Since we are in an area inundated with maple syrup producers, we thought we'd specialize in the confections, i.e. maple sugar candies and all related goodies. Before we moved here, while still in our house in Hamilton, I tried making maple syrup candies using a recipe I found on the internet. Dave was out teaching his judo class and I was standing at the stove, patiently watching the syrup.
I was using a meat thermometer, not a candy thermometer (mistake number 1 - a meat thermometer isn't nearly granular or accurate enough) and didn't know what the boiling point of water was on that day (mistake number 2, facilitated by mistake number 1). At some point, perhaps twenty minutes in, I smelled burning. Then I saw what might have been steam, but was, in fact, smoke. I let it heat up a bit more, as I was sure I hadn't reached the ideal temperature yet (mistake number 3, thinking you know what you're doing; see previous mistakes).
After a few minutes more, I gave up and took the pot off the stove. The candy , so-to-speak, had turned a lovely shade of black and smelled terrible. I let it sit and, when cooled, tasted it. I think it might have tasted the way a burnt, smooth, log would taste, if one wanted to try to taste that.
I called Dave to tell him about it and he wanted to try it later anyway, not believing the syrup could be as bad as I said, so later that evening:
Dave removed the hard, black mass from the pot in one piece. He then tasted it and found it to be as bitter and horrible as I had said. Then as he was putting the burnt syrup on the counter, he tapped it against the cutting board to see how hard it was and it shattered like glass. The individual bits looked like obsidian, pitch-black and shiny, and tasted disgusting. Imagine burning a piece of toast until it is hard and totally charcoal. There you go.
My first attempt at maple syrup cooking -- an experience in fine cuisine.
Angi.