What is the difference between butterscotch, caramel, and toffee?
I've always thought they were the same. Tonight I noticed a slight taste difference as compared to caramel when I had some "butterscotch" for the first time in a while. Now my assumptions have been thrown to the wind. Is butterscotch essentially caramel plus some liquor?
Best Answer
Butterscotch and caramel are very different things. The taste difference between the two is far from 'slight' in my opinion.
Caramel is typically made with granulated sugar, milk and/or cream, butter, and sometimes vanilla. The primary flavors of caramel are the sugar and milk/cream.
Butterscotch on the other hand is made with brown sugar. It's primary flavors are brown sugar and butter. It typically also contains milk/cream but they are not as prominent as caramel.
Toffee is butterscotch that has been cooked to the hard-crack stage.
There is no liquor in butterscotch.
There is a lot of leeway in what things get called caramel, butterscotch, and toffee. The important differences to keep in mind are that caramel is made with granulated sugar, whereas toffee and butterscotch are made with brown sugar and much more butter.
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Is butterscotch and toffee the same thing?
Toffee vs ButterscotchWhile butterscotch is cooked to a soft-crack stage, toffee is produced by allowing that same butter and brown sugar mixture to reach the hard-crack stage. Butterscotch tends to be chewy and pliable; toffee is brittle and more breakable.Are toffee and caramel the same thing?
Caramel is made out of sugar, water, and cream or milk. Toffee, however, is made out of sugar and butter. The next difference has to do with temperature. Caramel is heated to 248\xb0 F (AKA the end of the "firm ball" stage of cooking sugar) and toffee is heated to 300\xb0 F (AKA the "hard crack" stage).Which is better butterscotch or caramel?
The main difference is in the sugar. Caramel is often made with granulated sugar, while butterscotch is made with brown sugar. Butterscotch candies are often harder than caramel candies, which are often chewy and soft. Both are incredibly sweet and can benefit from a pinch or two of sea salt.What is the difference between Carmel and butterscotch?
This is a common question since both are cooked sugar concoctions. But the main difference is caramel is made with granulated sugar while butterscotch is made with brown sugar. At its simplest, caramel is sugar that's heated and melted until it's brown but not burned.More answers regarding what is the difference between butterscotch, caramel, and toffee?
Answer 2
The names are used for different stages of caramelization of white or brown sugar:
Butterscotch = caramelized brown sugar 239°F-257°F (115°C - 125°C)
Toffee = brown sugar caramelized to hard crack stage 302°F-320°F (150°C - 160°C)
Caramel = white sugar heated to the point it browns, which starts at 338°F (170°C)
The -scotch in the butterscotch has nothing to do with alcoholic drink and the Wikipedia lists a few theories of why it has that name.
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