William+A14

William A 2013-2014
 * COMPARING THE MELTING RATES OF CARAMEL CANDIES **

The purpose of this experiment was to compare the melting rates of hard candies which were cooked at different temperatures. A hypothesis was formed that the candy cooked at 160 °C would melt the fastest. First, sugar was measured into a pot. A hot plate was used to caramelize the sugar. Three batches heated to three different temperatures were made separately and were poured onto wax paper. Once the caramel cooled, the three candies were consumed without chewing. A stopwatch was used to time the melting of the three caramels. The results showed that the 160° caramel did in fact melt the fastest, followed by the 175 and 190° caramels respectively. The purpose of the second experiment was to compare the caramelization time of Splenda® sugar substitute to that of regular cane sugar. Its results were inconclusive as the resulting substance was not edible or comparable to caramelized sugar. In the third experiment, the strength was compared between the three different temperatures of caramel. The 190° caramel proved the strongest, and the 160° caramel was weakest. Between the two was the 175° caramel.
 * ABSTRACT **

Some future experiments could be determining aerodynamics of different caramels, comparing the taste of the dry method or wet method of caramel making, or comparing the caramelizing time of different types of sugar. This experiment could be improved by using a more efficient method of pouring the caramel. A better heat source like a stove could have been used along with a more conductive pot.
 * EXPERIMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS AND FUTURE EXPERIMENTS **

To read the complete ISP Paper for this experiment, click on the PDF file link below.