Candy and toffee are two confections that are popular all over the world. However, there is much confusion about the usage of these two terms. The meaning of these two words differs according to different cultures. In this article, we’ll look at the general meaning of these two words. Candy can refer to any confection that is made mainly of sugar. Toffee is a type of hard candy that softens when sucked or chewed. Therefore, toffee is a type of a candy. This is the key difference between candy and toffee.
What is Candy?
Candy is a confection whose primary ingredient is sugar. Before looking at the word candy further, it is important to note that candy may mean different confections to people in different regions and cultures. For example, candy may refer to any sweet in the US whereas in the UK, it may refer to crystallized sugar.
Candy includes various sweet confections such as hard candy, soft candy, taffy, marshmallow, and caramels. Sugar is the common feature in all these products.
The main characteristic of candy is the significant amount of sugar or sugar substitutes used in its production. Candy is also typically made as small pieces. They are typically eaten with hand casually as a snack between meals. Candy should not be confused with dessert, which is eaten after dinner.
Candy can give food energy, but it typically has no other nutritional value beyond energy. It is considered as a source of empty calories.
What is Toffee?
Toffee is a type of hard but chewy candy made of sugar and butter. Although this candy is hard and brittle, it becomes soft when you suck or chew it. Toffee is made by caramelizing sugar or molasses with butter. Sometimes ingredients such as nuts, raisin, and flour are added to this mixture. The above said mixture is heated till it reaches the temperatures of 300 to 310 °F, which is known as the hard crack stage in confection production. At the hard crack stage, the toffee mixture will have a glossy surface, but it will be stiff enough to be made into different shapes. The mixture is then poured into a tray and left to cool and form a slab.
This slab can be cut into large pieces to be eaten as candy. Smaller pieces of candy can be used as sprinkles. It can be also used with various ingredients like chocolate, vanilla, honeycomb, raspberry, raisins, etc. to produce different flavors. Toffee is brown in color due to the effects of caramelization.
What is the difference between Candy and Toffee?
Definition:
Candy: Candy is a confection whose primary ingredient is sugar.
Toffee: Toffee is a hard, chewy candy.
Usage:
Candy: The term candy is used to describe various types of sweets.
Toffee: Toffee is a type of candy.
Ingredients:
Candy: Candy may be made with different ingredients, but sugar is the main ingredient.
Toffee: Toffee is made with sugar and butter.
Image Courtesy:
“Candy in Damascus” By Elisa Azzali – Candies (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“Toffees on display” By Public Domain Pictures. Copyright Free Pictures. Picdrome – (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia