Page 331 - YC Cooking School

Sweet Treats

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The ins and outs of salted caramel

Salted caramel simply means caramel plus a little salt, usually added in the form of 'fleur de
sel' or flaked sea salt. It's an exquisitely delicious combination of salty and very, very sweet,
and can be used to add flair to a number of different dessert dishes.

There are two types of caramel: wet and dry
Wet caramel is made by dissolving sugar into water and then cooking the liquid until it turns
a golden caramel colour. Wet caramel is more runny than dry caramel when it sets. Dry
caramel is made by melting sugar on the base of a pot until it becomes liquid and turns a
caramel colour. This technique shows why sugar is often considered a liquid ingredient in
baking.

Many shades of caramel
You can caramelise melted sugar to various stages, according to your preference or the
recipe requirements. You can also turn regular caramel into a butterscotch sauce by using
light brown or sticky brown sugar instead of simple white sugar, and by adding a little
vanilla essence.

Take extra care when working with liquid sugar
Like any sugar syrup, liquid caramel is incredibly hot, so always take care when working with
it. Caramel can burn in a snap, so as a precaution, remove the pot from the heat just before
it reaches the stage you’re looking for. Also keep a bucket of iced water handy and if the

caramel looks like it might burn, dunk the bottom of the pot into the water to stop the
cooking process.

Get all your ingredients ready before you begin

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