Monday, October 3, 2011

What is a Caramel and caramelized sugar ?

 What is a Caramel and  caramelized sugar ?
Caramelizing is the process of heating the sugar to a syrupy consistency till it turns golden brown in color. The flavor of many foods, including vegetables, meats, and seafood, is often enhanced by a gentle browning that caramelizes natural sugars and other compounds in the food.
The caramelization of sugars in foods results in rich desirable flavors. They are used  in ice cream, beverages, desserts, chocolates, soups, sauces, breads and cakes. Usually, sugar is caramelized at 320 to 350F. Caramel is  burnt sugar; used to color and flavor food.
Why does  sugars caramelize ?
Sugars caramelize because; they undergo oxidation reaction when they are heated. This oxidation reaction turns them into a brown colored substance. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Caramel is very, very hot. And very sticky. Caramelizing is to heat sugar till  it liquifies and turns golden brown. Which is mostly used for caramelized nuts, meat, vegetables or fruits to create a flavorful crust.
If thinking of an alternative sweetener, like honey, palm or jaggery, then remember to add some liquid like water or cream to it and reduce it to a desired  ' thickness' . Caramelized sugar  becomes a major problem, when  it  hardens or when sugar sticks to your cooking pan. Caramelization is widely used in glazing desserts like creme brulee, custard and other desserts. Nuts and fruits are also glazed with  caramelized sugar. When vegetables are caramelized, sugar may not be added. They are sauteed in oil or butter till golden brown to make them caramelized. Caramelize honey for that take  honey, lemon juice and water in a pan and heat the mixture at very low flame, till, the honey is golden brown in color. Try to make the '  Caramelized Onions '  for doing this first cut the onions, then  heat onions and water to boiling. Reduce heat to  simmer. Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until onions are tender and soft then  drain. Then  heat a pan add  butter, onions and sugar; cook until onions are browned, stirring and sprinkle some salt.
Caramelizing onions is just cooking them so they brown deeply. It's easy to do and results in cooked onions with a dark, sweet, browned flavor. You're basically turning the sugars within the onions to caramelize.

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