Candy (from Dutch "kandij", a kind of sugar) is often used as a synonym for the more traditional term confectionery in North America, whereas the word has become archaic in most parts of the United Kingdom and survives today almost exclusively in the term "candy floss". In some areas, notably Scotland, "candy" is generally taken to mean confectionery made from crystallized sugar. In the United Kingdom in general, a piece of confectionery is referred to as a sweet. In Australian English, all such confections are collectively referred to as lollies. In New Zealand English, both terms are used. The variant term "lollipop" is also used in North America, but only to describe a certain kind of candy that it is attached to a stick.

Candies are prepared by dissolving sugar in water or milk to form a syrup, and boiling it until it starts to caramelize. Depending on the solvent and the end result of the process, the product may be called candy, caramel, toffee, fudge, praline, tablet or taffy. The recipe used also predicts how hard, soft, chewy or brittle the end result should be. The eventual texture of candy depends on the temperature to which the sugar solution is boiled, since the presence of a solute in a liquid elevates the boiling point of the liquid. As the syrup is heated, it boils, which causes the sugar concentration in the syrup to increase due to evaporation of the water, which raises the boiling point even further. The relationship between the boiling point and the sugar concentration is predictable, and so heating the syrup to a particular temperature ensures a particular sugar concentration with some accuracy. In general, higher temperatures — which imply greater sugar concentrations — result in hard, brittle candies, and lower temperatures result in softer candies. These "stages" of cooking candy have been named and correlated with the cooking temperatures, and is frequently specified in recipes:

• "thread": 230-233°F / 110-111°C
• "soft-ball": 234-240°F / 112-115°C
• "firm-ball": 244-248°F / 118-120°C
• "hard-ball": 250-266°F / 121-130°C
• "soft-crack": 270-290°F / 132-143°C
• "hard-crack": 295-310°F / 146-154°C

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@GPIA7R But coffee is pretty terrible. I can't drink it at all, no matter how much candy and chocolate you put in there.
MoeFwacky (Moe Fwacky) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:39:47 -0000
@GPIA7R But coffee is pretty terrible. I can't drink it at all, no matter how much candy and chocolate you put in there.
Chocolate candy apples are good in theory, and quite tasty, but overly difficult to eat.
cutestkidever (Christina Gleason) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:32:54 -0000
Chocolate candy apples are good in theory, and quite tasty, but overly difficult to eat.
Omg he just brought me the best hot cocoa ever! And it has chocolate candy floating around in it. Yummyy
sheskiller (Ashley Deles Dernier) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:14:25 -0000
Omg he just brought me the best hot cocoa ever! And it has chocolate candy floating around in it. Yummyy
I'm not quite sure 75% off Halloween candy is a good thing, I feel like I ate Willie Wonka AND the chocolate factory!
angiethespider (angie) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:46:49 -0000
I'm not quite sure 75% off Halloween candy is a good thing, I feel like I ate Willie Wonka AND the chocolate factory!
Overdosing on chocolate and candy lol
Joaninha23 (Joana Simoes) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:20:08 -0000
Overdosing on chocolate and candy lol
Love chocolate, eat it almost daily but I always choose good chocolate and have just a little. I avoid candy-jar-on-the-desk chocolate!
acthealthy (Arlene Turner) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:43 -0000
Love chocolate, eat it almost daily but I always choose good chocolate and have just a little. I avoid candy-jar-on-the-desk chocolate!

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