Everything about Caramel totally explained
Caramel (/ˈkærəmɛl/ and /ˈkɑrməl/ and /ˈkɑrəmɛl/) refers to a range of
confections that are
beige to dark brown in
color, derived from the
caramelization of one or several types of
sugars, often occurring in the traditional cooking method of a sweet. Caramel can provide the flavor in
puddings and
desserts, a filling in candies, or a topping for custards and ice creams.
Caramel is made by heating sugar slowly to around . As the sugar melts and approaches this temperature, the molecules break down and re-form into compounds with a characteristic caramel color and flavor. A variety of
candies,
confections, and desserts are made with caramel and its products:
caramel apples,
barley sugar, caramel with
nuts (such as
praline,
nougat, or
brittle), and caramel with
custard (such as
crème caramel or
crème brûlée).
Caramel coloring in contrast is a dark unsweetened liquid, the highly concentrated product of near total caramelization that's bottled for commercial and industrial use.
Beverages such as
cola use caramel coloring, and it's also used as a
food colorant. On labels in the
EU, it's called
E150.
Chemistry
Caramelization is the removal of water from a sugar, proceeding to isomerization and polymerization of the sugars into various high weight compounds. Compounds such as difructose-anhydride may be created from the monosaccharides after water loss. Fragmentation reactions result in low molecular weight compounds which may be volatile and contribute to flavor. Polymerization reactions lead to larger molecular weight compounds which contribute to dark caramel color
(External Link
).
Caramel candy
Caramel also refers to a soft, dense, chewy, caramel-flavored candy made by boiling milk, sugar, butter, vanilla essence, water, and
glucose or corn syrup. Caramel candy isn't heated above the
firm ball stage, for example no more than . This isn't high enough to cause more than negligible caramelization. This type of candy is often called milk caramel.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Caramel'.
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