LMHmedchem

I didn't add any water, is that really necessary? Would that help with the issue of the butter separating? I don't think that I melted the caramel enough to use a blender. Do you know what temperature you melted it to? Is there any concern in introducing too much air by using a blender? LMHmedchem

Last night I tried this by gently heating the caramel just until it was pour-able. I weighed out about the correct quantity for 30 molds and cut it into 1" cubes. I put the cubes in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. This is the same setup I use for tempering chocolate. The caramel was sufficiently melted at about 165F. I just poured it directly from the bowl into the molds. This was messy but worked fine. I find caramel to be quite forgiving because of all the butter. The only issue I could see is that the butter started to liquefy and separate at around 150F. I had to give it a good stir before pouring it into the molds. The caramel set up just fine overnight. The only difference is that the squares have a very thin layer of solidified butter on the bottom. I guess I need to stir more as I will need to remove that before dipping them in chocolate. At any rate, based on this it is not necessary to reheat the caramel back to the original temperature of 245F. It can be gently melted and will still retain the correct crystal structure and thus consistency when it sets. The separating butter could be an issue but I am not sure what to do about that other than to give it a good stir. The butter issue would get worse if you heated it to a higher temperature so I would keep it under 170F. LMHmedchem

Hello, Sorry to dredge up an old thread but I have a similar question. I am making some caramels that I will dip in chocolate. I think, like most people, I make caramel with a 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk. This makes a fair amount of caramel. My issue is that I only have 30 molds for the candy I am making. If I leave the caramel to set in the molds, the caramel in the pot will have set as well. For now, I have just poured the remaining hot caramel into a container and left it in the refrigerator. I need to know how to reheat the caramel to pour the next batch into the molds. I will cut off the amount I need from the block in the refrigerator, so I won't be re-heating much more than I need. Can I just reheat the caramel until it flows well enough to get it into the molds? If so, what is the best method for re-heating? Do I need to re-heat the caramel all the way back to 245F to get it to set properly for this second pour? If so, should I add some water to make sure that the sugar dissolves again? Below is the recipe if anyone is interested. Thanks, Code: caramel 230 grams salted butter (2 sticks) 300 grams light brown sugar 100 rams dark brown sugar 250 grams light corn syrup 85 grams dark corn syrup 396 grams sweetened condensed milk (one 14 oz can) 1 tsp vanilla extract Weigh the butter into a deep pot and melt over low heat. Place a hot pad and the pot on the scale and tare. Weigh in the light and dark brown sugar. Stir with a silicone spatula until the sugar and butter form a paste. Weigh in the light and dark corn syrup and mix until combined. Add the sweetened condensed milk and gently whisk smooth. Avoid incorporating air into the mixture with the whisk. Return the pot to the stove and heat over medium-high heat while stirring constantly with a silicone spatula. Continually scrape clean the sides and bottom of the pot to prevent the sugar from sticking and burning. Continue until the mixture reaches 245F on a digital thermometer. Remove the pot from the heat and add the vanilla. Stir until completely incorporated.