How to Caramelize Food

Caramelizing is a cooking process in which the food is turned into a caramel-like state.

Vegetables or fruits containing high amount of sugars are often used for caramelizing, although, sugar and honey can also be used. The caramelizing process involves slow cooking and deep browning the food to release the sugar content. This results the food to a very dark color that looks like caramel. Hence, the cooking term. If you are using a recipe that calls for something to be caramelized, the following steps will help you be prepared.

Things You'll Need

• Sugary vegetables
• Cooking oil or clarified butter
• Non-stick heavy duty cooking vessel
• Kitchen knife

Instructions

The Elements for Caramelizing

1. Cook vegetables that contain less water and are high in sugar content. Some examples are apples, carrots, garlic, leeks, onions, peaches, pears and pineapples. Despite having a high sugar content, green onions are not suitable because of their high water content.

2. Use oil or clarified butter when caramelizing food. You can use any kind of oil. Do not use whole butter because fat solids burn easily at high temperatures. Clarified butter melts in the cooking vessel instead of burning.

3. Caramelize food in non-stick heavy duty pot or pan. Vegetables will turn sticky when they begin to cook, which can lead to burning if not stirred frequently. Caramelizing takes a while, you can leave the stove for several minutes, and less stirring is needed when using a non-stick material.

4. Apply high temperature to the food being caramelized. In order to start the caramelizing process you will need to heat the stove to at least 310 degrees.

The Caramelizing Techniques

1. Chop, dice, slice or cut the vegetable or fruit of your choice into small pieces using a kitchen knife. Take advantage of letting the blender or food processor do the work.

2. Heat a non-stick heavy duty pan or pot over medium heat. Add oil or butter in to the cooking vessel. The amount of oil and butter to add is based on your preference. The more oil or butter you use, the thicker the caramelized taste and appearance of the cooked food.

3. Sprinkle a dash of salt over the cooking food. Salt helps release the sugar from the food, achieving the caramelizing process faster.

4. Turn the heat to simmer. Cooking the food at this heat level is called sweating - the aim is to have the food release most of its water in to the pan or pot.

5. Stir the food every three to four minutes. The food will be cooked down and more space will be created in the cooking vessel due to liquid evaporation, so adjust the heat accordingly. You should be hearing only a faint sizzling sound when the food is cooking.

6. Add your other ingredients to the caramelizing food, if you want to use them.

7. Cook until the food is soft and to your liking of the color. The process can take 10 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on the type of food being caramelized. The color can be anywhere from a light golden color to a deep brown.

References

• eNotes: Caramelization: Enclyclopedia of Food and Culture
• Pro Jo: Cost-Buster Cooking: Caramelizing Brings Onions from Sidelines to Spotlight