danielle_j

Hello and Happy Holidays! I own an ice cream company and am looking for some information about equipment to use for scaling large batches of caramel. Right now, we cook sugar over electric heat in an approx. 6 qt. stainless steel pot. Once the caramel is at the correct color and temp (more on that below), we add our dairy to the hot mixture. Obviously, this is not a viable option for producing large batches. I'm familiar with confectionary equipment from Savage, but don't have the budget for an automated piece. Does anyone have experience with using just one of their copper or stainless steel kettles over a regular sized burner on electric heat? We've tried to use a single larger flat bottom pot sitting in the middle of all 4 burners on the stove to make a large batch of caramel, but it doesn't heat evenly. I'm wondering if the rounded bottom of the kettle helps the entire pot cook evenly -- would we be able to set the kettle right on the burner; or, have to use it in a double boiler setting? Additionally, any recommendations for thermometers that work well with caramel would be welcomed. We've used digital probes and candy thermometers, but on numerous occasions, the color and smell of the caramel that we associate with "doneness" is a dramatically different temperature for each batch. I came across a similar post on this topic from 2016, but aside from a recommendation for a large piece of equipment from Savage, there wasn't any other feedback. Hoping to get some good input that will bridge the gap between extremely small batches and mass production.

Hi Alexei -- Wondering if you had any luck in figuring out scaling your caramel. We're in a very similar situation to what you described in 2016, but can't afford an automated unit like the Savage....thinking we may try to get at least a larger pot by Savage to make bigger batches still by hand. Thanks and Happy New Year!

I'll have to check out that 2012 forum. Our production facility is not far from Han Dynasty in Manayunk.

www.zsasicecream.com and on Instagram @zsas

My business is Zsa's Ice Cream. Our production facility is currently based in the Roxborough/Manayunk neighborhood. We sell to about 30+ natural foods and artisanal markets in the greater Philadelphia region and we have a vintage ice cream truck that goes out for street festivals and private functions. Looking forward to connecting with more Philly people here!

@Alex - Those are our Funfetti cones that we made for an event this past Summer. One of the things we also love to do is collaborate with other like minded businesses. So, we made a Funfetti ice cream using our Cream Cheese Ice Cream; cake from our production kitchen neighbor, Nutmeg Cake Design, and hand-rolled cones from The Konery.

Hello All and Happy Holidays! I'd like to introduce myself as a new member of eGForums. My name is Danielle and I live and own a small-batch ice cream company in Philadelphia. I've visited this site from time to time when I have a general cooking or baking question, but haven't become a member until now. I was compelled to do so because as we grow our business, I'm finding the need to research different techniques to scale some of our processes. I usually only find general home cooking/baking methods when I do Google searches, so came here hoping to find some more industry specific information. We make everything for our ice cream and ice cream sandwiches from scratch; and, being that I don't have any formal culinary training, most of the methods that my staff and I use are based upon the results we get from experimenting and food science research. Each one of our flavors has at least 2-3 recipes within them, be it for Black Magic cake; vanilla sugar-soaked cherries; or caramel. We develop recipes for our ice cream inclusions so that the inclusion itself maintains excellent flavor and texture even when frozen -- we pride ourselves on figuring out the food science of the things that we put in the ice cream, along with the food science of ice cream itself. I'm looking forward to reading through the forums; posting; and also offering input based on my knowledge. Thanks for having me and Happy New Year! ~Danielle