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Caramelisation

Also searched as: caramel, browning sugar, caramelise

In short: When pure sugar gets very hot, it breaks down into hundreds of new compounds: brown colour, caramel aroma and in the end bitterness.

Picture it

Like a sunset in the pan: from colourless through gold and amber to dark brown. Shortly after, night falls, and it turns bitter.

Level 3 · Sugar in the pan≈ 0.1 mm

Simplified model

Temperature thresholds

4
Temperature thresholds90 °C
90 °CDrag to try230 °C
  1. 160 °Csugar melts and turns golden
  2. 170 °Camber: caramel aroma
  3. 180 °Cdark: strong, less sweet
  4. 200 °Cburnt and bitter

Below 160 °C none of this happens yet. From 160 °C: sugar melts and turns golden.

Guide values for table sugar

What happens

Unlike the , caramelisation needs no protein, only and high heat. Table sugar starts to caramelise at roughly 160 °C. The darker it gets, the less sweet and the more bitter.

Why it matters

Gives , caramel sauce, candied almonds and roasted their depth. It almost always runs alongside the Maillard reaction.

Where you meet it
Crème brûléeSugarOnionÄlplermagronen (Alpine macaroni)Roast vegetablesDulce de leche from milk and sugar

Rules of thumb

  1. Use a pan with a light-coloured base so you can see the colour.
  2. Do not stir; swirl instead, otherwise the sugar crystallises.
  3. Amber is usually ideal. A splash of cold water or cream stops the browning.

Levers

2
Temperaturehotter → darker
Timelonger → more bitter

In practice

2

Desserts and sweets

Caramel sauce: melt sugar to amber, then stir in warm cream and butter.

Vegetables

With onions and carrots, caramelisation and Maillard run together.

Related entries
Caramelising sugarCaramel turns grainy
Sources · 1
  • Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Kuchen, Gebäck, Zucker