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Eric Jorgensen
 
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Default Making Caramel...question about using butter or not

On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 13:18:47 +0200
Davida Chazan - The Chocolate Lady > wrote:


> I've seen chefs on TV do the hard one without adding any water to the
> sugar at all. Perhaps that was the mistake here - adding water to the
> sugar for melting stage, which will only give you a sugar syrup and
> not a caramel. Adding butter or water after its liquid and brown will
> change the consistency for the type of use you want.



There's also flash carmelization.

For some reason my mother decided years ago she needed to master the
art of flash carmelization. And then after she had, didn't bother with
it again. But i was present for many of her attempts.

Basically, it depended on having a large cast iron skillet hotter than
the sun, and having very quick hands.

She'd wait until the pan was just hot enough, throw the dry sugar into
it while swirling the pan. the sugar would make it about half way around
the pan before turning liquid, and before it had gone full circle she
was scooping it out into a cooler pan. The sugar was in the pan maybe
half a second. It was a sight to see.

Of course, she also made several pans full of black carbon ash before
she got the hang of it.

- Eric