Anal retentive research into rock candy

Well, my anal retentive mind has turned now to rock candy, and boy, this subject is more involved than I had thought it would be.

Rock candy means different things to different people.  In fact, rock candy was not originally what we perceive it to be.  Rock candy was originally poured into pans, much like a brittle or a toffee, although rocking (the process of growing sugar crystals) was used to create rock candy fruits and flowers in the 1700s.  The oldest printed recipe of rocking onto threads appears in the 1901 cookbook, The Candy-Maker.  The recipe even states there are special kettles with holes to pass the thread through.

This is the rock candy we know:  Sugar crystals grown on a wooden stick.  In researching how to make this simple confection, I have found it is not only not that simple but there is no exact foolproof method of doing it.  Every recipe/procedure I have found for making rock candy differs from the previous.

Basically, to make rock candy, mix water and sugar, hang a medium (wooden stick or string) in the mixture, and allow time for crystals to form.  Everything outside of that varies depending on who has written the recipe.

The temperature of the water varies.  Most recipes have the water boiled.  One actually calls for a temperature of 170°F; another goes all the way up to 265°F.  The majority have the water boiled before the sugar is added, while a few create a syrup by boiling the sugar with the water.

The amount of sugar used varies.  The most used ratio is two volumes of sugar to one volume of water.  However, I have found recipes with 3:1 ratios and 3:2 rations, as well as recipes in which the instruction is to "continue to add sugar until no more will dissolve."  After the dissolving, a few recipes suggest straining the sugar into the jar.

Some recipes call for pre-sugaring the stick before putting it into the sugar solution; others say this is not a necessary step.

As for color and flavoring, this part of the process is all over the place.  One video I watched has the color added before boiling the water.  Other recipes add color right before adding the stick.  Still another view is adding color after the crystals have formed for 1 week.

Where to keep the jar is another area of disagreement.  Some say to keep it out of light and temperature fluctuation, while another puts the jars in direct sunlight to help with the evaporation process.

With all these variations, it is going to take me some time to come up with my initial procedure, which I will post in my next rock candy post.