# Inverting sugar advice



## Hops Brewster (Jun 17, 2014)

I dunno. I've never fried water.  You want the temp over 225*F. Boiling in the oven is possible, but without a lid it could be messy. With a lid, I don't if know you would get the same results. All that moisture would be trapped in the pan. There would also be a risk of scorching which is why we stir the pot in the first place.

Well, you could try a small batch and see what you get.

Cooking ain't always exciting.


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## ThisGuy (Jan 13, 2014)

I wonder if a sous vide circulator would do it...(assuming you can set it to that high a temperature).


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

You can invert syrup by adding vitamin C / ascorbic acid and holding it at very warm (not boiling) for a long time. I'm not sure how much VC is required or how much time it takes for it to work, but I've done it before - by using more of each than I thought it would take. And while I don't have any way to do a lab analysis to tell how much of the syrup was inverted it acted like inverted syrup when I used it to make pollen patty - in that they stayed soft and moist instead of getting hard and crusty like they usually do. The thing is, it was more trouble than it was worth because the bees didn't favor it any more than the sub made with plain sugar. Go figure.

I kept it warm on the stove for 24 hours if I remember correctly.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

I make my syrup in a Maxant bottling tank. 12 gallons of water to 160F. Add 20 grams of ascorbic acid. 100 lbs of sugar. Turn off the heat. Makes about 20 gallons of approximately 1:1 syrup. 12 hours later the syrup is around 120F. 24 hours later about 100. I have no idea if those temps are high enough or long enough to invert the sugar. I add the ascorbic acid to keep the syrup from going bad before I use it.


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

The empirical forumula for acid conversion of sucrose is 1 part acid to 1000 parts sugar (one gram per kilogram). If the acid is dilute (as in household vinegar or lemon juice, additional volume must be added). 

Fructose is partially self-catalyzing -- as it has loosely bound H+ ions, and is thus strongly acid in reaction.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

beemandan said:


> I make my syrup in a Maxant bottling tank. 12 gallons of water to 160F. Add 20 grams of ascorbic acid. 100 lbs of sugar. Turn off the heat. Makes about 20 gallons of approximately 1:1 syrup. 12 hours later the syrup is around 120F. 24 hours later about 100. I have no idea if those temps are high enough or long enough to invert the sugar. I add the ascorbic acid to keep the syrup from going bad before I use it.


That is a little out of my league, but made me laugh at the improvisation. Why not.

Wife feels about a mess in the kitchen the way I feel about someone using my favorite wood chisel to open a can of paint. Much better to ask then experiment.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Saltybee said:


> That is a little out of my league


For future reference....9 gallons of water at 160F, 20 grams of ascorbic acid, and 150lbs of sugar makes about 20 gallons of 2:1...only you have to stir it a bit longer


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