CarameL
Ingredients
Directions
In a preserving pan, combine sugar and water.
Beat with a wooden spoon over low heat until it boils, removing any scum.
Once liquefied, strain through a tamis.
Return to heat until it hardens when dropped into cold water.
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
- Sugar
- Caramelises as it heats, providing sweetness, colour and the hard brittle structure of the finished caramel.
- Water
- Dissolves the sugar so it can heat evenly before it caramelises.
The step that matters
Returning the syrup to heat until it hardens in cold water. Sugar syrup sets according to its temperature, not its time. Too little cooking leaves it soft and sticky, while too much darkens it and turns it bitter. The cold water test checks the stage, so the syrup should be tested often as it nears the target.
“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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