Re-melting caramel?

[HeatherAvila]

Anyone have experience re-melting caramel that has been overcooked in it's first round? I keep getting this advice from people, but it's always heresay. Looking for hands-on experience that someone's had with this.

 

For example: pouring out a slab of simple salted caramel cooked to 121C/250F that is too hard - can it all be melted down to start over? Can I use a portion of it in the next round?

 

Thanks!

[minas6907]

Yep, you can do it for sure. Ive had the problem in the past when I removed a caramel too quickly and it was too soft. You just need to add water to dissolve the sugar completely, the go ahead and reboil. When I've done this, its come out fine, but the color always darken more then it would initially have, so im not sure if thats much of an issue for you.

[pastrygirl]

Agreed, add a little water to help get things melting and re-cook as desired.

[Chocolot]

Can't count how many times it has happened to me:). i found that is easiest to put the whole batch in a heavy pot like a Le Creuset and put water in with it. How much depends on how large the batch and how overcooked it is. You can't go wrong. If too much, it will just take longer to cook and be darker. Too little and it won't dissolve. I place in a low oven overnight. The next day, all is melted back into solution and I put on burner and recook. Like Minas says, the additional cooking will cause it to darken, but most people would consider than a plus. if you don't want to bother, just break up and use some of it in your next batch. Problem is the batch size will be larger and you have to adjust your bars.

[excv_]

What exactly should I do when fixing undercooked caramel- Will cooking it again to the normally desired temperature allow all the water added to evaporate, or is there any specific measure I should take? I know that simply testing the doneness often is the most accurate, but still.

[Chocolot]

Same procedure. Put in heavy pot and recook to correct temp. Might need to add some water to keep from scorching while it is reheating.....or call it caramel ice cream topping:)

[LMHmedchem]

On 10/5/2015 at 4:07 PM, Chocolot said:

Same procedure. Put in heavy pot and recook to correct temp. Might need to add some water to keep from scorching while it is reheating.....or call it caramel ice cream topping:)

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.

 

[Kerry Beal]

Guess you could nuke it - what about just pouring the excess into a frame and cutting into squares instead of molds?

[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

Edited December 20, 2023 by LMHmedchem (log)

[Jim D.]

45 minutes ago, LMHmedchem said:

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.

 

 

I have had butter separate from caramel.  If you think of caramel as an emulsion (fat in the butter with water in the caramel), then it makes sense.  I use an immersion blender to force the butter back into emulsion since sometimes stirring is not enough.

[RobertM]

I have remelted caramel in a Bain Marie often, adding a small amount of water.  It works every time.  

[LMHmedchem]

16 minutes ago, RobertM said:

I have remelted caramel in a Bain Marie often, adding a small amount of water.  It works every time.  

I didn't add any water, is that really necessary? Would that help with the issue of the butter separating?

 

6 hours ago, Jim D. said:

 

I have had butter separate from caramel.  If you think of caramel as an emulsion (fat in the butter with water in the caramel), then it makes sense.  I use an immersion blender to force the butter back into emulsion since sometimes stirring is not enough.

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

[Jim D.]

19 minutes ago, LMHmedchem said:

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

 

This separation has happened to me as I was first making the caramel, but you would have to melt it enough (regardless of the temp) to use an immersion blender (I am not referring to a stand blender).  If you keep the blade below the level of the caramel, bubbles can be kept at a minimum.  Obviously if your caramel is on the firm side, you would need a strong blender.

[RobertM]

Yes, it has happened to me while remelting, and, as Jim D. Says, you just keeping stirring it back in, and yes, the immersion blender will help a great deal.   If it happens, don’t look at it as a “failure”

[Chocolot]

Why put extra in refrigerator? It will only pick up undesirable moisture. Wrap and leave at room temp.