Help with making salted caramel

[Ancalagon]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to make salted butter caramel for my brother when he comes to visit, mostly according to this recipe.

Trouble is, I'm stuck on the first step. I can make the salted caramel praline, but it doesnt taste nice, doesnt taste like caramel. It tastes bitter. Not extremely bitter, but more bitter than sweet.

I didnt smell or see any burning, and nothing was extremely dark. So I'm confused.

I've tried it twice now - the first time I let it get to quite a dark colour like he recommends, before taking it off. I thought maybe it had burned without me knowing, so I tried again, and took it off earlier. Same result. The sugar melts evenly, and it forms a nice clear liquid before turning darker. I dont see any crystals. So everything dissolves before it darkens.

The sea salt I'm using is from a grinder, and seems to contain iodine. Could that be a problem?

Would appreciate any help!

 

[guest2013-1]

Try adding less salt

 

[AvatarS]

It's most likely the salt. Iodine is known to give it a bitter taste. Get some Maldon flaked sea salt (or similar) and use that instead.

And I see he suggests stirring the sugar, but I would avoid that. It might be attributing to the bitterness. You can just leave it to do its thing and it'll be fine. If you must stir, do so very slowly and try not to do it too many times.

 

[Ancalagon]

I went out and bought Maldon flaked sea salt. I also used less salt.

Even so, for some reason, this is probably the most difficult thing I have ever made. On the 4th attempt, I took it off the heat early, added less salt, and it turned out okay enough for me to try again, this time using it to make the actual ice cream. That worked okay, magically, but then I was worried that I didnt have enough caramel sauce to flavour all of the whipped cream. I folded the caramel in, and the ice cream was still fairly light in colour, so I thought, why not make another batch, see if I can fold in that too.

I tried 3 times before I gave up. 2 successes, 6 failures.

 

[Azbubu]

Why are you following that recipe? Everyone knows that Nigella is the Queen of salted caramel.

 

[DJ...]

It's likely that you have hot spots in the pot/pan you're using which is causing scorching in some areas. Salt is in fact a bitter inhibitor so shouldn't contribute much to the bitter flavor at all, but iodized salt can be an issue. If you're using iodised salt then just add it right at the end, once it begins to cool and harden. Always salt after cooking come to think of it, not while it is cooking, unless you're adding my next trick. A better bet instead of salt is soy sauce - it adds far more complexity and is delicious. Just be cautious with the quantity here.

I make caramel by evenly lining a large pan with sugar, adding in just a little water to dissolve it all very slightly and then putting it over medium-high heat - the water helps with more even heat distribution. You can in fact add more water and just cook it longer, which is a more fool-proof method. I then don't touch it at all until it begins to caramelise, at which point I stir only by shaking the pan around if necessary. If your sugar crystalises before caramelising, contrary to popular belief it is recoverable. Just leave it on the stove-top and with the back of a spoon, crack the large crystal into small pieces and it will begin to caramelise on the bottom, so you'll need to stir this quite a bit. It won't harm the end product though.

I read the recipe and they call for it to smoke. I disagree. That adds considerable bitter compounds to the end product and is why your caramel is bitter. The author is a moron. Rather drop the heat to low once all of the sugar has begun to caramelise and move it slowly to the point you want it at. Dark brown is great for this recipe but if you had a candy thermometer it would be better. Add the salt to the caramel after you've spread it on the pan and you're good to go.

If you have a spice grinder, a good trick is to break up your caramel in there so that it resembles sugar. Then substitute sugar for this caramel version you made. In fact you can make an awesome caramel ice cream by simply making a custard with this caramel sugar, although in the recipe they're adding butter and salt which will give it more of a toffee flavor which is also a nice touch.

Caramel is one of the easiest things to make once you've practiced it enough. Just don't go with the dry method as you're asking for trouble. There is no harm in adding a little water to the mix and it helps considerably...

 

[Ancalagon]

Thanks for the help guys.

I've tasted the resulting ice cream - doesnt taste great. I mean, its edible, just not great.

What I might do is use some of the suggestions to make a salted caramel/toffee sauce on Thursday before my brother comes over.