What level of heat is best when caramelizing?

When you caramelize onions, carrots or mushrooms - what is the best heat level for the fire? Or rather - what should be the temperature of the oil where you can caramelize the food quickly yet not burn it on the sides too much?

Best Answer

In my personal experience, "caramelizing" and "quickly" are not things that get along well. I happen to have done a small batch of caramelized onions last night. It took two hours, which is faster than some larger batches I have done, but not anything I'd call "quick" - quick leads to burnt onions, not caramelized ones, in my experience. So - low heat, and forget "quickly."

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Quick Answer about "What level of heat is best when caramelizing?"

Caramel stage: At 320 to 360 degrees Fahrenheit, the caramelization process is complete, and the sugar will have changed in color and flavor.

What level of heat do you want to use for caramelization?

To achieve caramelization\u2014and flavor\u2014we first have to cook the sugar to a temperature of at least 320\xb0F (160\xb0C). This is best accomplished by cooking the sugar in a pot over medium to medium-high heat and adding either some corn or glucose syrup to your sugar or adding up to 20% of the weight of the sugar in water.

Do you caramelize on high or low heat?

What Is Caramelization? Caramelization is a slow cooking process that occurs when sugar is cooked over low heat, causing a change in both appearance and flavor. 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 temperature is best to caramelize onions?

Around 320\xb0F, sliced onions will caramelize without burning, and don't require constant stirring.

Do you caramelize onions on low heat?

Typically, to make caramelized onions, you cook the onions slowly, over low or medium-low heat, with some sort of fat: butter, oil, or a combination.

Chemistry of caramelization!!!

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