Caramel

• Add water, salt, and sugar in a steel pan and heat over medium heat. Add vanilla pod and stir with a fork. Let the mixture boil for about 4 minutes.
• Reduce the heat and cook without stirring till the syrup turns to the color of honey. This takes about 6 minutes. Shake the pan to ensure even consistency. Cook till the syrup turns light amber in color.
• Add cream immediately and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir continuously to prevent the formation of foam. Simmer until the temperature reaches 107 degrees Celsius on a digital thermometer. Transfer to a heat-resistant container and add vanilla extract (optional). Allow it to cool. As it cools, it will thicken. You can refrigerate this for 1 month in an airtight container.

Note: When adding the cream, ensure you do so immediately without delay. When making caramel, ensure that it is not undercooked. Furthermore, take care to not overcook as well since this will make it bitte

Trivia

Interestingly enough, caramelization is basically the process of removing water from sugar. This results in the isomerization and polymerization of sugar. The first use of caramel is believed to have been in the 17^th century when it was used to make candies. Caramel is of two types: dry caramel and wet caramel. There’s even a salty version of caramel in addition to the traditional sweet variant!