Another experiment discussed in Cooking for Geeks is using sugar to calibrate you oven and oven thermometers. Sucrose (table sugar) melts at 367 degrees F.This means if you set an oven-proof dish of sugar in the oven set at 350 it should not melt. But it you turn it up to 375, it should. Looked at the other way around, if you keep creeping up the temperature until the sugar melts and mark that spot, you have 367.
Spoiler alert: they both melt.
Sucrose actually starts to decompose at a lower temperature (320-340). Light caramel happens at 356. Medium caramel (chestnut brown) is at 370.
It is possible to cook the too long and you end up with caramelized charcoal.
All in all, a fun experiment. I now have a better feel for why some recipes call for a 350 degree oven and other call for a hotter oven.
This is interesting although I can't tell what you learned...
ReplyDeleteI'm not exactly sure what I learned. Sugar melts. Sugar "burns". My oven isn't exactly the same temperature from side to side.
ReplyDeleteI think it is more a case of experiential learning. I now have a better mental model of "what is going on with sugar" when applying heat. It has lead me to consider other experiments. It has made some recipes for candy making a little less of a black box full of mystery. And has broadened the mysteries surrounding the untapped potential for flavors and textures.