# Caramel



## Skittle68 (Mar 9, 2011)

I tried a recipe for flan, and it said to melt sugar on the stove (without adding any kind of liquid) until it was a light amber color. But then once it cools wouldn't it be rock hard?? I ended up using my own caramel sauce recipe, and it worked, but was creamier than the liquidy caramel I'm used to for flan. How could so many of the online reviews say this worked perfectly? If you have made flan before, what do you do?


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## Andy M. (Mar 9, 2011)

Skittle68 said:


> I tried a recipe for flan, and it said to melt sugar on the stove (without adding any kind of liquid) until it was a light amber color. But then once it cools wouldn't it be rock hard?? I ended up using my own caramel sauce recipe, and it worked, but was creamier than the liquidy caramel I'm used to for flan. How could so many of the online reviews say this worked perfectly? If you have made flan before, what do you do?




I'm confused.  Were the online reviews for the caramel process you did not use or for the one you did use?

The texture of sugar after it's been cooked and cooled is determined by how hot the sugar gets in the pot.  So if you just cook it a little, it will be softer than if you cook it to a higher temp.


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## Skittle68 (Mar 9, 2011)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> I'm confused.  Were the online reviews for the caramel process you did not use or for the one you did use?
> 
> The texture of sugar after it's been cooked and cooled is determined by how hot the sugar gets in the pot.  So if you just cook it a little, it will be softer than if you cook it to a higher temp.



The reviews were for the recipe in general, but if they followed the recipe, they would end up with a rock hard chunk of sugar at the bottom of the flan mold. Soft ball is at 240 degrees, and plain white sugar won't melt til it's much hotter than that... Over 300 degrees, I'm pretty sure, way past hard ball temp.


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## Selkie (Mar 9, 2011)

Doesn't caramel include the addition of cream to the hot sugar?


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## Skittle68 (Mar 9, 2011)

Selkie said:
			
		

> Doesn't caramel include the addition of cream to the hot sugar?



My recipe does, but with flan it is usually just a liquidy, caramelized sugar that runs down the sides when you flip the flan upside down


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 9, 2011)

Once you  put your liquid sugar in the flan pan and pour on your custard, liquid from the custard keeps the sugar soft, resulting in the perfect flan.


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## Skittle68 (Mar 9, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> Once you  put your liquid sugar in the flan pan and pour on your custard, liquid from the custard keeps the sugar soft, resulting in the perfect flan.



Hmm... I tried that with a couple of the individual sized flans, following the recipe, and I had rock candy, not perfect flan :/


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 9, 2011)

Hmmm, I have never had that problem.


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## Skittle68 (Mar 9, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> Hmmm, I have never had that problem.



Do you let the sugar cool before adding the custard liquid? This recipe said to, so I did


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 9, 2011)

I just checked my recipe, it's been a while...2 tablespoons of water are added to the 1 cup sugar to melt and let turn golden in pan.

Sorry, I mis-remembered.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Mar 10, 2011)

Skittle do you mean Creme Caramel where you make your caramel pour it hot into a pyrex and then pour your custard on top then set up in the fridge?


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## medtran49 (Mar 10, 2011)

I just melt the sugar in a sauce pan (no water as it makes finished product too runny), pour it into the baking pan for the flan, make sure it covers the bottom then let it sit while I finish making the custard.  It's hard and crystalized by the time I pour in the custard.  However, once it's baked, cooled, and turned out the carmel has always softened and become syrupy like it should be in flan - and I've made many of them as flan is one of Craig's favorites.  

Are you letting the baked flan sit in the refrigerator until it's totally cool and then turning it out?

Karen


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 10, 2011)

medtran49 said:


> I just melt the sugar in a sauce pan (no water as it makes finished product too runny), pour it into the baking pan for the flan, make sure it covers the bottom then let it sit while I finish making the custard. It's hard and crystalized by the time I pour in the custard. However, once it's baked, cooled, and turned out the carmel has always softened and become syrupy like it should be in flan - and I've made many of them as flan is one of Craig's favorites.
> 
> Are you letting the baked flan sit in the refrigerator until it's totally cool and then turning it out?
> 
> Karen


 
Ahh, good point, flan should be served warm!


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## medtran49 (Mar 10, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Ahh, good point, flan should be served warm!


 
No, actually in every Cuban restaurant in S Florida I've eaten at, it's served straight from the fridge.  

My point in asking was if he was letting it cool and sit long enough before trying to turn out. 

Karen


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 11, 2011)

Could be, I've never had a cold flan or creme brulee.  I'm too impatient and have to eat them as soon as possible!


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## Skittle68 (Mar 11, 2011)

No bolas, I am talking about baked flan, although that sounds good too, and I let the flan chill in the fridge for 4 hours, so it was completely cool.


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## Skittle68 (Mar 11, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> Could be, I've never had a cold flan or creme brulee.  I'm too impatient and have to eat them as soon as possible!



I've had fresh out of the oven flan, and it is actually fabulous, but I do believe it is supposed to be served chilled


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