If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can still make candy from sugar syrups by using the cold-water method. During the cooking stage, remove your pan from the heat and drop a small spoonful of sugar syrup into a bowl of very cold water. Immerse your hand in the cold water, try to form the sugar into a ball, and bring it out of the water.
By examining the shape and texture of the resulting candy blob, you can determine the approximate temperature of your sugar. This method takes a little practice, and is not as exact as a candy thermometer, but it will do in a pinch!
A quick word of caution: Please be careful when working with hot sugar, especially if you decide to use the cold-water method of temperature testing. Sugar burns are nasty. Hot sugar is almost impossible to quick rub or rinse off the skin, and thus continues burning long after it comes into contact with your skin. Please don't allow yourself to be sloppy or distracted when working with hot sugar, and avoid dangling hair, jewelry, or clothing over the work area.
The so-called "cold-water method" is an easy way to estimate the temperature of your candy: Generations of cooks and candy makers have relied on this trick to make all types of candies, from fudge to toffee.
Lay out a spoon and a bowl of cold water beside your pot of boiling sugar. Every few minutes, drop a small spoonful of syrup into the cold water. Let the candy cool for a second, then form it into a ball with your hand. Compare the shape and texture of the candy to the chart below to determine the approximate temperature of the syrup. Once the candy reaches the desired stage (for example, the hard-ball stage for marshmallows), take the pot off the heat and proceed with the recipe.
Example: According to a fudge recipe, your boiling sugar must reach 236 F, the soft-ball stage. Once the sugar syrup has come to a boil, you drop a spoonful of syrup into the cold water—you repeat this process every three or four minutes. At first, the sugar syrup is stringy and shapeless, but after several tests, it starts to hold its shape. You form the sixth spoonful into a soft ball, which tells you that your syrup has reached 236 F. You take it off the heat.
This method requires practice and caution, but it's a great technique to have in your arsenal.
Note: Please exercise caution when working with candy, since molten sugar burns are particularly dangerous. Pay careful attention to your boiling syrup and don't let any jewelry or hair near the pot.
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