Caramels

"There are four important tricks to this recipe. One--very very lightly grease the pan. Two--use a large kettle; mixture actually triples in size during cooking phase. Three--It will take from 30 to..." See more 40 minutes to get to 250 degrees. Finally, make sure caramels are cooled or they will stick to wax paper. If too cooled, they will be hard to cut. I put mine in freezer for 5 minutes after about 10 minutes sitting in pan on counter top. They were really easy to cut and wrap."

"I have read the reviews on this recipe and think I know why some of you have caramels that turn out too soft and some too hard. First of all this recipe says to cook to the hard ball stage. The hard..." See more ball stage has a range of 250 - 266 degrees. To find out what degree you should use for your candy, use this calculation...Candy should come in 1 degree lower than indicated in the recipe for each increase of 500 feet above sea level. For instance if your recipe calls for 250 degrees and you live at 2000 feet above sea level, take 4 degrees off which would come to 246 degrees. Also, the book says that one day your candy may set using 250 degrees and the next day it may take 254 degrees depending on weather, etc. You could always use the cold water test...drop a teaspoon into very cold water to see how it sets. Hard ball stage should hold it's shape when removed from the water and formed into a ball, but should still be pliable.---I HOPE THIS HELPS!!! Kim"

"This is a GREAT recipe, always gets raves! A few tips I've found helpful: First, calibrate your candy thermometer in boiling water. Should read 212 degrees. If it doesn't, adjust your recipe accor..." See moredingly. I'm on my 2nd thermometer and both have been 5-7 degrees off. Also, instead of greasing the pan I line it with parchment paper. The caramels won't be extra greasy, won't stick to the paper and can be easily lifted out when set."