Flavored caramelization
When should flavorings to brown sugar-caramel be added: during caramelization of after?
I make caramel regularly for inclusion in coffee based drinks. The caramel recipe is simply: brown sugar caramelization via heating with water (up to 260 F on a candy thermometer), then the addition of honey (invert sugar) and a butter vanilla oil/flavoring.
I haven't gotten around to testing, but I wonder if there's any knowledge on whether flavorings like butter vanilla assimilate into the total flavor better if added during or after caramelization?
Or the chemicals of the flavoring don't integrate with the chaining of sugar molecules so it doesn't matter? The butter vanilla liquid I'm using seems to be a polar substance since it mixes well with water.
Best Answer
Most of the aromatic compounds contained in vanilla are highly volatile and / or degrade in high heat, so I would add the vanilla after caramelization.
Pictures about "Flavored caramelization"
What is caramelized flavor?
Caramelized food develops a flavor that goes beyond the one-noted sweetness of sugar. When sugars caramelize, they develop nuttiness, bitterness, toastiness, and even a little bit of buttery creaminess. You can lightly caramelize or darkly caramelize. Or meet somewhere in the middle.What flavors are produced during caramelization?
Through a process called pyrolysis, during caramelization, the sugar in a food oxidizes, taking on a brown color and a rich, slightly sweet and nutty flavor.What are the types of caramelization?
Caramelization is a complex, poorly understood process that produces hundreds of chemical products, and includes the following types of reactions:- equilibration of anomeric and ring forms.
- sucrose inversion to fructose and glucose.
- condensation reactions.
- intramolecular bonding.
- isomerization of aldoses to ketoses.
What does it mean to caramelize food?
Caramelizing foods involves a slow cooking process and deep browning (as the word caramel implies as it will have the color of caramel candy). Or if you prefer a more scientific explanation it's when sugar reacts in the presence of high heat.Chemistry of caramelization!!!
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