what makes the brittle come grainy?someone said to much stirring orcooking to long.can anyone help?

Answer 1

your sugar has crystalized. To prevent recrystalization add a small amount of corn syrup to the sugar.

Start over and remember to brush down the sides of your pan with water while you are carmelizing the sugar. Also, make sure your pan is scrupulously clean. Any foreign matter could cause recrystalization.

Answer 2

If you are getting consistently poor results with one recipe, try a new recipe.

There are a few reasons why your brittle would get grainy. Make sure there are no sugar grains sticking to the side of your pot. These grains of sugar can become "seed crystals," permitting the entire recipe to become crystallized and grainy. Some tips: Spray the inside of your candy cooking pot with cooking spray (such as Pam) before you put the ingredients in it.

Another tip is, right after the pot comes to a boil, cover it and let the syrup cook for 4 mins covered. The steam will wash down sugar crystals on the sides of the pot. Remove the lid, then attach the thermometer (not before), and continue cooking as the recipe directs. Be sure your syrup doesn't boil over. The brush method is more professional, but it is also a pain in the butt (or hand) to stick your hand and a wet brush into a pot of boiling syrup.

Always cook to temperature--get a candy thermometer if you like making candy. If you already have one, make sure it is registering correct temperatures. At sea level, the boiling point of water should be 212 F or 100 C. The boiling point drops a few degrees for every thousand feet of elevation. Here's a chart: http://www.apo.nmsu.edu/site/directory/kloomis/bpH2O.html

You should boil water and check the temp, and you should make a cup of ice water and check the temp too--it should be about 32 F/ or 0 C. The point here is, if your thermometer is registering temperatures for boiling and freezing that are 5 degrees below what they should be, then you should cook your syrups to 5 degrees below what the recipe says (or go buy a new thermometer). Or if your temps are registering 3 degrees above, then cook your syrups 3 degrees above what the recipe says (or get a new thermometer).

Some brittle recipes include a bit of acid (vinegar, lemon juice, cream of tartar) or corn syrup to create chemical changes in the sugar that create a smooth brittle (small crystals). Use fresh acid ingredients. I doubt that this is your problem though.

You should not stir the brittle any longer than the recipe says. It's usually a good idea when making candy to work rather quickly. One last idea comes to mind: You're not putting the pot into cold water or a refrigerator to cool it quickly, are you? You need to let syrups cool gradually.

This is everything I can think of. I hope your brittle shapes up quickly.

Answer 3

Grainy as in sugar grains?

It sounds like you're not heating the sugar to the right temperature, 295 - 300 F. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.

Also, do you use corn syrup and baking soda?

Add at least the corn syrup, the corn syrup will reduce the chances of the sugar recrystalizing.

Answer 4

Sounds like you have a sugar problem. Invest in a candy thermometer for one thing and DO NOT EVER scrap the sides down when making candy, the stuff up there will ruin your slurry.

Ah, have to disagree with the one saying to brush down the sides with water..........water is the enemy of sugar when you are making candy.

Answer 5

Actually I would think the opposite.

It's essential that you use a candy thermometer to get the temps just right....

Here is a site with a video on how to make it and a recipe for it.