Caramel sugars when cooked: why and what to do?

For novice confectioners, making caramel can be a significant challenge because of its crystalline structure. However, the process of "sugaring" can be stopped if you follow the uncomplicated recommendations for cooking and cooling.

Why does caramel sugarize when boiling or cooling?

To get a homogeneous, dense mass, you need to break up the sugar crystals. And also make sure that no lumps form again. Here are the most common causes of caramel crystallization:

1. Sugar cooling due to the addition of cold ingredients. This is because the sugar and water boil at different temperatures. In doing so, the sugar cools unevenly.
2. The sugar is not cooked. If it is difficult to determine the readiness of caramel by eye, measure the temperature with a thermometer. It should be at least 170 degrees.
3. Poor quality sugar. Impurities and improper composition not only impairs the taste of caramel, but also negatively affects its texture.
4. Unsuitable utensils. The utensil must be absolutely clean, as different excess particles form sugar crystals. We advise using a saucepan with a thick bottom.

What to do if the caramel sugared?

To make a successful caramel, start with choosing the right ingredients. It is better to use very fine sugar or glucose syrup to make a homogeneous mass. If you decide to use syrup, it is not necessary to stir it, so as not to disturb the structure. Just leave it on the stove at the right temperature and occasionally remove sugar particles from the walls.

Experts do not recommend choosing the cheapest sugar. If you can't make caramel the first time, use different methods, for example, try adding water, cream or butter. It is also advised to add a drop of vinegar when cooking, for an even consistency of caramel.

However, how do you fix it if the caramel is already sugary? The surest way is to boil it again. Alternatively, try to beat the caramel with a blender.

Learning how to make caramel is not difficult, the main thing is to gain experience, use quality ingredients and suitable, scratch-resistant utensils. Since it is cooked at high temperatures, be sure to observe caution and safety rules. Moreover, you can cook it in different ways (there are dry and wet methods) and determine by experience the right one for you. Only in practice will you be able to find such a combination of temperature, utensils and sugar, at which the caramel will turn out perfect.