How to Make Caramel
Quick steps (20 min)
You need: heavy light-coloured saucepan, heatproof spatula or whisk, pastry brush, small saucepan for cream, candy thermometer (optional)
To make caramel, cook sugar with a little water over medium heat without stirring until it turns a deep amber colour at about 170–180 °C / 340–355 °F. For caramel sauce, take it off the heat and whisk in warm cream, butter and salt. The whole process takes about 15 minutes, and colour is your best guide.
What caramelization is
Caramelization is what happens when sugar is heated past its melting point until its molecules break apart. Sucrose splits into glucose and fructose, which then fragment and recombine into hundreds of new compounds. Some taste buttery or nutty, some fruity, some bitter, and the brown polymers give caramel its colour.
Unlike the Maillard reaction, caramelization needs no protein. It's sugar alone, and it happens at much higher temperatures. Ordinary sugar starts to colour noticeably around 160 °C / 320 °F.
Colour and temperature
| Stage | Temperature | Colour | Flavour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light caramel | 160–165 °C / 320–330 °F | Pale gold | Sweet, mild |
| Medium caramel | 170 °C / 340 °F | Amber | Rich, balanced |
| Dark caramel | 175–180 °C / 345–355 °F | Deep copper | Bittersweet, complex |
| Burned | above 190 °C / 375 °F | Near black, smoking | Acrid |
For caramel sauce, medium to dark amber gives the most flavour. Remember the pan keeps cooking the sugar for a few seconds after you pull it off the heat.
Wet vs dry
Wet caramel adds water to the sugar first, typically about 60 mL of water to 200 g of sugar. The water dissolves the sugar so it heats evenly, and it takes longer to colour, which gives you more control. It's the best method for beginners.
Dry caramel puts sugar straight into a hot pan. It melts from the bottom up and is faster, but it browns unevenly and can scorch before the top melts. Add the sugar in thin layers and stir only once each layer has mostly melted.
Why caramel crystallizes
A dissolved sugar syrup is supersaturated, holding more sugar than it normally could. Any solid crystal, from the pan wall, the spoon or a speck of undissolved sugar, gives the dissolved sugar a template to latch onto, and the whole pot can turn to sandy lumps.
To prevent it, stop stirring once the sugar has dissolved, brush the sides of the pan with water to wash crystals down, and swirl rather than stir. Adding 1 tablespoon of corn syrup or 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice per 200 g of sugar helps too. Corn syrup adds glucose, and acid breaks some sucrose into glucose and fructose, an invert sugar. These different sugar molecules get in the way of sucrose crystals lining up.
Steps
- Measure everything and warm the cream before you start. For about 300 mL of sauce: 200 g (1 cup) sugar, 60 mL (1/4 cup) water, 180 mL (3/4 cup) whipping cream, 45 g (3 tbsp) butter, 1/2 tsp fine salt. Warm cream spatters less when it hits the hot sugar.
- Combine the sugar and water in a heavy, light-coloured saucepan. Stainless steel lets you judge colour; dark nonstick hides it. Choose a pan at least three times the volume of the sugar, because the sauce bubbles up.
- Stir over medium heat only until the sugar dissolves. The syrup should look clear, with no grains.
- Stop stirring and brush down the sides with a wet pastry brush. Wash away any crystals clinging above the syrup line. Let the syrup boil.
- Swirl the pan as the syrup starts to colour. Colour starts at hot spots, so gentle swirling evens it out. This takes 8 to 12 minutes from the boil.
- Cook to deep amber, 170–180 °C / 340–355 °F. Watch closely now; it can go from amber to burned in under 30 seconds.
- Take the pan off the heat and carefully whisk in the warm cream. Pour slowly and stand back. It will hiss, steam and foam up violently.
- Whisk in the butter and salt. If any hard lumps formed, return the pan to low heat and stir until they dissolve.
- Cool before using; it thickens as it cools. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and warm gently before serving.
Chef Fizz says: Molten sugar sticks to skin and is far hotter than boiling water. Keep a bowl of cold water nearby, and never taste caramel off the spoon.
Common mistakes and fixes
- Sandy, crystallized syrup. Add a few tablespoons of water, stir over low heat until fully dissolved, then start again without stirring.
- Burned and bitter. It went too far. Start over; it can't be saved.
- Uneven colour. The pan has hot spots. Swirl more often and use a heavy pan.
- Sauce too thin. Simmer it for 1 to 2 minutes more, or add less cream next time.
- Sauce sets too hard. Whisk in warm cream or water a tablespoon at a time.
- Cleaning the pan. Fill it with water and bring to a boil; the hardened caramel dissolves.
Questions
What is the difference between wet and dry caramel?
Wet caramel starts with sugar dissolved in water, which heats more evenly and is easier to control but takes longer. Dry caramel melts sugar alone in the pan, which is faster but browns unevenly and burns more easily.
Why did my caramel crystallize?
A stray sugar crystal, usually from the side of the pan or a stirring spoon, seeded the syrup and the rest crystallized around it. Stop stirring once the sugar dissolves, wash down the sides with a wet brush, and add a little corn syrup or lemon juice to help prevent it.
How can you tell caramel is done without a thermometer?
Go by colour. Light gold is mild and sweet, amber like a copper penny is ideal for sauce, and deep mahogany is bitter-edged. A light-coloured pan lets you see the true colour; once it smokes heavily, it has burned.
Why did my caramel sauce turn hard?
It needs more liquid. Rewarm it gently and whisk in a few tablespoons of cream or water until it reaches the texture you want.
Can you fix burned caramel?
No. Burned caramel tastes acrid and bitter, and the flavour won't cook out. Pour it away, soak the pan in hot water to dissolve the residue, and start again.