Page:Wm. M. Bell's "pilot"; an authoritative book on the manufacture of candies and ice creams (1911).djvu/13

 DEGREES-TESTS

I will endeavor to explain as plainly as possible the relative tests in cold water as compared with degrees on thermometer.

The soft-ball test is accomplished by dropping a small amount of the batch into cold water and taking it in the fingers and forming a soft ball of it (as a little ball of glucose would feel between the fingers). The degree for this test on the thermometer is about 240 degrees.

The hard ball test is accomplished in the same manner only when the candy is removed from the water it forms a hard ball. The degree for this test on the thermometer is about 248 degrees.

When the expression is used "cook to a crack" the test is accomplished in the same manner referred to, the candy when placed in the water being flattened between the thumb and index finger. If the candy breaks it is "cooked to a crack." The degree for this test on the thermometer is about 256 degrees.

The hard-crack test is accomplished by dropping a small portion of the candy in cold water