Unlike baking sweets and other confectionery cuisine, candy making requires no basic chemistry understanding and is far more forgiving towards the uneven hand. Once you’ve established your syrupy base of liquefied sugar, you can begin to add ingredients to customize your candy. The heat levels will determine the texture and solidity of the candy.
The sweetest of the bunch? I picked the Demmex Copper Zabaglione Pan from Amazon.
Aside from the ingredients being used, the saucepan in which you boil your candy in will have the greatest bearing on the quality of the finished product. Even heat distribution is important, as are durability and tenacity of material, as you may be subjecting your candy cookware to long periods of high heat, with near-constant stirring.
Make sure you have a thermometer that’s up for the job as well.
Once you’ve decided on a recipe and have collected all the necessary ingredients and tools, it’s time to shop around for the right saucepan. Let’s take a look at some of the best saucepans for making your own candy.
Best Saucepans for Making Candy | Why We Like It | |
---|---|---|
| 1. Mauviel M’Passion 2194 Saucepan with Copper Handle | high-quality copper saucepan comes in three different sizes and heats up and cools down quickly |
2. Rachael Ray Cucina non-stick Butter Warmer | aluminum saucepan is an affordable and acceptable option | |
3. DEMMEX 1.2mm Thick Hammered Copper Sugar Sauce Zabaglione Pan | large capacity of copper saucepan means large batches of candy |
Candy man saucepans
Generally, copper pans are the favorite of professional confectioners making candy. Their superior heat conductivity allows the cook to effectively manage heat temperature throughout cooking. Its even heating will prevent unsightly crystallization, resulting in a higher quality candy.
Making caramel? Check out these saucepans that are perfect for the job.
Mauviel M’Passion 2194 Saucepan with Copper Handle
The Mauviel M’Passion 2194 Saucepan with Copper Handle is an excellent choice in copper candy cookware. These saucepans are available in 1.2, 1.9, and 2.5-quart sizes, to accommodate all candy cooking needs.
The high-quality copper heats up and cools down quickly, and grants its user unparalleled evenness in heat distribution. The unique, roll-style copper handle (secured with copper rivets) provides a safe and sturdy way to move the saucepan. For cooking candy, there really is no superior saucepan.
Rachael Ray Cucina non-stick Butter Warmer
While copper is the best heat conductor on the market, it certainly is not the most affordable. For the budget-conscious candy cooker, the Rachael Ray Cucina non-stick Butter Warmer is a satisfactory, affordable alternative.
While its porcelain-enameled aluminum composition is not quite as conductive as its copper counterparts, this saucepan still manages to transfer heat effectively, making it an acceptable, affordable alternative to the copper models. In fact, aluminum is still considerably more conductive than stainless steel, which has the rest of the stovetop cooking market cornered. Its .75-quart capacity and rubber handle provide a comfortable, spacious saucepan for preparing all of your favorite candies.
DEMMEX 1.2mm Thick Hammered Copper Sugar Sauce Zabaglione Pan
For the middle-of-the-road candy chef, the DEMMEX 1.2mm Thick Hammered Copper Sugar Sauce Zabaglione Pan offers the best in affordable, copper cookware. The elegant, refined style of the hammered copper exterior will make this saucepan stand out in any collection. The brass handle and helper handle add a pleasing aesthetic contrast, while providing dependable, practical functioning. Its lacquer and lining-free design guarantee nothing but smooth, copper cooking surface. Its 1.7-quart capacity provides ample volume for even the largest batches of homemade candy.
New directions in candy confections
Regardless of what kind of candy you’re interested in making, you’ll need the right saucepan for the job. Considering that most all candy production requires stove top preparation, the saucepan chosen is the most important element of the job, excepting perhaps the ingredients used. Using one of these top saucepans, the aspiring candy chef is sure to launch a lifetime passion for home confection cooking!
Looking for a pot instead? Check out my picks.
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Image credit via Flickr Creative Commons: Sarah R. and Bethany K.