Crystal Syrup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Combine 20 lbs of sugar and 9 quarts of water in a kettle.
Heat and mix until boiling.
Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
Cover the kettle and steam for a few minutes.
Remove the cover and wash the sides of the kettle with a wet brush.
If using a syrup gauge, dip a cup into the mixture.
If the gauge shows a weight of 35, remove from heat.
Cool the syrup
Set the kettle in a stable place to cool without agitation.
Once cool, sprinkle the surface with cold water and let it set until the crust dissolves.
Pour and finish
Carefully dip out the syrup and pour it over your goods.
Place a sheet of paper on the syrup's surface in the pans.
When ready to remove, lift the paper to take the crust with it.
If you don't have a syrup gauge, cook the syrup to 228°F.
Then reduce it with water to 220°F.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Provides the sweetness and the concentrated body of the syrup as it dissolves and cooks.
- Water
- Dissolves the sugar and is added or cooked off to adjust the syrup's concentration.
The step that matters
Cool the kettle without agitation. Stirring or moving the cooling syrup can trigger sugar crystals to form unevenly, leaving a grainy texture instead of a smooth, clear syrup.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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