How to melt sugar

Video: How To Melt Sugar | Southern Living

Content

Method 2 of 2: Using Melted Sugar
Tips
Warnings
What do you need

1 Measure out the sugar. Determine how much sugar you want to melt. Since sugar is difficult to melt evenly so as not to burn it, do not try to melt more than 2 cups at a time. If your recipe requires more melted sugar, make a second batch separately.

Use white granulated sugar.
A good rule of thumb based on practical experience is that 2 cups of sugar will make 1 cup of caramel.

2 Add sugar and cold water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Such a saucepan will provide an even heat distribution. A medium-sized saucepan is usually ideal for melting sugar. A steel or aluminum saucepan is best.

The weight of water should be half that of sugar.
Make sure the pot is completely clean. If food remains in the pot, sugar crystals will form around them.

3 Place the pot on the stove over a low-medium heat. Melting sugar over low heat will take a while, but resist the temptation to increase it; when it is cooked over high heat, it burns quickly. When the sugar is melted over low heat, you can better control this process.

4 Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves. Stirring early in the process helps break up the lumps and make sure the sugar melts evenly. It is best to use a wooden spoon.Continue stirring until the sugar mixture melts and begins to boil.

Use a brush to scrape the sugar off the sides of the pot.
If crystals form at the edges of the pot, they may begin to form throughout the mixture and the sugar will set. Thoroughly cleaning the sides of the pot with warm water can prevent this from happening.

5 Cook for 8-10 minutes without stirring. Once the sugar has melted and boiled, cook until it caramelizes. Stirring at this point can lead to crystal formation, so do not stir anymore from now on.

6 Check the sugar temperature with a kitchen thermometer. If you want the sugar to remain liquid, it will be ready when the temperature reaches 170-175 ° C. At this point, it will turn golden brown.

Different temperatures are suitable for different consistencies. When the sugar reaches the desired temperature for a particular recipe, it's ready.

Method 2 of 2: Using Melted Sugar

1 Make Flan Open Pie. This classic Mexican dessert is poured with melted, caramelized sugar, then topped with a creamy egg mixture and baked until it hardens. The pie is flipped onto a plate so that the warm brown caramel is on top of the dessert.
2 Make caramel. To make a creamy caramel sauce, add the cream and butter to the sugar after the sugar has melted. Then use this mixture as a delicious filling for ice cream, chocolate cake, and other treats.
3 Make cotton candy. Cotton candy is made from melted sugar until it reaches a hard ball shape, meaning the sugar will harden as soon as it cools down to room temperature. Cotton candy can be used to make amazing patterns, decorate desserts.
4 Make caramel candies. These oily, flavorful candies are made by adding cream and butter to melted sugar, then mixing until it is firm and ball-shaped. The mixture is then poured into molds and left to solidify at room temperature.

Tips

If you don't have a brush, you can cover the pot with a lid. The steam will remove the sugar from the sides of the pot. Be sure to leave the saucepan ajar to release some of the steam and control the sugar level. This method is not as good as using a brush, so it is possible that not all of the sugar will be removed from the sides of the pot.
Make sure all utensils are completely clean. An unclean saucepan can lead to sugar buildup and sugar crystals build-up. Sugar accumulates when crystals form and takes on a grainy texture. If the sugar builds up, the only thing to do is throw it away and start over.
While high humidity can soften mold sugar and cotton candy, which are made from melted sugar, the melting process is independent of the humidity level.