Caramelized Sugar

Sugar starts to turn from golden to light brown in color and begins to caramelize
when its temperature reaches 320F (160C). There are two ways of bringing
sugar to this temperature: the dry method and the wet method. Caramelizing
sugar dry takes about half the time, and you do not have to worry about
recrystallization. It does, however, require more attention, as the sugar must be
stirred constantly to prevent it from caramelizing too fastthat is, before all of
the sugar granules have meltedor worse, from burning. If you use the dry
method, do not use a skillet or pan that is any larger than necessary, or you will
have a larger area to cover when stirring, and you may not be able to keep the
sugar from getting too dark. With the wet method, a small amount of water
added to the sugar means the caramel does not need to be stirred during the
entire cooking process, but it takes longer to caramelize because you must wait
for the water to evaporate.
Either way is much faster and easier if you use a sugar pan, an unlined copper
pan made especially for cooking sugar. The acidity of the copper reacts with the
sugar in such a way that some of the sugar breaks down into invert sugar, which
is resistant to recrystallization. Invert sugar is a mixture of equal parts glucose
and fructose. Be careful, though; because the copper is almost the same color as
the caramelized sugar, the exact moment the pan should be pulled off the heat
and placed in cold water to stop the cooking process is harder to identify. To be
able to see the color of the sugar more clearly, use a folded piece of baking
paper (do not use waxed paper) and dip the point of the folded paper in the
sugar syrup. Remove and check the color.
Another option is to pour a few small test puddles on a silicone mat or a sheet of
baking paper to determine the color more accurately. If the sugar is heated much
above 320F (160C) and you are not using it immediately, you cannot stop it
right there; the sugar will continue to darken, even as it sits in the water off the
stove, from its own residual heat. This problem is intensified by using a copper
pan. With caramelized sugar, you do not need to use a sugar thermometer, as
the color of the sugar will tell you when it is done.