Why did my hard candy turn out dark brown?!
You take water that you cooked barley in, and make hard candy from that - but mine turned dark brown. I cooked it up to 300 degrees just like the recipe stated, and in the last 20 degrees the color went crazy (and it tastes slightly burnt).
Any ideas before I try another batch? I think the thermometer is good, I use it all the time for other things that turn out good.
Thanks
Answers:
If it tastes burnt, you overcooked it. When you cooked the barley, was it toasted at any point? You might have burned the grain, OR you might have burned the sugar syrup.
Test your thermometer by putting it in ice water, and making sure it reads 32F/0C. Or, if you're at sea level, put it in boiling water and make sure it reads 212F/100C.
That's all I can think of, unless you used a pot that had burned-on food stuck that dislodged when the syrup go hot enough and dissolved into the candy.
How did the barley turn out? Was it over cooked at all? Alot of times the main problem is the temp but it also depends on how long the sugar was cooked. Sometimes you have to stop the cooking process at a certain point and then let it continue to cook on it's own and not in the over any longer. The site I listed is the food network and even though it says to use 3/4 cup of water I would say just substitute that out for the barely water. Maybe something in their directions might help.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-b…
If you burn even just a little bit of the sugar your candy will turn out brown or dark in color.