The Trick to Making Caramel

Caramel is such a special treat to drizzle on ice cream (or just about any dessert)! Still, the sweet sauce can be pretty tricky to prepare at home, which is why Thomas Joseph breaks down the process in the video above to make it easier for you.

Dry caramel starts out with just sugar and no water. Mixing the water and sugar together makes a wet caramel. For a wet caramel, mix one cup of granulated sugar with enough water to saturate the sugar granules so that they dissolve. It's important for the sugar to dissolve evenly so that the crystallization doesn't occur and you don't scorch the caramel. Swirl the water around in the pan instead of using a spoon.

If you plan to make caramel candy, it's really helpful to use a candy thermometer since the device indicates the stage the candy should be at according to its temperature. For regular caramel, cook the sugar and water on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid becomes clear. You can add a little it bit of acidity to prevent crystallization with the help of half a lemon. You can also place the lid on the pot so that the steam drips down the pot to keep crystals from forming and the caramelization process even. To check the color of the caramel, drizzle a little bit of the mixture on to a piece of parchment paper with a spoon.

To make caramel sauce, turn the burner off and add three quarters a cup of cream and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Swirl the pot to combine the mixture and then let it cool before pouring over vanilla ice cream.

Watch the video above to learn the trick to make caramel!

Image Credit: Martha Stewart