Learn the science behind:
Candy Science
Whether it's caramel, marshmallows, brittle, sugar syrups, or jalebi. You can learn all about the science behind candy at FoodCrumbles!
Learn why you should cook your sugar syrup to such a specific temperature, learn how you can change the texture of candy, and more.
New to candy? Then we'd recommend reading our round-up article that gives you a solid foundation.
The Sugary Science Behind Candy Making
The beginner's guide to the science behind candy. From cooking sugar to whipping egg whites, from caramelization to candy comparison.
Ready to learn more about the science behind candy? Why not consider our Candy Science course?
For a deep dive into the world of candy. A structured organized and fun way to learn about candy, with plenty of theory and practical exercises.
Prefer to just browse around? Here you can find all of our articles on candy science:
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Tips and Tricks for Making Pulled Candy (+Roomboterbabbelaars Recipe)
You might have seen it on YouTube, or live, in a candy shop: candy makers pulling on candy. Over and over they pull the candy apart, fold it back together, and so forth, until it’s reached the consistency they’re looking for. But why pull candy? By pulling, you’re changing the texture of the candy. Creating a candy that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to make! What’s more, it changes the color. And all of that is due to the addition of just a little bit of air!
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The Science of Tempering Chocolate + An Easy Way to Temper
If you’ve ever watched a tv baking show, chances are, you’ve seen participants trying to temper chocolate at some point. Often, this is a recipe for some drama (which is of course why it’s part of a tv show…). Chocolate tempering can be finicky and some contestants are bound to miss the mark. However, untempered, chocolate just doesn’t look as good. It won’t be glossy, nor snappy. So, for high-quality chocolate products tempering is unavoidable. Even though tempering may seem an art, there’s a lot of science behind it. It’s all about controlling the crystallization of fat crystals. There’s just…
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The “Best” (Candy) Thermometer
Thinking of buying a proper candy thermometer for your candy (science) experiments? If I may give you just one tip, don’t buy a ‘real’ candy thermometer. Instead, just buy the FANTAST thermometer from IKEA!
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The (Scientific) Guide to Making HM Pectin Gummies
Using pectin can be a great way to make a gummy – a bouncy, slightly translucent gel-like snack. A good gummy holds its shape and isn’t sticky. However, pectin can be a finicky ingredient to work with. It is prone to clumping, or it might set long before you need it to. To make a consistent, high-quality products, having a basic understanding of how pectin works, will help tremendously. We’ll be focusing on gummies made with HM pectin. Looking for tips on using pectin but not focused on making HM pectin gummies? Then our generic pectin tips & tricks might…
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What Is The Glass Transition Temperature?
Wondering why your brittle remains soft, instead of getting crunchy? Or want to know how candy floss works? Then you might come across an important, but quite a complex concept: the “glass transition temperature”. It can be a tricky concept to wrap your mind around. The glass transition temperature describes when a material transitions from a hard, glassy material, into a viscous, but pliable product. In other words, it can explain why a previously crunchy peanut brittle turned chewy, helping you become a better candy maker.
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The Science of Non-Sticky Nougat Candy
If made well, it can have a pristine white color and be light and fluffy. But, nougat is probably one of the more daunting candies to make. Luckily, a little bit of practice can make perfect, especially if you:
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The Role of Sugar, Eggs, and Gelatin in Marshmallows (+ Recipe)
Press into a marshmallow. And let it go. What happens? It should have bounced right back up, thanks to some great teamwork of a mere three ingredients: sugars, gelatin, and possibly egg whites. Egg whites make marshmallows light and airy. Gelatin is the mastermind behind that bounce. And don’t forget the sugar, without it, a marshmallow wouldn’t be.
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3 Ways to Make a Caramel Sauce
There are literally countless recipes for caramel sauces. But, if you look more closely, you’ll find just 3 recurring patterns in these recipes. You can use brown sugar, caramelize sugar, or, make use of the Maillard reaction to make a tasty caramel sauce.
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The Sugary Science Behind Candy Making
Want to make your own sugar candy? Develop your own recipes? Maybe even start your own candy-making business? But do you feel like you’re only able to follow a recipe? Scared that even the slightest tweak will result in a failure? Not truly sure of why you’re using that thermometer? You can make candy, but don’t feel like you’ve truly mastered it? If on top of that, you also enjoy discussing science here and there, and doing an experiment or two, you’ve come to the right place: the starting point of your candy science journey!
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How to Make Fudge – Controlling Crystallization
Making fudge is all about controlling the crystallization of sugar. Dissolve the sugar first and then make sure it crystallizes in just the right way to make some melt-in-the-mouth fudge. It only becomes easier when you understand the science behind it. So grab some bags of sugar, your thermometer & a stand mixer and you’re ready to go!
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Sweet Science: How to Make Jalebi
Deep-fried, crunchy, concentric circles of batter, soaked in a flavorful, moist sugar syrup. It’s the mix of textures and flavors, that make jalebi so appealing. And even though it takes just a few steps to make them, it’s easier said than done. It’s all about controlling the consistencies of batter and sugar syrup. So let’s dissect this sweet. First, we’ll study the batter, before zooming in on the other crucial component: the sugar syrup.
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How to Make Caramel (+ Recipe Troubleshooting)
Light brown, or almost black. Runny and oozy, or firm and chewy. Sweet, slightly salty, or with a hint of bitterness. Caramel comes in all shapes and sizes. You can easily tweak it to your liking, once you understand how it works. So let’s investigate the science of caramels! Note, do you want to learn how to caramelize sugar? Then we’d recommend you read our article dedicated to caramelizing sugar instead. You can make caramels with just a few simple ingredients and a stovetop. But, caramels can be finicky. They can crystallize when you don’t want to. Or, turn too…
