Caramel

[gbhunter]

I was attempting to make caramel today. So I dissolved the sugar and caramelized it. Now what I ended up with is rock hard caramel .
How does one make soft and chewey caramel? I know that butter has to be added but how much?
Also can caramel actually be made on low heat. I see all these recipes that state you mix sugar and milk and then cook on low heat until caramelized.

[Mezzaluna]

Gbhunter, here's is the list of search results I got when I typed "caramel" into the board's search engine. Try looking there.

Good luck!

[gbhunter]

Well I got one question answered but I stilldont know if its possible to mix sugar and milk and then cook it on low for like 1 hour, and still get caramel?

[Mezzaluna]

Now I think you're getting closer to dulce de leche, the Latin caramel. Here's a version that uses a can of sweetened condensed milk in an interesting way: you simmer the unopened can in water to get the product. Personally, I'm afraid to heat a pressurized can!

This one is from Food TV. It cooks the mixture for 1 hour over low heat.Looks more like what I'd try, but good luck with whichever version you try.

[mudbug]

Originally Posted by gbhunter

I was attempting to make caramel today. So I dissolved the sugar and caramelized it. Now what I ended up with is rock hard caramel.

This is because did not add anything to prevent crystallization.

Originally Posted by gbhunter

How does one make soft and chewey caramel? I know that butter has to be added but how much?

By adding enough interfering substances such as corn syrup or acids to prevent crystallization.

Originally Posted by gbhunter

Also can caramel actually be made on low heat. I see all these recipes that state you mix sugar and milk and then cook on low heat until caramelized.

Yes, because the milk (evaporated milk and not regular milk I assume) is preventing crystallization and cooking on low heat evaporates excesses liquid over time which results in a product which is thicker.

Always use a heavy sauce pan and always follow a recipe.

Caramel:
1C Sugar
1C Corn Syrup
1/4 C Butter
1C Cream (or evaporated milk)
heat to 248F or 120C

Feel free to lighly butter the sides of the pan you're using to prevent crystals from forming on the side of the pan. Heat ingredients over low heat and stir constantly until all the sugar is dissolved.

It takes time and patience to make caramels and candy. You can't rush the process.

[chrose]

If i remember correctly, I believe I took about 3 cups of sugar or so, a couple of drops of lemon juice (to invert the sugar and avoid crystallizing) and enough water, about 1/2 cup or so and boiled it until it started to caramalize. Then I turned down the heat and added about a cup or so of heavy cream. Stand away because it will boil up! Return the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes to help thicken. You will then have pourable caramel. When it's cool it will be soft and somewhat chewy.

[amcardon]

I am the owner of CardonCaramels.com and, though I can't give you the recipe because it's a secret family recipe, will tell you that a single batch of our caramels takes over 2 hours to cook. I'm talking from the time you add the first ingredient to the pot to the time you set the pan down to set. It is not a quick process by any means to create true creamy caramel. By the way, we use no butter in our recipe which I realize is rare. There are a million good caramel recipes available, but I believe that to make the best caramels out there you cannot go by a "quick and easy" recipe and expect great results. Bottom line: take it slow.