If you make jam, sweets or temper chocolate, a sugar thermometer is an essential bit of kitchen kit – discover our favourites. If you make homemade jam, marmalade, fudge, caramel or chocolate treats, a sugar thermometer (also known as a candy thermometer or jam thermometer) is a must-have piece of kitchen kit.
People also ask, can I use a meat thermometer for jam?
Safe internal temperatures for baking:
The reason we prefer a general digital cooking thermometer over a meat-specific one is that it can be used for testing your cakes and syrups or jams too. Sugar thermometers are often a little bulky and difficult to read but digital ones are accurate and quick!
Besides, can I use a meat thermometer instead of a candy thermometer?
If your meat thermometer goes up to almost 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit), then it can certainly be used to make candy, but very few old-fashioned, analog, metal and coil thermometers meet that simple standard.
Can I use instant read thermometer for candy?
Best Instant Read: Habor Candy Thermometer
The temperature range of this probe thermometer is -58 degrees F to 572 degrees F, which means there’s not much in your kitchen this tool cannot measure. Use it of course to make candy, but keep it around for bread baking, roasts, hot milk, even water for pour-over coffee.
Can you overcook jam?
Your jam may taste bitter because it’s over-cooked. Sometimes overcooked jam can be good thing, as it has a nice caramel flavour that will work well used in desserts. However if it’s really overcooked the sugar will give it a bitter burnt taste. Sadly if the jam is burnt it’s beyond saving.
Can you use a candy thermometer for water?
Do you need a thermometer to make jam?
The magical temperature in jam making is 104C/220F, also known as the ‘setting point’. You can buy a preserving or sugar thermometer to test when jam reaches this point, but it’s not essential.
How does a jam thermometer work?
Instant-read digital thermometers such as the Thermapen are best for spot-checking the temperature of jam as it cooks. The jam becomes more viscous as it cooks, and the liquid will not circulate as freely while boiling as it did while at a thinner state. The jam’s uneven motion creates zones of different temperatures.
Is a jam thermometer the same as a sugar thermometer?
A candy thermometer, also known as a sugar thermometer or jam thermometer, is a cooking thermometer used to measure the temperature and therefore the stage of a cooking sugar solution. (See candy making for a description of sugar stages.) These thermometers can also be used to measure hot oil for deep frying.