Delicious, sweet caramel is a fine thing, but making it yourself can be a bit tricky! But if you pay attention to a few things, it will definitely work! With our tips, you can now easily enjoy homemade caramels, caramel sauce, and more!
Caramelize dry or wet – the choice is yours
There are two methods of turning sugar into caramel: dry caramelizing or wet caramelizing, in which water is added to the sugar in a 3:2 ratio. Wet caramelizing is much easier, especially for newcomers, because the sugar doesn’t burn as easily here. Although the danger of burning is higher with dry caramelization, it is also faster because not as much liquid has to be boiled away.
What do I need to caramelize?
If this is your first time attempting the “I make my caramel myself” experiment, a light-colored pan or saucepan is advisable, as this allows you to better assess how browned the sugar is. The height of the pan or pot is also important: If you add cream or butter to the caramel, it can bubble and rise up to three times as high.
A heat-resistant (wooden) cooking spoon or spatula is also part of the basic equipment. If you want to be on the safe side when making caramel, you can get a candy thermometer.
A few tips before you start:
– Since everything has to be done quickly when caramelizing, you should have all the necessary utensils and ingredients at hand before you start.
– Do not stir: If you stir too much, this can cause lumps. The best way to distribute the caramel is to toss it around in the pan several times.
– Normal, white table sugar caramelizes best.
How to caramelize step by step
Note that the sugar will continue to caramelize in the hot pan for some time. Better to take it off the hot stove a little earlier, the perfect time is when the caramel is showing its first signs of smoking. You can also put the pot or pan in a cold water bath. The perfect caramel is runny, shiny, and copper to amber in color.
How do I get the pot clean again?
Caramel that has gone cold hardens in no time at all. What is wanted when caramelizing nuts or making brittle can become really annoying when washing up. The hardened caramel residues in the pan or in the pot can be easily removed if you put a little water in the pot and bring the whole thing to a boil.
And what can I do with the caramel now?
Wonderful classics made from fine caramel that you can prepare yourself are, for example, caramelized nuts as decoration for a nut cake, caramel candies, and caramel syrup or sauce.
For the caramel sauce, caramelize 200 g of sugar, melt 90 g of butter in 170 g of whipped cream and add the whipped cream to the sugar, let the sauce boil down to the desired thickness. For the caramel syrup, caramelize 200 g of sugar and then carefully add 180 ml of boiling water.
