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Sugar boiling – the different sugar stages

Erken's basic guide to sugar boiling: 1 kg sugar is dissolved in 1 liter of water, boiled over high heat without stirring, skimmed, and the edge of the pot kept clean. The boiling stages are determined with a finger test: thin thread 101.5 °C, thick thread 105.5 °C, small pearl 113.5 °C, large pearl 120 °C, small blow 125 °C, further large blow 129 °C, small ball 131 °C, large ball 137 °C, soft crack 161 °C, hard crack 171 °C, and caramel 195 °C.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 448 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Erken's introduction to sugar work in the dessert chapter. The recipe is really a basic technique: one sugar syrup of 1 kg sugar and 1 liter water is boiled further and further, and the various boiling stages are determined with finger and slotted-spoon tests (or with a thermometer). The stages from "the thin thread" to "the small blow" begin on this page; the higher stages (large blow, balls, crack, caramel) follow on the next page.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Pot and equipment

    Preferably use an untinned copper pot scoured bright with acetic acid and ashes or scouring powder before each use, otherwise a heavy-bottomed pot. Have a linen cloth or small brush and a bowl of cold water ready, along with a sugar thermometer if possible.

  2. 2

    Dissolve the sugar

    Put the sugar in the pot with the water and let the sugar dissolve completely before the pot is set over the heat. With hard water, add 15 g of glucose per 0.5 kg of sugar.

  3. 3

    Bring to a boil

    Boil over rapid heat. Skim off as soon as it boils, and do not stir the sugar during boiling. Wipe the edge of the pot clean of sugar with the cloth dipped in cold water, otherwise the sugar is easily ruined.

  4. 4

    The thin thread (about 101.5 °C)

    Boil a few minutes. Dip your index finger in the syrup (first dip your finger in cold water for safety), press it together with your thumb, and part your fingers at once: if the sugar draws out into a fine thread that breaks at a short distance, it is boiled to the thin thread.

  5. 5

    The thick thread (about 105.5 °C)

    Boil the syrup a little longer and do the same test. If the thread can be drawn further without breaking, the syrup is boiled to the thick thread.

  6. 6

    The small pearl (about 113.5 °C)

    Continue boiling for a moment and test as before. When the fingers can be moved a little far apart without the thread breaking, the sugar is boiled to the small pearl.

  7. 7

    The large pearl (about 120 °C)

    Boil a little longer, dip your index finger again, and stretch your thumb and index finger as far apart as possible. If the thread holds whole, the sugar is boiled to the large pearl.

  8. 8

    The small blow (about 125 °C)

    Boil a little longer. Dip a slotted spoon in the syrup, pass it lightly over the pot, and blow through the holes. If small bubbles appear on the other side, the sugar is boiled to the small blow.

  9. 9

    Further stages

    If you want higher stages, the sugar is boiled further: the large blow 129 °C (265 °F), the small ball 131 °C (270 °F), the large ball 137 °C (280 °F), the soft crack 161 °C (320 °F), the hard crack 171 °C (340 °F), and caramel 195 °C (385 °F). At the high stages the pot must be taken off the heat at once, as a few seconds more of boiling turns the sugar to caramel.

Changes from the original

Modernized spelling in the steps, "loaf sugar" explained as refined/good-quality sugar, amounts given in modern units (kg, liter, grams). The finger tests have been kept, but a reference to a sugar thermometer has been added for safety. The untinned copper pot is mentioned as the original's recommendation, with a heavy-bottomed pot as an alternative.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

