Both this post and video were requested by my fans after I posted the crème caramel recipe for Valentine’s Day. Some fans found it’s quite tricky to make the caramel. But for making the custard, it’s quite straightforward and they could successfully made silky smooth custard. If only the caramel was not crystallized or burnt, they would’ve enjoyed a perfect dessert. I was asked if there are any tips and tricks when making caramel. Hope this short post on tips and video might be a help for you who are after some tips and making caramel video.
How To Make Caramel (Printable recipe)
By
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
By
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
- 100 gm caster sugar
- 50 ml water
- Prepare a clean, heavy based pot or saucepan. (Heavy bottomed pan performs the best as it provides even heat along the way of cooking.)
- Pour the water and sugar. Swirl the pan to combine the sugar and water. If any sugar granules pile up in the middle, use a clean spoon to stir them lightly, and get all the sugar completely and evenly moistened.
- Turn on the stove and cook the sugar and water mixture over medium-low heat. Once it boils, without any stirring, continue to cook about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Quickly pour the boiling caramel into ramekins, and follow the remaining procedures of the recipe.
Tips:
- The pot or saucepan used to cook caramel should be very clean. I used stainless steel pot. Some fans asked me if they can use non-stick pots. The answer is NO. A stainless steel pot is far better and safer than a non-stick one. The temperature of cooking sugar is very high, as a result the non-stick coatings might be damaged by the high heat, then disintegrated in the caramel.
- For cleaning the pot, you can soak it in warm water. Any bits of sugar stuck at the bottom will be dissolved and could be cleaned away easily. No worries.
- Make sure no sugar clings to the side of the pot, as the sugar tends to become crystals. In the video, you’ll see the sugar is put in the middle of the water without letting any sugar touched the side of the pot. But don’t worry if you find any on the side. You can wash away the sugar crystals with a brush damped with some water.
- Don’t let the cooking left unattended, especially for the final few minutes. The caramel will quickly burnt and become bitter in an instance. If you like caramel with a touch of bitterness, it’s fine.
- If the size of your pot is much bigger than the heat source, keep on eye on the edge. Frequently swirl the pan to help the caramel evenly heated, as well as prevent from having a few burnt spot to ruin the whole pot of caramel.
- You can easily pour the boiling caramel into ramekins. Move quickly. Otherwise, the caramel will turn darker, hardened or even burnt as the cooking continues.
Nice and clean tutorial! Looks like the induction hob has also helped enough : ).
ReplyDeleteOOO I love your 'How to' posts and videos :) so easy to understand and follow! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove this. And your creme caramel looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteyour video is very clear, now I know how to make caramel. and I didn't know cannot use non-stick pot hehe
ReplyDeleteThat is a great how-to! I learn something new today. Thanks
ReplyDeleteNice ramekins! can I know where I can get them?
ReplyDelete@dessy:
ReplyDeleteAvailable at any kitchenware shops. :)
Thanks for the tip! One question, can I use glassware to make caramel?
ReplyDelete@Lin:
ReplyDeleteAs long as your glassware could put up with high heat.
Do you think I can make green tea creme caramel by adding the green tea powder when i warm the cream and milk?
ReplyDeleteGuess that you can try this idea. Like it.
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