category: food/groceries: sugar: cold water candy test

Thread stage, de.: Starker Faden

The thread stage of cooked sugar lies between 107° C and 108° C and can be determined by the candy test. To test the stage of the sugar take some cooked syrup from a wooden spoon with wet fingers. Be careful as it is easy to burn yourself. If you open and close your fingers fast, a long, strong thread should form. Alternatively a small spoonful of sugar can be dropped into cold water. It should not form a lump but long hard threads. The cold water candy test comes from a time when sugar thermometers where to expensive to own. It is quite inaccurate. If possible a candy thermometer should be used instead.

Use of sugar at the thread stage

Sugar boiled to the thread stage is used for compote, jam and glazes for the German cake specialty Mohrenkopf, cream gateaus or Lebkuchen.