Caramel Coloring

[RobertCollins]

I have a recipe for pickled onions which calls for caramel coloring. The ingredient lists on every thing from Coke to Steak Sauce lists 'Caramel Coloring'. I wouldn't be surprised to find it in shoe polish.

What is it and where can it be bought in something less that the Exxon Valdez like quantities? Is it something I can make?

[Kerry Beal]

Cook sugar until very dark (have a fan on - it will smoke), then add some water (carefully!).

[RobertCollins]

add some water (carefully!

Thanks for the speedy response.

I've not made candy so that seems to me that I would be throwing water into some superheated liquid carbon mass that would go boom. So could you tell me how, please. Another thought, how hot is that melted sugar?

[judiu]

add some water (carefully!

Another thought, how hot is that melted sugar?

About as hot as napalm... and as sticky!

[Kerry Beal]

Like judiu says - hot as napalm. You can cool the hot carbonaceous mass then add boiling water, and heat until it dissolves.

The proportions from my pumpernickel colour recipe are 3 tbsp sugar, cooked with 1 tbsp water - deglazed with 1/4 cup boiling water.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Kerry Beal (log)

[baroness]

If you do not feel adventurous, kingarthurflour.com sells powdered caramel color

[Tri2Cook]

I got a sample for a project I'm working on (at work) from Rene Rivet Inc.. which is the Canadian distributor for DD Williamson. I don't know if they will sample to residential or not but it doesn't hurt to ask. I'm still in the testing stages with my project so I haven't got to the price and package size point with the rep yet but I think making your own or the king arthur suggestion are probably your best bets for what you're doing. The only potential problem with cooking your own really dark syrup that I can think of is that it could add a bitterness that you may or may not be happy about depending how much you use but if it's Kerry tested and approved I'd say you're safe with it.

[Linda Rose]

You can find it in the grocery store, spice aisle.... Kitchen Bouquet. Although it claims "Kitchen Bouquet is a unique blend of vegetables, herbs and spices, that adds flavor and rich color to soups, stews, sauces and gravies", I find the flavor it adds is mostly psychological from seeing browner gravy.

Edited January 5, 2010 by Linda Rose (log)

[mgaretz]

Not sure if you them near you, but Smart and Final sells caramel coloring for a good price. If you don't have one near you, try a restaurant or baking supply. If you want to pay a huge premium, Kitchen Bouquet is essentially caramel coloring.

[RobertCollins]

Thank you all for the help. I'll have to make it at least once, then....

I was thinking about this recipe that Kerry gave and wonder, isn't that going to produce something like thickened Dark Karo Syrup?

edit: spelling ability does not correlate with intelligence, I hope I haven't lost two times.

Edited January 9, 2010 by RobertCollins (log)

[ncorrigbl]

Any Carribean or West Indian market will have Burnt Sugar in a jar, which, when you look at the ing. list, is caramel coloring.

Good Luck

Heather

[Kerry Beal]

Thank you all for the help. I'll have to make it at least once, then....

I was thinking about this recipe that Kerry gave and wonder, isn't that going to produce something like thickened Dark Karo Syrup?

edit: spelling ability does not correlate with intelligence, I hope I haven't lost two times.

It's not sweet at all, and not really all that thick.

[qrn]

I was using burnt sugar to color/flavor dark rye bread, Then I discovered Blackstrap mollasses, works as well and is much easier

Bud

[RobertCollins]

I was reading NOLA site by Danno and he made reference to "Steens Pure Cane Syrup". In looking at that I read their product descriptions and looked at Molasses.

Then I started wondering -hope this isn't too far off subject- If molasses is really just farther or further [not sure which] cooked cane syrup, isn't that almost caramel? Although I think of Molasses as sweetner, is it really? Does the extra heat kill the sweetness as Kerry Beal implies above?

These sugars really have me lost. Is there a good reference that anyone can recommend? I can tell, I will never be a candy maker.