uncover and finish cooking without stirring.