Experienced candy makers therefore prevent
premature crystallization by using wooden
spoons, avoiding agitation of the syrup once
it’s cooked and begins to cool, and carefully
removing dried syrup spatter from the pan
walls with a moist brush.
Controlling Crystal Size and Candy
Texture The cook has to worry about
premature crystallization because candy
texture is affected by the syrup temperature at
which crystallization begins. Generally, hot
syrups produce coarse crystals, and cool
syrups produce fine crystals. Here’s the logic.
Because more sugar molecules will arrive at
the crystal surface during a given time in a hot
syrup with fast-moving molecules than in a
cold, lethargic one, crystals grow more
rapidly in hot syrups. At the same time,
because stable crystal seeds are less likely to
form at higher temperatures — an aggregate
of a few sugar molecules is more easily