Posted January 26, 2011 at 10:45 PM
Have you ever wondered how caramel is made? Or how you can turn simple table sugar into a gooey treat? Well, the process is actually quite simple, but there is much more going on than meets the eye.
Caramel begins with the heating of table sugar (sucrose) until the sugar turns from a white color to a golden brown color. This process is called caramelization. Sucrose has a double ring structure composed of one five-membered ring bonded to a six-membered ring. When the molecule is heated, water is released in a process called dehydration and the molecule breaks into two new sugars: glucose and fructose. As the mixture continues to heat, these new molecules react with each other and form hundreds of new ring structure compounds called aromatics, which results in a range of flavors.
There are two different types of caramelization of sugar: wet and dry. Wet involves sugar being dissolved in water and heated. As the water evaporates as the mixture is heated, the solution becomes supersaturated with sugar, which will cause the sugar to want to re-crystallize. It is very important that at this point that the mixture not be stirred or contaminated since doing so would result in the mixture quickly solidifying. On the other hand, in the dry process the sugar is heated by itself until it liquefies, which is possible because sugar is partially made up of water. This method is much more difficult since the sugar has to be heated slowly in order to melt the sugar rather than burn it, and often times special equipment is needed to create caramel this way. The most common method is the wet method.
There are many different stages that the caramelizing sugar solution goes through as it is being heated. These different stages are typically characterized by the solution’s reaction when dropped into cold water. The progression from one stage to another occurs when the temperature has exceeded the general temperature range for the current stage, upon which time the solution takes on the characteristics of the new stage. These stages progress only in one direction, meaning that progression from one stage to another is irreversible.
Following the caramelization of the sugar mixture, cream and/or butter is often added to give the caramel its creamy texture. The fat found in both cream and butter causes the molecules of sugar to be suspended in a gel-like matrix that is semi-solid. The greater the amount of fat in the mixture the softer the caramel. For harder caramel, less fat is added in order to have the mixture maintain its shape relatively easy.
The process used to get to the end product is a very simple one despite all the chemical reactions that are occurring throughout the entire process, the end result is always worth the effort. Now it is time for our mouth's to have a party with a piece of this gooey confection!
Recipe of the Day
Caramel Chews
Ingredients
2 cups water
4 cups sugar
¾ cup half and half
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chopped into 1" cubes
Directions
Dissolve the water, sugar and corn syrup over medium high heat until fully dissolved. Stop stirring and let the solution boil over medium heat. Check on the solution every 5 minutes. You will see the bubbles slow down and get larger. When the bubbles begin to reach ½” to ¾” start monitoring the solution frequently. When the solution begins to turn amber, get your cream and butter and watch it constantly.
When the solution has turned a shade of caramel that you like (darker is deeper and will start to take on a little bitterness), step back and add the cream at arms length, stirring constantly and scraping the sides of the pan. Add the butter and stir until incorporated.
Pour the hot mixture onto a silicone mat or parchment paper to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, fold and knead the caramel a few times, then break into bite size pieces. Allow to cool completely before wrapping individually.
The original recipe can be found here.
_______________________________________________________________
My Food Adventures:
Does the same process occur for caramelized onions? Meaning, is there sucrose in onions and that's what is undergoing the process when they are sauteed or pan-fried?
J.D.
Yes in fact the same process applies to onions and any other types of foods that are caramelized. Onions specifically contain a mixture of sucrose, glucose and fructose. As the onions are caramelized the sucrose breaks down just like it does in caramel.
Nice. Your image looks dead to me, though--is it still live>?
Love that you include the recipes. Let's talk about how to expand your audience.
Wouldn't the reaction in the production of this caramel be considered Maillard browning, not caramelization, since the reaction is taking place between the sugar and the protein in the condensed milk?
wat would be the independent and dependent variable for this