How to grow crystals from sugar at home

Chemistry is one of the worst nightmares of schoolchildren. It is enough to mention the periodic table or valency, so that the desire to pretend to be asleep until the receipt of the certificate awoke in young hearts. Newly graduated students are happy to hand over chemistry books to the library and forget about complex formulas and calculations forever. But in vain, because thanks to this science, you can carry out fascinating experiments and create interesting things. For example, crystals from sugar.

Candy growing equipment

It’s not difficult to turn ordinary kitchen into a modern sweets laboratory. It will take just a few simple items:

• large pan, preferably with a thick bottom and non-stick coating;
• 500 ml of water;
• 700-800 g of sugar;
• thick paper or cardboard;
• glasses, cups or small cans;
• skewers.

Glasses or jars should be transparent, without stickers, so you can watch how the crystal grows. An alternative to skewers is wooden ear sticks. One side, on which cotton wool is strung, needs to be cut off, and the second left. To grow a large crystal, it is recommended to buy sticks for sushi, but then a jar should be chosen with a volume of 2-3 liters.

Important: Dishes intended for cooking syrup and sugar candy must be perfectly clean. No dust or detergent residue that could ruin the whole experiment.

Step 1: Preparing the Skewers

A crystal consists of just one ingredient: sugar dissolved in water. Solids attract finer particles that adhere to each other and solidify. Sugar floating in water needs a base - a skewer. More specifically, solid sweetener crystals that should stick to the stick.

At the first stage, you need to cook not too thick syrup. Mix in a small saucepan 50 ml of water with two tablespoons of sugar. Preheat the mixture, preferably at a minimum heat, so that the liquid does not acquire an ugly brown hue. Stir the syrup constantly until the sweetener is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil, keep on the stove for 5-10 minutes. Leave the pan and cool a little, pour the syrup into a saucer.

Put a piece of paper next to the plate, pour a thin layer of sugar on it. Prepare a tray or saucer for skewers, which should be covered with foil, parchment paper or cling film.

Dip about half the stick into the syrup, wait until the sweet water drains, and then pour the wooden base in sugar. Make sure that the layer is the same thickness. The more evenly sugar sticks, the more beautiful the crystals will be.

Put the skewers on a plate. They should not touch adjacent sticks. Set the workpiece aside, closer to the battery or other heat source, so that the sugar freezes faster. It will take at least 12 hours for the skewers to completely dry and the sweetener crystals to stick firmly to the wooden base.

The remaining sugar can be used in the second stage. Syrup will have to cook a new one, and add the old one to tea or pour.

Step 2: Crystal Base

You need to try the skewers with your finger: if they seem wet, wait a little longer. Are wooden sticks and sugar dry? It's time to start making syrup for homemade candy.

1. Put a large pot on the stove and turn on minimal heat.
2. Pour 2 cups of water into the container, wait until it warms up.
3. When the liquid becomes hot, add a glass of sugar. Stir until the sweetener is completely dissolved.
4. Pour another 1.5 cups of sugar. Stir until a foam forms on the surface of the syrup, which must be carefully removed with a spoon.
5. Immediately rearrange the pan on a stand or dip into a container of cool water.

The syrup at this stage remains liquid and crystallizes easily. If you cook it a little longer, you get a sticky mass, which is more suitable for making jam than for growing candy.

Wait until the syrup is warm. Pour the workpiece into glasses or jars. Fill containers 3/4 or half. Procurement of 500 ml of water is enough for about 7-8 glasses.

Tip: The pan for making syrup should be high, because when heated, the mass rises and can "run away", staining the stove and the outer walls of the dishes.

Step 3: Fragile Design

Cut circles from thick sheets of paper or cardboard. They should be slightly larger than the neck of a jar or glass. It is not necessary to make them perfectly round; ovals or even squares will do. The main thing is that they completely cover the container with syrup, protecting from dust, and are sufficiently tough.

Punch the hole in the center of the circle into which the skewer is inserted. It is necessary that the wand does not fail and does not move. You can attach a cap or a hat to the tip located on the surface of the glass, which will not allow the skewer to fall down under the weight of the growing crystal. To fix the stick, a long clothespin will help, which should be carefully placed on top of the paper circle.

Step 4: Observation

Immerse the skewers in glasses with syrup so that they do not touch the walls or the bottom. Cold slows down and stops the crystallization process, so sweet water should not cool. Put the glasses with syrup near the battery or in another warm place, preferably away from the sun.

Capacities with crystals must not be moved, raised, or twisted around the axis. It is forbidden to take out the skewers until the candy has grown to the desired size. One can only observe how small particles adhere to the hardened base.

How long will the lollipop grow? Depends on the consistency and temperature of the syrup, as well as on the ratio of sugar to liquid. Some crystals grow in just a week, others will need 10-12 days.

Fast cooking option

If you urgently need a sugar candy, it is recommended to try another cooking technology:

1. Pour water into a pan, add nothing.
2. Bring the liquid to a boil, pour 2-3 tablespoons of sugar.
3. Introduce the sweet component in small portions. Stop when the sugar ceases to dissolve in the liquid.
4. Do not forget to stir the syrup so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan and does not burn.
5. Set the pot with the sweet solution aside. They recommend preparing two servings of syrup, because sometimes one is not enough.
6. Sprinkle dry sugar with water and roll a small ball. Wait until it hardens and wrap the workpiece with thread. Some advise using a hair, but it is very thin and can break at any time.
7. Tie the other end of the thread to a branch or pencil so that the crystal is exactly in the center of the pan. Like a skewer, the sugar blank should not come into contact with the walls or with the bottom of the container.
8. The syrup needs warmth. If the sweet solution cools too quickly, the crystal is irregular in shape.
9. You should regularly monitor the level of syrup in the pan, and if it drops, add a new portion.

Lollipop prepared in this way can be removed for 2-3 days.

Important: In syrup, you can not pour ordinary sugar, which does not dissolve, but simply settles to the bottom. Only a warm, sweet solution that has undergone heat treatment.

Color crystals

Lollipops, for the cultivation of which sugar and water were used, turn out to be white or slightly yellowish.If you want to prepare a crystal of a bright shade, synthetic or natural dye should be added to the sweet solution.

Red or pink candies will be due to beet, cherry or raspberry juice. Blueberries will make them blue, and saffron or carrot will make orange. A few drops of spinach juice - and green crystals will grow in the jar.

Lollipops will become yellow thanks to the lemon zest, cranberries or red currants will make them red, and purple - blackberries or red cabbage.

Natural dyes can be added to syrup during cooking, and synthetic food colors can be added to glasses. The sweet solution is mixed with flavors to improve the taste of the crystals. It is forbidden to put dried fruits, chocolate chips and other solid components in glasses, otherwise the experiment will end in failure.

Homemade sugar candies decorate cakes and serve desserts on tea sticks. Unusual crystals can congratulate a friend on a holiday or even start a business selling creative sweets.

Video: how to make sugar crystals