What is the "hard ball" stage of cooked sugar, and how does it affect Italian Meringue?

Rach

New member
We were trying to make macarons today using Syrup and Tang's recipe which involved italian meringue. The sugar overcooked (the temperature was correct, though, about 120 degrees celcius) and turned amber; when we added it to the eggs, it made a gloopy syrup that, needless to say, wasn't meringue.

How do I solve this problem? How can I tell when the sugar syrup is at the right temperature? (I don't trust the thermometer anymore)
 
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