483955 Mon Jan 28 12:36:54 -0800 2008 9 31 Home Cooking 0 3341480 I just made a batch of Eng. Toffee and they are not crunchy enough. When you bite into them it seems just fine, flavor is excellent and there is a good crunch. But there is a caramel-like after-texture that sticks to the teeth. I used a candy thermometer and follwed the recipe. 1. Does the fact that its a rainy day have anything to do with this??? 2. I placed the warm pan in the 'frige to cool quickly. Was this wrong? 3. Although I oiled the pan, I have some candy GLUED to it. How does one keep a candymaking pan clean? Please help. C. Mon Jan 28 12:36:54 -0800 2008 10493 sassille 1 3341586 Sassille, have you made this recipe before with success? First thing to do--make sure your candy thermometer is calibrated. Toffee is particular and being off by even a a few degrees makes a big difference. Second, did you use Pure Cane Sugar (such as C&H). Beet sugar or cane sugar with other things added will not give you the clean tasting toffee you are looking for. This topic has been much addressed on the boards. Being a rainy day may have had something to do with it, but not as much as you putting it into the fridge. Your fridge has a lot of moisture in it, and toffee does not like moisture. If you'd like to cool it quickly I suggest shocking the bottom of the pan with cold water. This can be tricky and can lead to you getting burned, so proceed with caution. The best way to keep toffee from sticking to the pan is to invest in a Silpat or other silicon baking mat. Get one that fits snuggly into the bottom of your baking sheet, and grease the edges of the pan in case some of the toffee spill under the mat. Hope these tips help with your next attempt. Mon Jan 28 13:00:19 -0800 2008 3341480 16301 Non Cognomina 2 3347555 After reading countless threads on toffee I'm finally going to post the easiest, most fantastic English toffee recipe known to man. You'll feel like a superstar making it but once you share the recipe, your image will be shattered because of its simplicity. (no candy thermometer needed!) But that moment of fleeting fame is worth it! Munroe Tavern English Toffee 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (your choice--pecans, walnuts, almonds etc.) 1 stick butter 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons water 4 ounces milk chocolate (again, could use dark) I find Hershey bars work best Spread chopped nuts on the bottom of a 8 or 9 in. square pan. Melt butter slowly in skillet (I use a small nonstick) Add sugar and water to melted butter. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium high heat. It will foam and cloud up. Cook and stir until mixture turns light brown (paper bag color) about 5 minutes. This color change will happen quickly so stay alert! Pour over the nuts and immediately drop broken pieces of the chocolate over the toffee. Let the heat of the mix melt the chocolate (about 2-3 minutes) and then spread. The chocolate needs several hours to set. Do not refrigerate to encourage this. When set, break up into pieces and try not to eat the whole pan. Wed Jan 30 06:59:03 -0800 2008 3341586 11122 tweetie 1 3348381 my toffee recipe (no teeth stickyness) calls for the candly to be cooked to 320( 10 degrees past hard crack stage) It is quickly poured into a "Bakers' Secret" sheet pan (some sort of built-in release) and sets up immediately. After the chocolate coating has cooled, all I do is flex the pan by opposite corners and the whole sheet of toffee releases to flip over. There is butter enough in the recipe to make any pan lubrication unnecessary. http://www.bakerssecret.com/index.asp?pageId=96&pid=350 Not sure why yours is sticky, other than excess humidity as was mentioned, or cooked to insufficient temperature.(What temp did the recipe call for?) I live near the coast, where ambient humidity runs about 30% on a clear day. Wed Jan 30 10:23:39 -0800 2008 3341480 11234 toodie jane 2 3350440 Can you please post your toffee recipe? Thanks! Wed Jan 30 19:01:37 -0800 2008 3348381 42038 GSDlove 3 3350944 here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/328087 dust off the treadmill Wed Jan 30 23:10:59 -0800 2008 3350440 11234 toodie jane 1 3352264 My recipe says to cook to 290. I've never had a problem w/ it being anything less than crunchy, or what you described. But then I live in Arizona, and we don't have humidity here ;) Here is what I do to avoid sticking -- I line my half-sheet pan w/ waxed paper. Once my toffee has set up, I have no problem peeling off the waxed paper. Thu Jan 31 10:38:33 -0800 2008 3341480 140805 mdepsmom 2 3358653 the hot toffee will melt the wax coating on the paper--it might be better to use a silicon mat? Sat Feb 02 10:53:48 -0800 2008 3352264 11234 toodie jane 3 3358835 I've never had a problem w/ the wax paper melting. I have several Silpats but I don't use them for my almond roca; not sure why. Sat Feb 02 12:01:40 -0800 2008 3358653 140805 mdepsmom 4 3358966 Please!!! Forget waxed paper, parchment, silpats and candy thermometers and give Munroe Tavern toffee a try. In 10 stress free minutes you can make a miracle! It's truly a no fuss, no failure, no way you can stop eating it recipe. Sat Feb 02 12:58:44 -0800 2008 3358835 11122 tweetie