How to Make Caramel
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
In a frying pan, combine the sugar and heat over medium until it dissolves and turns light brown.
Add the hot water to the syrup and let it boil slowly until fully dissolved.
Continue boiling for 15 to 20 minutes until it becomes a clear, thick syrup.
Store and use
Transfer to a covered jelly glass and store in a cool place.
When using for coloring soups and sauces, add only a few drops at a time.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Granulated sugar
- Caramelizes to form the syrup's color and deep, toasted flavor.
- Hot water
- Dissolves the caramelized sugar into a pourable, thinner syrup.
The step that matters
Browning the sugar. Sugar darkens quickly once it starts to melt, and going too far turns it bitter. Stir it as it melts and stop once it is light brown, since it keeps darkening off the heat.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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