How to make caramel sauce that doesn't taste bitter?
Tonight I made a simple caramel sauce by using:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup cream
I caramelized the sugar (without any water), stirring constantly. When it was fully melted and had no lumps in it, I put in my butter and stirred until it fully melted. Finally I took the mixture off the heat, slowly added cream, and whisked until the mixture was smooth.
At no point during the process did I smell burnt sugar, but when I tasted the caramel sauce, it tasted a lot more bitter than I was expecting.
Is there anything glaringly obviously wrong based on how I made my caramel sauce, or is there something else I can do to ensure my caramel sauce tastes less bitter?
Best Answer
I would say there are 2 problems here: the lack of water, and the constant stirring. Try adding 1/4 cup of water to the sugar - this should stop it catching and burning.
You should avoid stirring caramelising sugar because you run the risk of flicking bits of it onto the side of the pan. These isolated bits cook faster and thus burn, then drop into the rest of the sugar. Result: bitter caramel. Stirring also promotes crystallisation, which is not what you want for a smooth sauce.
If you have to stir it, do it slowly, carefully, and infrequently - only as much as necessary to distribute the water evenly through the sugar.
I would also use a sugar or probe thermometer to ensure you're not over-cooking the sugar - get it to 350ºF, then take it off heat. This will take 6-8 minutes, and it will be a dark amber colour. Let it stand for 1 minute before whisking in your cream (I normally gently heat the cream beforehand by the way, and add a teaspoon of sea salt to it, because salted caramel is effing gorgeous).
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Quick Answer about "How to make caramel sauce that doesn't taste bitter?"
Try adding 1/4 cup of water to the sugar - this should stop it catching and burning. You should avoid stirring caramelising sugar because you run the risk of flicking bits of it onto the side of the pan. These isolated bits cook faster and thus burn, then drop into the rest of the sugar.Why is my homemade caramel sauce bitter?
As the temperature continues to climb with more cooking, even more sugar molecules break down and the caramel will begin to taste markedly more complex and less sweet. Eventually more and more bitter, potent-tasting molecules will form that, if left unchecked, can make the caramel taste acrid and burnt.How do you sweeten bitter caramel?
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a pot and gently bring to a boil. Stir a few times to ensure all the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to high. Caramelize the sugar until it has turned a nice dark brown.Why is my creme caramel bitter?
The Caramel: Let the sugar and water boil, don't stir it, when it becomes a light amber remove it immediately from the heat otherwise you will end up with a burnt bitter tasting caramel and I'll be honest a bitter free caramel is way for delicate tasting.Why does my caramel always taste burnt?
Burning most commonly occurs when the caramel is left for too long on the heat source or when the temperature is too high. Watch out for the color of the caramel too, it should not darken too much. Burnt caramel can also be tricky to remove from pans so don't let your guard down during this fairly quick process!Homemade Caramel Sauce
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Answer 2
I know this was a while ago but perhaps we shared the same problem.
The sugar was fine, the burnt taste was when adding the cream to super hot sugar. It was the cream that burned in my case.
I solved that somewhat by waiting for the sugar to cool and whisking vigorously madding all the cream at once.
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