How to make Caramel?

PRESENTATION

Caramel is an essential element for the preparation and decoration of many desserts, such as crunchy or Portuguese-style milk! In this sheet, we show you how to make caramel and caramel sauce. The tools you will need are a steel pan with a double bottom, a steel spoon or whisk, and a thermometer to measure the temperature of the caramel and use it for different preparations (see the temperature table below).

To prepare the caramel, you can choose two ways: dry, which is only sugar dissolved in the saucepan, and water, sugar dissolved in water that evaporates during cooking. Once cold, the caramel solidifies, so you will have to work it when it is still boiling, being careful to create shapes or threads that will serve as decoration for cakes, spoon desserts, or ice cream.

On the other hand, the caramel sauce remains liquid: to prepare it, add hot water to the caramel and wait for the foam to clear. With the caramel sauce, you can prepare the creme caramel, line the molds for pannacotta or enrich an ice cream, hot chocolate, or a slice of cake.

CARAMEL

To prepare the caramel in the dry mode, you need a steel saucepan with a double bottom and some granulated sugar in the quantity you want; moreover, it will be necessary, both for dry and water caramel, a food thermometer to record the temperature of the sugar and to use the caramel for different preparations (see temperature table below)

1. Pour the granulated sugar one tablespoon at a time into the saucepan and let it melt slowly over low heat, without stirring but gently rotating the saucepan. Add the sugar only after the previous one has dissolved.
2. Always turn the saucepan so that the sugar dissolves evenly and does not burn. Always continue with a spoon at a time until you have reached the desired amount of caramel.

 And the desired coloring.

3. Alternatively, you can use a wider pan, always with the double bottom, and pour the sugar all at once: the important thing is that the sugar is not too overlapping. Otherwise, it becomes grainy.

To prepare the caramelized water mode, follow these proportions: put 350 grams of sugar in the saucepan.

4. And pour 150 grams of water over it.
5. Stir with a steel spoon to dissolve the sugar and let the mixture boil over medium heat: as soon as the water starts to evaporate, the sugar will begin to caramelize.
6. With both methods, you can obtain two different colors, depending on the temperature reached by the caramel, to be measured with the food thermometer. For the lighter caramelized with a delicate flavor, the temperature should be between 156 and 165 degrees.
7. For a darker and tastier brown caramel, the temperature will have to oscillate between 166 and 175 degrees.
8. Once this temperature is exceeded, the caramel will burn and will be unusable! As soon as the caramel reaches the temperature you want, remove the pan from the heat and place it in a bain-marie of water and ice to stop cooking for a few seconds. Once the desired color reached, with the help of a spoon or another steel tool, pour the caramel flush on a sheet of baking paper, creating shapes.
9. Which, once cold, will solidify and will be ready to be used as decorations for your desserts.

Caramelized SAUCE

To prepare the caramel sauce, you will need to prepare the caramelised in the way you prefer: dry, dissolving 350 g of granulated sugar in the saucepan, or dissolving 350 g of granulated sugar in 150 g of water. Once your caramel is of the desired color, add 150 grams of hot water.

13. The caramel will start to boil: wait for the foam on the surface to thin out and mix with a steel whisk (14-15). Your caramelized sauce will be ready to use!

STORAGE

Beware that once the caramelized has solidified, it fears humidity. So you will not be able to keep the decorations: you will have to make them on the spot!

If you have any leftover carameled sauce, store it in a tightly closed glass jar. In a cool, dry place or the refrigerator.

ADVISE

Dry carameled requires more experience and may be more difficult for beginners; water is easier because the water allows the sugar to dissolve evenly! Furthermore, it will be more challenging to obtain the blond caramel with the dry. Mode because it will tend to color very quickly.

Remember always to mix the carameled with a steel tool, never with a wooden or plastic tool. Use a large saucepan to prevent too much sugar and crystallization.

TEMPERATURE TABLE

If you want to get syrup for fruit in syrup, you will have to bring the caramelized to 100 °. So if you wish to obtain a syrup for candied fruit. The caramelized must have a temperature between 103 ° -105 °. If you want to get a syrup to prepare meringue, the carameled must be at 121 °. For the blond caramelized, the temperature must oscillate between 156 ° -165 °. For brown carameled, the temperature must oscillate between 166 ° – 175 °.

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