I have been trying to make caramel in an antiadhesive pan. I just put sugar an water and waited. It turned into sugar 2 times in a row! I did not touch it at all? Is there a rule that I don’t know about using antiadhesive pans?

I ended up using a pan without antiadhesive and it worked perfectly well. Thanks.

Francine - 08 March 2012 09:48 PM

Is there a rule that I don’t know about using antiadhesive pans?

Nope, works just fine for me. Did you start off with a lid in order to wash down the sides of the pan?

(I’m assuming “anti-adhesive” is what we in the US call “non-stick”.)

Not sure but I think what you’re saying is that it crystallized, is that right?  The pan shouldn’t have anything to do with that, but you may want to check with the manufacturer as to what the upper limit of safe temps is for your particular brand of non-stick.  Caramel starts around 340F and can go as high as 380F for dark versions.

For caramel, it doesn’t really matter if it crystallizes, it will still liquefy again when it reaches caramel temps.  To avoid crystallizing, when the mixture first comes to a boil, you have to stir slowly until all the little crystals are dissolved, and then cover it for a while so that the condensing steam washes down the sides of the pan and helps dissolve any crystals lurking there.  Basically, any place you have crystals (spoon, thermometer, sides of pan) can trigger crystallization of the whole mass.

On Rose’s blog, this pan was mentioned as being perfect for carmel

http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2011/06/the_perfect_caramel_pot.html

Yes, I was referring to non-stick and to crystallized sugar. Thanks for your help: I will try again, following your advises.