Modernised → 1949 (proofread, p. 510)~91% of the text changedremovedadded
1 kg sukker (helst raffinade/toppsukker Sukkerkoking. Ved koking av beste sort). 1 l vann (helst bløtt vann). 30 g glykose (druesukker) (kun ved hardt vann; 15 g per 0,5 kg sukker). Bruk sukker til dessert bør helst benyttes en uforinnet kobberkjele ufortinnet kobberkasserolle, som er skurt skures blank med eddiksyre og aske eller skurepulver før for hver gang, ellers en tykkbunnet kjele. Ha klar en linklut eller liten børste og en skål kaldt gang den benyttes. — Beste sort sukker, toppsukker, bør benyttes. Vannet må ikke være hårdt; har man kun hårdt vann, samt gjerne et sukkertermometer.. Ha sukkeret i kjelen med vannet og la sukkeret bli helt oppløst før kjelen settes over varmen. Ved hardt vann tilsettes bør man til hvert ½ kg. sukker ta 15 g gr. glykose per 0,5 kg sukker.. Kok over rask varme. Skum av så snart det koker, og rør ikke i sukkeret (druesukker). Grytens kanter skal under kokingen. Tørk kjelekanten ren kokingen holdes rene for sukker med kluten dyppet en i kaldt vann, koldt vann dyppet linklut eller liten børste, ellers ødelegges sukkeret lett.. Kok noen minutter. Dypp pekefingeren i sirupen (dypp først fingeren i kaldt vann for sikkerhet), klem til med tommelen og skill fingrene straks: trekkes sukkeret ut i en fin tråd som brytes på kort avstand, er lett sukkeret. Skum må fjernes, da det kokt til den tynne tråd.. Kok sirupen litt lenger og gjør samme prøve. Kan tråden trekkes lenger uten å brytes, er sirupen kokt til den tykke tråd.. Fortsett kokingen noen øyeblikk og prøv som før. Når fingrene kan føres litt langt fra hverandre uten bli årsak i at tråden brytes, er sukkeret kokt sukrer sig. De forskjellige grader til den lille perle.. Kok litt lenger, dypp pekefingeren igjen og strekk tommel og pekefinger så langt fra hverandre som mulig. Holder tråden seg hel, hvilke sukker kokes, er sukkeret kokt til den følgende: I. Den tynne tråd 101½° C. II. Den tykke tråd 105½° C. III. Den lille perle 113½° C. IV. Den store perle.. Kok litt lenger. Dypp en hullsleiv i sirupen, før den lett over kjelen og blås gjennom hullene. Viser det seg små bobler på den andre siden, er sukkeret kokt til den perle 120° C. V. Den lille boble.. Ønsker du høyere grader, kokes sukkeret videre: den boble 125° C. VI. Den store boble 129 °C, den 129° C. VII. Den lille kule 131 °C, den 131° C. VIII. Den store kule 137 °C, det 137° C. IX. Det lille knekk 161 °C, det 161° C. X. Det store knekk 171 °C og karamell 195 °C. Ved høye grader må kjelen tas straks av varmen, da få sekunders koking mer gjør sukkeret til karamell. 171° C. XI. Karamell 195° C.

Note on Modernised

Modernisert rettskriving i trinnene, «topsukker» forklart som raffinade/sukker av god kvalitet, mengder oppgitt i moderne enheter (kg, liter, gram). Fingerprøvene er beholdt, men det er lagt til henvisning til sukkertermometer av sikkerhetshensyn. Ufortinnet kobberkjele er nevnt som originalens anbefaling, med tykkbunnet kjele som alternativ.

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Frequently asked questions

Which pan is recommended for sugar boiling?
Preferably an untinned copper pan. It is scoured bright with acetic acid and ashes or scouring powder every time before use.
What do I do if I only have hard water?
The book recommends adding 15 g of glucose (grape sugar) per 1/2 kg of sugar when the water is hard. For "the thin thread," 1 kg of loaf sugar and 1 liter of water are used.
Why must the pot edges and the foam be kept clean?
The edges are wiped with a linen cloth dipped in cold water (or a small brush), otherwise the sugar is easily ruined. Foam must be removed, because it can cause the sugar to "sugar itself" (crystallize).
What temperature is "the thin thread"?
101 1/2 °C — the first and lowest of the sugar stages in Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" of 1914 (p. 448).

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