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Jim D.

Jim D.

I had decided to learn to make chewy caramels (to be dipped in chocolate) this summer and am looking for some insight from those who are more experienced. I know that it is the final temperature of the caramel that determines whether it will work or not. I used David Lebovitz's recipe, which calls for cooking the caramel to 260F/127C. I knew that was higher than anyone else recommends, but it's David Lebovitz, so who am I to doubt? After seeing Jin's silicone caramel mold at the eGullet workshop in Las Vegas in May, I found one (less expensive), so was using that to make nice neat pieces.

 

Attempt #1: I poured the 260F caramel (also tested in cold water to check the consistency) into the mold. When I removed the hardened pieces, "hardened" hardly begins to describe how firm they were--tooth-breakingly hard.

 

Attempt #2: I added a little skim milk and melted the pieces from the previous try. Meanwhile I had checked multiple recipes, including Peter Greweling's (239F/115C recommended) and Kerry Beal's (244 to 250F / 118 to 121C), and this time stopped at about 245F/118C. Better, but still too firm--and worse, stuck to my teeth.

 

Attempt #3: Again, melted down the caramel. This time went to about 240F/115.5C. I decided to add some cocoa butter to help firm up the finished product (an idea from Jean-Marie Auboine, also at the Vegas workshop). This try was much better, but the caramel was too soft to hold its shape after removal from the mold. And, quite unexpectedly to me, the bottoms of each piece stuck to the silicone mold. Who knew? So a quick online search revealed that oiling the silicone may be necessary.

 

Attempt #4: After the messy job of oiling the mold (using cooking spray and wiping most of it out), I began again. This time I went to about 242F/117C. These came out of the mold without sticking (though they had to be patted dry from the oil), and I just finished dipping them in dark chocolate, topped with some Himalayan salt I have been waiting to use for something.

 

In spite of this final success (at least it appears so at this point), I have to ask: Is making "stand-alone" caramels really this difficult? Do 2 degrees make that much difference? Of course, I realize that taking the temperature of a boiling liquid is a very iffy proposition--moving the Thermapen around the pot shows how the temp varies from place to place. And there is the residual heat once the pot is removed from the stove (I tried dipping it in cold water, but that cooled off the caramel too much to be poured into the mold). Testing by dropping some caramel in water seems inconclusive as the firm ball stage covers a range of temperatures, and meanwhile the caramel in the pot continues to cook, even if it's off the heat. At this time of year I have time to experiment, but in the midst of Christmas production, there can be no recooking of caramel three times and waiting for it to harden in order to determine if it is right for dipping.

 

I use Rose Levy Beranbaum's caramel pot. It's narrow enough that even a small batch is deep enough for a thermometer to register. But it's not a particularly heavy pot. Might that be an issue?

 

Any suggestions or insights?

 

 

Jim D.

Jim D.

I had decided to learn to make chewy caramels (to be dipped in chocolate) this summer and am looking for some insight from those who are more experienced. I know that it is the final temperature of the caramel that determines whether it will work or not. I used David Lebovitz's recipe, which calls for cooking the caramel to 260F/127C. I knew that was higher than anyone else recommends, but it's David Lebovitz, so who am I to doubt? After seeing Jin's silicone caramel mold at the eGullet workshop in Las Vegas in May, I found one (less expensive), so was using that to make nice neat pieces.

 

Attempt #1: I poured the 260F caramel (also tested in cold water to check the consistency) into the mold. When I removed the hardened pieces, "hardened" hardly begins to describe how firm they were--tooth-breakingly hard.

 

Attempt #2: I added a little skim milk and melted the pieces from the previous try. Meanwhile I had checked multiple recipes, including Peter Greweling's (239F/115C recommended) and Kerry Beal's (244 to 250F / 118 to 121C), and this time stopped at about 245F/118C. Better, but still too firm--and worse, stuck to my teeth.

 

Attempt #3: Again, melted down the caramel. This time went to about 240F/115.5C. I decided to add some cocoa butter to help firm up the finished product (an idea from Jean-Marie Auboine, also at the Vegas workshop). This try was much better, but the caramel was too soft to hold its shape after removal from the mold. And, quite unexpectedly to me, the bottoms of each piece stuck to the silicone mold. Who knew? So a quick online search revealed that oiling the silicone may be necessary.

 

Attempt #4: After the messy job of oiling the mold (using cooking spray and wiping most of it out), I began again. This time I went to about 242F/117C. These came out of the mold without sticking (though they had to be patted dry from the oil), and I just finished dipping them in dark chocolate, topped with some Himalayan salt I have been waiting to use for something.

 

In spite of this final success (at least it appears so at this point), I have to ask: Is making "stand-alone" caramels really this difficult? Do 2 degrees make that much difference? Of course, I realize that taking the temperature of a boiling liquid is a very iffy proposition--moving the Thermapen around the pot shows how the temp varies from place to place. And there is the residual heat once the pot is removed from the stove (I tried dipping it in cold water, but that cooled off the caramel too much to be poured into the mold). Testing by dropping some caramel in water seems inconclusive as the firm ball stage covers a range of temperatures, and meanwhile the caramel in the pot continues to cook, even if it's off the heat. At this time of year I have time to experiment, but in the midst of Christmas production, there can be no recooking of caramel three times and waiting for it to harden in order to determine if is right for dipping.

 

I use Rose Levy Beranbaum's caramel pot. It's narrow enough that even a small batch is deep enough for a thermometer to register. But it's not a particularly heavy pot. Might that be an issue?

 

Any suggestions or insights?

 

 

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