Why are my homemade caramels greasy?
If the toffee or caramel is not handled properly during the cooking process, the butter sometimes separates from the sugar and forms an oily layer on top of the candy. This often happens during the cooking stage, but sometimes it separates as it is being poured out onto a baking sheet to cool.
A caramel can split if there's fat in the caramel (e.g. from butter or cream). Often, a split caramel can be saved by gently reheating the caramel and stirring continuously. Adding some extra water can also help here to mix everything again before boiling off that extra water one more time.
Your caramel sauce should be smooth, creamy and loaded with caramel flavor. It's perfect for drizzling over ice cream, fruit, or chocolate desserts.
Increasing reducing sugars will add to the flavor and color of caramel – but too much can cause excessive stickiness. Check the pH of premix, water and other ingredients, including scrap, to identify excessive inversion as the problem. Caramel premix should have a neutral pH (6.8-7.0).
To thicken a caramel sauce, use one tablespoon of cornstarch or tapioca starch (sometimes known as tapioca flour) and one tablespoon of water per cup of caramel. Then simmer the caramel, stirring it constantly with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick.
If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough. Again place the caramel back into a sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat to 244°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test with a cold water test. Details on how to use this method can be found here.
Skipping the candy thermometer
It's an easy way to prevent soft caramel that won't set, which happens if the caramel doesn't reach a high enough temperature.
As the sugar heats, it will melt and start to "caramelize" (hence the name "caramel"), changing color and creating caramel flavors. Once the sugar has all dissolved and turned brown, we add butter. The heat of the caramel will melt the butter and create even more wonderful flavors.
Adding a couple tablespoons of water to grainy caramel sauce is the easiest way to make it smooth! Start by adding up to 1/4 cup in a sauce pan along with the sauce and bring to medium-low heat. Stir constantly using a silicone or rubber spoon until the crystals have dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Editor's Tip: After incorporating the sugar into the water, it's important not to stir or the sugars can crystallize and cause the caramel to seize up. Instead, swirl the pan from time to time to ensure the sugar melts evenly.
What happens if you stir caramel?
Should you stir caramel as it cooks? Stirring caramel as it cooks isn't necessary—and it can even be detrimental, as it can cause the sugar solution to splash onto the sides of the pan, where the water will evaporate quickly and the sugar can form back into crystals.
The caramelization process begins around 320°F, when crystalline sugar melts into clear molten sugar. At 340-350°F, the color changes to light straw or pale caramel brown.
To thin caramel, just add some cream or water over heat. Melt caramel loaves in the oven. You can also add corn syrup or lemon juice to caramel sauces to prevent them from crystallizing. It's also a good idea to know how to make caramel in the first place!
How to Wrap Caramels || DIY Packaging - YouTube
How long does it take caramel to set? Give your caramel at least two hours to set, or overnight if possible. You can also pop caramel into the fridge to help it set up faster. The caramel will sweat a little when brought out of the fridge, but will still taste fine.
If the caramel is too thin, simmer the caramel on medium heat for 5-10 minutes to thicken it (the caramel will not continue to darken). Keep in mind that the caramel will thicken significantly once cool.
Try cooking for about 10 minutes for a thick sauce. As the liquid in the caramel sauce evaporates, you'll be left with a thicker sauce. Keep a close watch on your sauce as it thickens. Stir the caramel constantly.
Can you substitute milk for heavy cream in caramel? Yes, you can as milk is a great heavy cream alternative in caramel sauce. Simply add milk to the caramel and whisk to combine, then add the butter at the end to create the creamy texture that heavy cream usually adds to caramel sauce.
There are two basicmethods of making caramel – dry and wet – each have pros and cons. Dry caramel is simply sugar, melted and cooked to a deep gold colour. It's quick to make, but easy to burn. A "wet" caramel uses water and sugar; it cooks more slowly, but is prone to crystallising.
Plus, popping it in the fridge will keep your caramel sauce fresher for longer. The caramel sauce will harden slightly because of the introduction of a colder temperature, but storing it in a proper container in the fridge will keep it fresh and ready to use for 2 to 3 weeks.
Can caramel be remelted?
If too much, it will just take longer to cook and be darker. Too little and it won't dissolve. I place in a low oven overnight. The next day, all is melted back into solution and I put on burner and recook.
Pour any leftover caramel into a glass jar. Let it cool down to room temperature, then store it in the fridge for up to 3 months. Add the liquid before the caramel cools. The caramel will harden a little in the fridge.
What To Do When Your Caramel Crystallizes - YouTube
Caramel – Use a 1:1 ratio of coconut or palm oil for the butter in caramel sauces, butterscotch sauces, and caramel-like recipes.
Caramel is a candy created when sugar is heated to 340 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius). As sugar is heated slowly to this temperature, the molecules break down and form new compounds that have a deep, rich flavor and dark golden brown color.
Caramelizing sugar is a term most often applied to melting sugar until it becomes a caramel color liquid. Caramelized sugar is simply a mixture of sugar and water cooked until it becomes syrupy and darkens, and reaching a temperature from 340 to 350 degrees F.
Grainy caramel (or crystalized caramel) occurs when the sugar crystals in the caramel seize up or cling together. You can prevent this from happening by adding baking soda which will cause the sugar molecules to break up, or by adding a different type of sugar along with the table sugar (sucrose).
Overheating the mixture
Follow the recipe carefully, and never melt your caramel on your stove's highest setting—it will cause the caramel to scorch and taste burnt. Once it gets a burnt or bitter flavor, it can't be saved. Luckily, sugar is inexpensive, so you can always start over!
To thin caramel, just add some cream or water over heat. Melt caramel loaves in the oven. You can also add corn syrup or lemon juice to caramel sauces to prevent them from crystallizing. It's also a good idea to know how to make caramel in the first place!
How long does it take caramel to set? Give your caramel at least two hours to set, or overnight if possible. You can also pop caramel into the fridge to help it set up faster. The caramel will sweat a little when brought out of the fridge, but will still taste fine.
How do you harden melted caramel?
Pour any leftover caramel into a glass jar. Let it cool down to room temperature, then store it in the fridge for up to 3 months. Add the liquid before the caramel cools. The caramel will harden a little in the fridge.
