Sugar Crystals

Remember, sugar is not a mineral (it is not an Earth material, as it is processed plant tissue). But, crystals of sugar do the same thing as salt crystals, and can be eaten with great joy by children (and some adults).

There are some tricks to getting the sugar to crystallize. So, I’ve started a hunt for successful recipes (most of the ones we’ve found in science type books just don’t work!)

This one looks real simple, and doesn’t need you to measure the temperature of the sugar-syrup with a candy thermometer.

WARNING: the sugar syrup gets very hot and it is very sticky. IF it spills on skin, it will do very serious damage, as it won’t pour off of you as boiling water would. The sugar syrup is HOTTER than boiling water, too. It is a serious danger. So, an adult needs to be attentive during the entire process. (And the adult should be an experienced cook because this stuff has the potential to be very dangerous, in addition to making a huge and hard-to-clean mess.)

Still interested? Here’s the basic recipe: Rock Candy (from About.com)