Making caramel - your method & tips please.
Discussion
I have a long-running love-hate relationship with caramel. I'm talking about your regular 'sugar-in-a-pan-caramel' you need for spun sugar and as a base for sauces, creme caramel, etc. etc.
Sometimes it works out fine and I get it just to the right colour/consistency. Other times, despite all the usual precautions of dissolving all the sugar in a little water first, not stirring it, heating it steadily and watching the pan like a hawk, it just goes all Pete Tong.
Like most cooking, there are several variables at work with this process - type of sugar used, type of pan used, amount of water added (or no water at all) and amount of heat applied. I'm looking for that foolproof method which may not work every time, but will give me a better success rate that I currently have.
My main issue is the sugar crystallizing just at the point where the water has been boiled off and the sugar is starting to change colour. It's got to the point where I tend not to bother dissolving the sugar in water first, I just put sugar in a pan and heat it on a medium flame trying to keep the heat even to it doesn't catch. The problem with this way is that unless you have a really heavy (preferably copper) pan, you get hot-spots and it will burn slightly in just one or two places which then effectively writes off the whole batch.
If you dissolve the sugar in water first, I'm wondering whether the water could have an effect on the process. We live in a very hard water area and if there are more minerals in the water, maybe this could lead to the sugar crystallizing more readily?
So, what's your method and how do you avoid the potential disaster of a caramel-gone-wrong?
Sometimes it works out fine and I get it just to the right colour/consistency. Other times, despite all the usual precautions of dissolving all the sugar in a little water first, not stirring it, heating it steadily and watching the pan like a hawk, it just goes all Pete Tong.
Like most cooking, there are several variables at work with this process - type of sugar used, type of pan used, amount of water added (or no water at all) and amount of heat applied. I'm looking for that foolproof method which may not work every time, but will give me a better success rate that I currently have.
My main issue is the sugar crystallizing just at the point where the water has been boiled off and the sugar is starting to change colour. It's got to the point where I tend not to bother dissolving the sugar in water first, I just put sugar in a pan and heat it on a medium flame trying to keep the heat even to it doesn't catch. The problem with this way is that unless you have a really heavy (preferably copper) pan, you get hot-spots and it will burn slightly in just one or two places which then effectively writes off the whole batch.
If you dissolve the sugar in water first, I'm wondering whether the water could have an effect on the process. We live in a very hard water area and if there are more minerals in the water, maybe this could lead to the sugar crystallizing more readily?
So, what's your method and how do you avoid the potential disaster of a caramel-gone-wrong?
Heavy bottomed, stainless steel pan that is spotlessly clean. Scrub it with a brillo before use. Sugar into dry pan without any water and heat slowly moving the pan around on the heat until the sugar is melted. You cant rush it or you will get hot spots as you mentioned. Don't stir it, don't swirl it round the pan hard enough to send it up the sides. Then increase the heat to give the degree of caramelisation that you want. If you want to hit a particular crack point rather than just a dark caramel then a digital thermometer is essential.
As soon as the sugar is about 2 shades lighter (or 5 degrees less) than you want it, take the pan off the heat and plunge the base into cold water. The residual heat from the pan will take it the rest of the way.
As soon as the sugar is about 2 shades lighter (or 5 degrees less) than you want it, take the pan off the heat and plunge the base into cold water. The residual heat from the pan will take it the rest of the way.
Tanguero said:
Heavy bottomed, stainless steel pan that is spotlessly clean. Scrub it with a brillo before use. Sugar into dry pan without any water and heat slowly moving the pan around on the heat until the sugar is melted. You cant rush it or you will get hot spots as you mentioned. Don't stir it, don't swirl it round the pan hard enough to send it up the sides. Then increase the heat to give the degree of caramelisation that you want. If you want to hit a particular crack point rather than just a dark caramel then a digital thermometer is essential.
As soon as the sugar is about 2 shades lighter (or 5 degrees less) than you want it, take the pan off the heat and plunge the base into cold water. The residual heat from the pan will take it the rest of the way.
And it will stick to your pan like sAs soon as the sugar is about 2 shades lighter (or 5 degrees less) than you want it, take the pan off the heat and plunge the base into cold water. The residual heat from the pan will take it the rest of the way.
t to a blanket if you let it set in the pan!!You have been warned
Tanguero said:
Heavy bottomed, stainless steel pan that is spotlessly clean. Scrub it with a brillo before use. Sugar into dry pan without any water and heat slowly moving the pan around on the heat until the sugar is melted. You cant rush it or you will get hot spots as you mentioned. Don't stir it, don't swirl it round the pan hard enough to send it up the sides. Then increase the heat to give the degree of caramelisation that you want. If you want to hit a particular crack point rather than just a dark caramel then a digital thermometer is essential.
As soon as the sugar is about 2 shades lighter (or 5 degrees less) than you want it, take the pan off the heat and plunge the base into cold water. The residual heat from the pan will take it the rest of the way.
Yep, do this. Dissolving in water helps heat more evenly if the pans aren't brilliant.As soon as the sugar is about 2 shades lighter (or 5 degrees less) than you want it, take the pan off the heat and plunge the base into cold water. The residual heat from the pan will take it the rest of the way.
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