How to make caramel: ingredients, tips and tricks

What sugar to use?

White, brown, wholemeal: when it comes to caramel, the possibilities are numerous. You can use all these types of sugar, have fun varying by choosing even the most refined flavors (the more the sugar is naturally colored, the more fragrant it will be).
You can also choose to use fructose, mixed with water. In this case, caramelization will be faster and the final result quite clear, in shades of orange-golden.

The basic technique

See also

American breakfast: ingredients and recipes

1) Put the sugar in a medium-sized pot (the amount of sugar depends on how much caramel you want to make) and cook over medium heat.
2) Swirl the pot slightly to distribute the sugar evenly.
3) Let the sugar melt, then swirl the pot again to distribute it evenly.
Be careful, in order not to spoil the caramel, never mix! The melted sugar will soon boil and then turn color.
4) When the caramel is liquid, put the base of the pan in a bowl of cold water to stop caramelization. You can also add a knob of butter (sweet or salty) or a few drops of lemon juice.

Note: if the caramel hardens too quickly, add a little water (be careful not to burn yourself) and mix well. If lumps form, simply put the caramel back on the heat to melt them.
Also remember that the more the caramel cooks, the darker it will be and the more bitter it will become. Then, adjust the cooking time according to its use: lighter if it will be used to cover sweets and desserts, amber to decorate puddings.

Tricks

- Use a clean pot.
- If you are afraid of burning the sugar, add a little water at the beginning of cooking. To prevent your caramel from hardening and forming lumps, add a few drops of lemon before cooking.
- During cooking, avoid sudden changes in temperature.

How (and with what) to flavor caramel

Spices
Vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves: simply mix the spices with the sugar before cooking begins. For the vanilla, incorporate only the seeds present inside the stems. (Check out all the spices you can use here)

Fruit
Orange, grapefruit, exotic fruit: make a light caramel, then, after cooking, add some juice and / or fruit pulp and cook together until the mixture is thick (which will become thicker as it cools).

Flowers
Rose, jasmine, gentian, bergamot ... once cold, add an extract of the chosen flower to the light caramel.

Herbs
Thyme, rosemary… Before cooking, add a handful of herbs to the sugar; or, while cooking, pour an infusion of herbs that you have prepared and left to cool.

Milk
Butter, liquid cream, milk ... Melt the butter over low heat and then add the sugar, stirring, to obtain a homogeneous caramel. Milk or cream, on the other hand, are added to the sugar before cooking begins.

All the rest
Balsamic vinegar, coffee, chocolate, hazelnuts ... to add to the sugar before or during cooking.

See also:
Use the pressure cooker
How to make homemade gnocchi
How to make the icing
How to make shortcrust pastry
Dark chocolate and coffee cake
The different cooking methods
Freezing: tips and tricks
How to choose and cook potatoes