Caramelized Sugar Which Remains Granulated

[Lisa Shock]

Over at Serious Eats, Stella Parks has developed a method for roasting granulated sugar so that it caramelizes but remains granulated. (doesn't invert) This looks like a great way to boost flavor in many baked goods where traditional caramel sugar would not be appropriate or convenient. It looks like someone could make a lot of this stuff and store it.

 

(Mods: I recall someone asking about granulated caramel sugar a couple of years ago. I recall replying that I had only seen little packets of it that came in in a European instant creme brulee boxed mix I saw demonstrated at a food show. Feel free to add this onto that thread, if it seems appropriate. I could not find it.)

[keychris]

that is an interesting idea.

[Anna N]

16 minutes ago, Lisa Shock said:

Over at Serious Eats, Stella Parks has developed a method for roasting granulated sugar so that it caramelizes but remains granulated. (doesn't invert) This looks like a great way to boost flavor in many baked goods where traditional caramel sugar would not be appropriate or convenient. It looks like someone could make a lot of this stuff and store it.

 

(Mods: I recall someone asking about granulated caramel sugar a couple of years ago. I recall replying that I had only seen little packets of it that came in in a European instant creme brulee boxed mix I saw demonstrated at a food show. Feel free to add this onto that thread, if it seems appropriate. I could not find it.)

I think that is one of the most interesting things I have come across in quite some time. I could kick myself now because when I  was in the grocery store today I hesitated and then decided I had enough for the time being!  Damn.

[Lisa Shock]

I think it will be great with farine torréfiée, as well.

[Deryn]

Thank you (once again), Lisa. This is a wonderful find that I am sure I will take advantage of this technique for many different things over time.

 

I am wondering though if I could perhaps even use a lower temperature (over a longer time of course) so I could utilize my Excalibur dehydrator rather than keep the oven on for hours and hours. The dehydrator might even help with drying out the sugar a bit so it doesn't clump as much in later stages - any thoughts?

[keychris]

I don't think the max temp of the excalibur is high enough to do the job. Happy to be proven wrong though, as I have one too

[Tennessee Cowboy]

Lisa, you've done it again.  Fascinating. Since i'm kind of a "Johnny one-note" (ice cream), I'm immediately thinking about the uses for ice cream.  What do you think??

[Tennessee Cowboy]

Also:  Is a crock pot hot enough??  High is 250 degrees on mine.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Tennessee Cowboy
Missing information. Posted too fast (log)

[cakewalk]

I read about this and meant to post a link, then forgot about it. I also can't wait to try this out. (And hope I don't let two years slip by before I do so!) A friend said it would probably be great in things like meringues (as she says in the article), but wasn't so sure how much the flavor would come through in sweets that are strongly flavored in their own right. (Like chocolate cake, for example.) Well, one way to find out. 

[keychris]

42 minutes ago, cakewalk said:

 (Like chocolate cake, for example.) Well, one way to find out. 

 

I know, right. I definitely needed an excuse to make cakes!

[Lisa Shock]

I think people need to try it at lower temps. You can sacrifice a cup of sugar at a fairly low cost...

 

As for ice cream, yes, you can use it, and I am sure it will taste delightful. That said, an ice cream would actually benefit from traditional caramel sugar (sugar and water) cooked on the stovetop. Some of the sugar inverts in this process and helps create a smooth texture. You can also make stovetop caramel in about 15 minutes, and this takes a lot longer -unless you produce it in bulk and store it carefully sealed. But, that all said, most ice cream is just made with granulated sugar and comes out just fine. So, use whatever is most convenient.

[Lisa Shock]

Oh yeah, a jar of this stuff would be great as part of a gift basket. Gotta remember this for the holidays!

[jmacnaughtan]

It seems fun, but especially as it's starting to get warmer, it seems like a lot of effort to run the oven for five hours...

 

I'd probably just go with the derided caramel powder if I needed something like that, or brown sugar for a more complex flavour.

 

Although saying that, it might be interesting to roast brown sugar too.

[Lisa Shock]

Actually, I have been thinking of running an experiment to track my oven's temp during cooldown. I often roast one thing at high heat, or make pizza, then stick in something else to roast with the residual heat, like heads of garlic or vegetables that might be getting a little iffy. (if I cook 'em, they'll last another 5 days or so) Anyway, I am always looking to get more out of that cooling oven, and I think there's a good chance that I can get to at least stage 1, maybe stage 2.

[jmacnaughtan]

7 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

Actually, I have been thinking of running an experiment to track my oven's temp during cooldown. I often roast one thing at high heat, or make pizza, then stick in something else to roast with the residual heat, like heads of garlic or vegetables that might be getting a little iffy. (if I cook 'em, they'll last another 5 days or so) Anyway, I am always looking to get more out of that cooling oven, and I think there's a good chance that I can get to at least stage 1, maybe stage 2.

 

You could do; I think it would depend on the size and insulation of your oven.  You'd probably have to keep an eye on the sugar for the first 20 minutes or so too, to avoid burning.

[shain]

This is indeed a method with plenty of potential, but I'm afraid it is not new at all, and credit should be given to those who discovered it (prof. Shelly Schmidt) and for Harold McGee who published it way back in 2012: curiouscook.com. I'm afraid that many people in the field of culinary innovation tend to "rediscover" things that were published in the past. I especially encourage you to read the site linked above and to read McGee's book, On Food and Cooking, if you haven't already. I was very impressed to see how many techniques and science which is only know being popularized were published back then.

This is full respect to Stella Parks, who is a talented and innovative pastry chef, and whose blog is worth reading as well: bravetart.com.

 

I think this technique is mostly useful in terms of convenience. I really want to make a batch, as I'm sure once someone has such a product on his shelve, it will be found to be useful in everyday cooking instead of white sugar. It's like a spice of sorts. I'm sure a cappuccino will be great with it.

[blue_dolphin]

Thanks to @Lisa Shock for posting about this.  I saw the headline on Serious Eats, "How to Make Rich, Flavorful Caramel Without Melting Sugar," and assumed it was about either candy or a sauce and didn't click through to read it.  I will certainly give it a try next time I have the oven going for a while.  I'd love to play with it for cocktails and have some on hand for other things.

 

47 minutes ago, shain said:

This is indeed a method with plenty of potential, but I'm afraid it is not new at all, and credit should be given to those who discovered it (prof. Shelly Schmidt)

 

I know you indicated no disrespect, but Stella's piece did cite the original research authored by Prof. Schmidt and co-authors.  She mentioned that she had been playing around with it before then but without understanding the underlining science.

 I very much appreciate her attention to citing original scientific publications.

[keychris]

16 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

but especially as it's starting to get warmer

 

Lucky it's coming into winter for me

[sourdoh]

22 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

It seems fun, but especially as it's starting to get warmer, it seems like a lot of effort to run the oven for five hours...

 

I'd probably just go with the derided caramel powder if I needed something like that, or brown sugar for a more complex flavour.

 

Although saying that, it might be interesting to roast brown sugar too.

 

It should store quite well as long as it's sealed up well. I might wait until winter and try to make enough of this to last me the year (and get the bonus oven heat!) I'm about to move from Arizona to Minnesota, so anything to stay warm...