CaraHELL Caramel.

  • Mistake Dead Thermometer

    When you’re making caramel, the last thing you want to see on the face of your digital thermometer is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

    Yeah, well, that’s what happened to me mid-way through the caramel-making session of a lifetime.  (“Caramel-making session of a lifetime” defined here as the epic event of making Sea Salt & Bourbon Caramels.  Seriously- make them and try telling me that you’re life didn’t change for the better.  They’re that good.)  When you’re looking for exactly 240°, it’s sort of important to have a thermometer with a battery that works.

    Without modern technology (a.k.a. a thermometer), a baker has to resort to old-fashioned techniques that the pilgrims or the people on Little House on the Prairie invented to know what the hell is going on with the cooking sugar.  Exceedingly manual steps with words like “soft ball stage” and “oh God, is it done yet” are required when you don’t have a thermometer.  Sugar (a.k.a. Kitchen Crack), is a wonderfully intimidating thing.  Pour it on your cereal*, and there’s no stress.  But try cooking it on the stove to make caramel, and all hell can break loose.  Things like thermometers take the drama out of the moment.  Things like dead thermometers put the drama back in.

    So in the midst of my thermometer escapade, The Husband was kind enough to offer to change the batteries.  Hurry!  I can’t tell if I’m nearing 240°!
    But first he had to get the screwdriver because candy thermometers are built so you can’t crack into the battery cage when you are in a 240° kind of hurry.  Hurrrry!
    And then he had to go hunting for the miniature screwdriver (the one we just happen to have to use on eyeglasses) because candy thermometers are built so that people can’t access the batteries unless they drive to their optometrist’s office.  Hurry!  I might be near 240°- I really think I am?
    After The Husband opened the battery door it became apparent that we absolutely did not have the two specialty batteries required.  Because why would we?

    How did the caramel turn out, you ask?
    I don’t think I got to 240°.  See picture below.

    Mistake Caramel Undercooked

    Without boring you to tears… I did the manual “soft ball stage” check and obviously didn’t get it perfectly right.  The caramel still tasted like the world could end and all would be just fine, but the consistency was a bit too oozy to cut into neat little pieces.

    Moral of this story:
    Get a candy thermometer that isn’t digital.  Either that or buy an eyeglass screwdriver and stock up on odd-sized batteries.  Oh, and make the caramel recipe pronto.  Face the cooking sugar fead head on.

    * Sugar on cereal: oh, yes.  Growing up I used to put so many tablespoons of sugar on my cereal that I’d have to hide the gritty sound the spoon would make as it scraped the bottom of the bowl.  Good times.  I’m not entirely sure how I was able to divert diabetes.

     

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    November 23rd, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags:

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