Why is my caramel going so wrong? 4 attempts (for a flan) and all of them disastrous...

[Theheartisalonelyhunter]

So, the recipe demands for 120g caster sugar to caramel. Dry, not added liquid. C. 8 mins.

First attempt: too high - burnt - my fault
Second attempt: much lower flame but still was too dark - whose fault?
Third attempt - it hardened in lumps on the sides of the pan and was thick, so I couldn't use it
Fourth attempt: Slow, lots of loving, seemed to work. Put it into bottom of tin whilst made flan. And it just started cracking like crazy. Lots of cracks. LOTS.

What's going on?

I made this before and I wonder if the mistake I made last time - adding a teaspoon of tangerine juice that wasn't meant for then, but for later to pour over the flan - actually helped it work?

I've given up today but I feel frustrated.

Any thoughts welcome, please!

That sounds to me like toffee.

Caramel usually has butter or cream mixed in.

Sorry but I read this as, 'Why is my camel going so wrong?' - I'll get my coat.

Buy a tin of carnation caramel. I use it in banoffee any time I make it. Works great.

What pan are you using? I find a stainless steel with a thick base essential so you get even heat and can control the temperature better.

The tangerine juice probably did help to stop the crystallisation.

When I make caramel (the crispy kind for gluing profiteroles together!) I use water, sugar, a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and a squirt of golden syrup.

Adding water takes longer but it means you can control the heat better and the vinegar/acid helps stop the crystals forming.

I also never stir, just gently shake the pan, as introducing anything into the sugar can cause it to cling on in crystals.

I presume this method would work for crème caramels too.

gas or electric?

I find my gas stove is too high for caramel or toffee.

I use an electric hotplate for that.

Pure sugar will make a hard, dark caramel with a crunchy/plasticky texture. If you want it softer you need to add butter or cream once the sugar has melted, as pickle said (be careful if adding cream as the heat will make it bubble up like crazy in the pan). You can also add a bit of water, in which case it'll still be hard but a bit less brittle and prone to cracking - that's probably the effect the tangerine juice had last time.

Same as you've said OP I have never managed it with just sugar - I've always had to add in something else.

Do you have a sugar thermometer? It's invaluable to me, takes a lot of the guesswork out of sugar (no need to figure out exactly what the author meant "deep amber").

Completely irrelevant but I'm so jealous of your life that you can spend Tuesday making 4 batches of caramel (unless you're an actual pastry chef at which point I take it back you're having a terrible day)

Yes I did too!!!

I'm off work for a few days and I have a dinner party looming...😊

😂That would be an interesting day

Ok, fellow caramel makers - thank you

Gas hob - don't have anything else
Stainless steel pan with good base
The recipe says dry heat
It's not toffee for a flan - it's the liquid that coats it

I think it was the mistake last time that served it well. The juice. I'm going to try one more time in am. If it fails, fuck it. I'll buy something.

Although, I will put this out there - I'm 52 years old and I wish I had done something in the kitchen. To do with food. I just love it, even when I make mistakes. I'm a writer usually, and there's something so nice about being active and immersed. I know it's time for a sea change so maybe this will be the direction I take...

Anyway, I digress. Thank you all!

I'm having this problem with caramel syrup for coffee - have made it successfully, but last couple of times, it's gone horribly wrong - sugar has crystallised even though I didn't stir. Will try some lemon juice next time.

You have to keep stirring - literally non stop and don't let it over boil

Having worked making cakes and croquembouches as a job, I can assure you that your trouble today was par for the course! It was fun and did enjoy parts of it, but the stress when something went wrong was unreal - molten caramel with a looming deadline is not a good combo!

I like to imagine camels as beasts that 'go wrong' a lot, but refusing to carry stuff and spitting at those who wish to ride them.

If it is for crème caramel just put a spoonful of lemon juice in it, don't stir it at all (and don't put any cream or butter in it, that's what you do for caramel beurre salé). Making it directly in the dish the egg mixture will cook in makes it much easier. You want a glassy looking deep brown layer on the bottom of the dish before you pour the liquid custard mixture in.

This. Learned from bitter experience.

I had a happy accident once when making banoffee pie. It seemed fine I poured it in to the baking tin but when I got it out of the fridge later on it had set like fudge. It was still delicious though 😋

No, you actually mustn't stir at all