Making caramel: burnt sugar?

Question

I made my first batch of caramel last night, & the recipe called for allowing the mixture to come up to temp without stirring, but when I poured it onto the pan, there was some burnt sugar on the bottom of the pot that did effect the flavor of the candy. It was a very heavy bottomed pot.

Would stirring it while cooking do anything harmful to the batch? Any other suggestions for avoiding this problem? Thanks in advance.

The caramel was not grainy in the least-the only problem was the burnt sugar on the bottom.

Answer 1

maybe your stove was set too high.
I'd suggest cooking at a slightly lower temperature/setting.

I believe the recommendation, "don't stir", is to prevent recrystallization of the sugar crystals.

I've made a few batches of caramel in my life. I remember stirring and nothing went kablewy. However, It wasn't a constant stirring.

Since it was your first batch, a common mistake for many first timers, including myself, is that you had the heat up too high.

Answer 2

i don't cook but this was on a programme yesterday.The chef said not to stir it at all.Not much help but that's what she said for def.

x

JUST FOUND THIS...!

Answer:Caramelized sugar is melted or dissolved sugar which is has been cooked until caramelized. This gives the sugar the typical caramel flavor and golden brown color. It has various uses in the sweet kitchen including flavoring desserts and as a base for caramel sauces and toppings.
It is a fairly simple proceedure but it needs to carried out carefully as the sugar mixture is extremely hot and it also burns very easily which can give a rather bitter result.
The quantities will vary depending on how you want to use the sugar syrup but it is usual to dissolve the sugar in a pan over a low heat with a small amount of water, stirring well to dissolve all the crystals. When all the sugar is dissolved you should turn the heat up to medium high. The sugar syrup will gradually begin to change color from colorless, through a straw yellow color and on to golden amber. You should not stir the mixture at the this point but carefully and gently swill the syrup in pan to distribute the color. Remove from the heat immediately the syrup reaches the right color as it will quickly go too far. You can dip the base of the pan in a bowl of cold water to stop the sugar cooking any more.
At this point it may be necessary to add some water, depending on the usage of the sugar. If you do this be very careful as the sugar will still be very hot and will splutter. It is a good idea to cover the hand holding the pan with a cloth to protect from sugar splashes. Once all the water has been added stir well. It is quite usual for the caramel to harden on the bottom of the pan. You should then return the pan to the heat and heat gently, stirring all the time to re-dissolve the caramel.
Some chefs melt the sugar directly in the pan without adding water but this is a slightly more difficult method, particularly if you are inexperienced with sugar work.

Answer 3

To make caramel, choose a saucepan with a very heavy base. Start with ½ cup of sugar. Dissolve this sugar in ½ cup or more of water. It is essential that all the sugar completely dissolves before the syrup comes to the boil. This includes the sugar crystals that can cling to the sides of the pan, as any remaining sugar crystals, once the syrup boils, will turn the caramel grainy.




1. Bring the syrup to a steady boil without stirring. Watch carefully as the water evaporates, especially when the liquid reaches the stage where very large bubbles form in the syrup becomes heavy and sticky.

2. The syrup will turn very pale and golden at the edges first. Don't stir it but do swirl the pan around a little so the sugar colours evenly.

3. Continue to keep over the heat and cook until it becomes a deep golden colour, almost brown. Now the caramel is ready to use. Working swiftly, do one of the following:

4. Tip the caramel on to a baking sheet and allow to harden.

5. It can then be broken into pieces to use.

6. This variation makes a delicious creamy caramel sauce to pour on ice-cream or fruit desserts. Bring 300mls cream to a simmer at the same time as the caramel is cooking and add this to the pan when the right shade of golden brown is reached.

7. Stir and allow to cool before using.

Answer 4

1

Answer 5

Which type of caramel did you make? The soft chewy candy caramels or carmelized sugar syrup without cream added? The cooking procedures are a bit different for the two.

Humidity, air pressure and the temperature of your cooking surface will all affect the possibility of having burnt sugar on the bottom of the pan. Make sure all utensils are dry when starting, don't add to the humidity in your cooking area [that is, no boiling pasta or water for tea while candy making] and if there is a strong weather front causing pressure to rise, wait for another day to make your cream based candies.

As far as stirring while cooking, it depends on the type of caramel and at what stage you are in the process. Generally, once boiling is reached, you don't stir candies.

Answer 6

2

Answer 7

In caramel recipes, the proportion of corn syrup to sugar is usually 1:1 or higher. Typically, a recipe has to contain more syrup than sugar for the simplest of reasons: The excess syrup prevents the caramel from graining, which causes a visible gritty, unattractive appearance in the caramel. You can also get a graining effect in your caramel even with proper proportions if some of the sugar crystals don't dissolve in the cooking process. For this reason, you need to wash down the inside of a pot at boiling so that any undissolved sugar crystals on the sides of the pot mix with the rest of the batch. Covering the pot for a minute or two has the same effect because the steam generated within the pot dissolves any remaining crystals.

Answer 8

Put the water into a heavy-based, deep saucepan, preferably stainless steel as this will allow you to see the colour changes in the caramel. Sprinkle in the sugar and, over a low heat, slowly dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally. It is important to dissolve the sugar completely, as once the syrup starts to boil any sugar crystals can turn the caramel grainy. Use a wet pastry brush to brush any crystals from the sides of the pan.
Increase the heat and bring the syrup to a simmer.
Continue to simmer briskly and after around 15 minutes the syrup will start to colour.
Swirl the pan occasionally to ensure an even colour, but don't stir. Once it is a deep amber (4-5 minutes more), take off the heat and immediately place the base of the pan in a cold-water bath to stop the caramel cooking (it will hiss). It is now ready to use.
To set the caramel, pour it on to an oiled baking sheet to harden, then break into pieces or crush into crystals. Use these to top ice cream or other desserts. To make elegant caramel 'springs', lightly oil a thin metal cylinder (a knife steel is ideal) and use a fork to wrap a fine strand of caramel around the metal like a coil. Let it harden, then carefully remove. Use to top cakes or ice cream.

Answer 9

When you first combine the sugar be careful keep the sides of the pan clear, and if there are gritty sugar spots wipe them off with a wet paper towel or a wet brush. This will cause a chain reaction of crystallizing your mixture. All candy recipes specify not to stir. Making caramel is very scientific!

Answer 10

It may have been the pot. You may have needed also to make sure everything on the bottom gets stirred better.