How to Make Glass from Sugar

Making glass from sugar is a simple process you can perform in your own kitchen. All the ingredients can be obtained from your local grocery store and the result is a sheet of translucent glass that would fool anyone. You could even eat it if you really wanted to, and didn't mind losing a few teeth!

Materials:

2 cups water

1 cup white corn syrup

3 ½ cups white sugar

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Non-stick cooking spray

Candy thermometer

Large cooking pot

Measuring cup

Large cookie sheet

Large kitchen knife

Instructions:

Mix the water, corn syrup, sugar and cream of tartar in the large cooking pot. Bring to a boil slowly over low heat. If you heat the mixture too quickly, the sugar will caramelize. In the beginning, the mixture will be white and cloudy. As it boils, it will begin to clear. Boiling should begin somewhere around 200 degrees F.

Heating slowly, the mixture should reach the target temperature of 300 degrees F in about one hour. Use the candy thermometer to check the temperature occasionally. Whatever you do, don't let it get above 300 degrees F.

If the mixture begins to turn yellow, remove it and you will probably be left with yellow sugar glass. If you remove from the heat too early, your sugar glass will turn out too soft. Temperature is very important at this stage of the glass making.

Now, spray the large cookie sheet with the non-stick cooking spray. Make sure it is thoroughly coated or you'll never get the glass out of the pan. Pour the sugar glass mixture onto the pan as quickly as possible after removing from the heat. It will begin to harden rapidly so don't wait too long.

Pour slowly to ensure even distribution of the mix across the cookie sheet. If air bubbles appear on the surface, don't be alarmed. These will go away by themselves. However, you can always pop them with a knife if you wish. Allow the sugar glass to harden completely. This usually takes about an hour.

Run the large kitchen knife under hot water to warm it. Then, cut carefully along the edge of the cookie sheet where it meets the glass. Pry the glass out of the pan and store it in the refrigerator until you need it. At room temperature, it won't last very long so keep it cold as long as possible.

Now, you can fool your friends and family with your fake sugar glass! Be careful, though as it will be sharp and you can hurt yourself if you're careless.