Caramel
Ingredients
Directions
Make the caramel
Combine sugar and ¼ cup water in a saucepan over high heat.
Stir occasionally until mixture turns very dark chestnut.
Gradually add 1 cup water, stirring to combine.
Finish and store
Boil and detach any caramel stuck to saucepan until well mixed.
Cool and store in a jar or bottle in a dry, cool place.
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 under heat, building the deep brown colour and toasted, bittersweet flavour.
The step that matters
Gradually add 1 cup water. Caramel is far hotter than water, so adding water too quickly can spatter violently and cause the hardened sugar to seize. Adding it gradually lets the sugar dissolve back into a smooth liquid.
“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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