Juliet is frustrated in her quest to make soft, chewy caramels - can anyone help?
About making caramel candy--you know, the nice soft chewy kind with cream and butter in it? Well, I've now tried twice to make it: the first time it came out too hard, but with a perfectly pleasant toffee-like result. Yesterday, I tried to make it again, and though it seemed to be going fine, suddenly burnt to an acrid blackness (despite the fact that my candy thermometer had barely reached 250 at that point). Completely inedible, whole batch went straight into the trash, leaving a very frustrated cook.
Should I get a new thermometer (it's OXO and not that old)? I would really like to make these, as I love them and think they'd also make a great gift coated in chocolate and wrapped up. Do you know of a good recipe for caramels? Any tips from other readers?
Juliet, we feel your pain; caramels are technically very straightforward but in practice we find them finicky and moody.
Since your other batch also heated too hot and became toffee-like, we suspect that your thermometer does have some issues. Also, is it a thermometer designed specifically for frying and candy-making? If you're trying to use a standard meat thermometer you'll have problems.
Also make sure that you are using a heavy pot with a thick lining. If it is hotter in spots then that could explain why the caramel burned before reaching a dangerous temperature on the thermometer.
We do have a good recipe for caramels - this recipe we used last Christmas turns out very soft and chewy caramels:
• Recipe - Ginger Cinnamon Caramels - Just leave out the ginger and cinnamon if you don't want those flavors.
We did talk about the differences between hard and chewy caramels here:
• Cook's Talk: Short and Long Caramels
Also see our tips for wrapping caramels and other small candies:
• Wrapping Homemade Candy
• Old-Fashioned Candy Goodie Bags
• Good Product: Natural Value Unbleached Wax Paper Bags
Any more tips for Juliet?
(Photo by Faith Hopler)
I agree--it seems like a thermometer issue, since temp is the crucial issue when trying to get just the right texture. I recommend you find a good probe thermometer for something like this! They're spendy compared to the glass candy thermometers, but if you use thermometers a lot in general, it's a worthwhile investment. Pyrex makes a decent one for about $25
view OneWallKitchen's profile
Test your thermometer by boiling water. If it's not reading 212 F when the water is boiling, take note of what the difference is and then use that difference to calculate what temp it is actually at. That'll probably help with your problems.
Pricier thermometers have a way to adjust the dial and you can either test them in ice water (Stirred well and about 50/50 ice and water to ensure an even 32 degrees) or in boiling water. Cheap ones don't have the adjustment, but as long as you remember about it, you'll be fine.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
Also remember that on most thermometers, the bottom inch or two needs to be immersed in order to get an accurate reading. I'm never making batches that big, so I spend alot of time with the pot tilted so that the candy pools in one side and I can get enough of the thermometer in there to get an accurate reading.
I generally combine the scientific (thermometer) technique with the grandmother (drop a bit in a cold glass of water) technique. If you don't have an older Joy of Cooking hanging around, there are good pages on the web (like so:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html
) that will explain the grandmother technique.
Good luck! Good sticky caramels are so worth it.
view leenwebb's profile
I make my caramels with sugar, corn syrup (or rice syrup), butter and evaporated milk (not condensed and not cream).
I think she's boiling it too high.
I only go to 232 degrees ... soft ball stage. Most of the time I don't even use a thermometer, just test with a glass of water.
Here's my recipe:
http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/item/grandmas_caramels
view cybele's profile
Definitely check your thermometer. Also, my favorite recipe is by Martha Stewart. They take forever, but are really worth it.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/golden-caramels?autonomy_kw=caramels&rsc=header_23
I have made them for the past few Christmases and everyone loves them.
view serac's profile
You probably get it by now that you need to check your thermometer. But don't forget that you need to heat the ingredients *slowly*. Candy making is not for the impatient.
view J. Cipa's profile
what's the easiest way to cut caramels? i've only used a guitar cutter at work. a knife seems messy.
view saltyc's profile
May I suggest that you cook your caramels in a double boiler, keep it at around 230-250F and stir frequently. It takes awhile (4 cups of the caramel takes me about 40mins to get it to soft ball stage) but it's worth it. Hope this helps.
view loneykitchen's profile