Caramel is a tasty treat that has delighted kids and adults alike for over 1,000 years! It was first developed in 950 A.D by ancient Arabic people who originally used it for their hair. Talk about a sticky situation! Now, you can find it everywhere from individually wrapped morsels to Nashville’s ownGoo Goo Cluster. How exactly do you make caramel? Turns out, it’s all in the chemistry! This easy and fun DIY activity helps you follow each chemical reaction as you cook up your own delicious batch of ooey gooey caramels.
Materials:
- A stovetop (Grab an adult!)
- Medium sauce pan
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 8″ x 8″ foil-lined pan
- Coarse sea salt (Optional)
- Wax paper
Cooking Directions:
In yourpan, combine butter and sugar and stir over medium heat until melted. Stir in corn syrup and condensed milk. Bring to a boil and then decrease the temperature to a simmer and stir constantly for 7-10 minutes or until mixture achieves a deep, golden color. Have an adult help youpour the hot caramel into your foil-lined pan and allow to cool completely. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt for extra flavor if desired and carefully cut into squares before wrapping in wax paper. YUM!
Where’s the Science?:
Cooking caramels issimple and fun, but there isA LOT of science going on! As you heat the ingredients in the pan, you create what is called aMaillard reaction. This chemical reaction occurs when amino acids in your proteins (butter and condensed milk) is combined with sugar and heat, resulting in a series of reactions that cause the brown color you see and the rich flavors you taste.
Further Exploration:
- In what other recipes do you see the Maillard reaction? Explore how this reaction can make different flavors in different foods!
- Try a piece of caramel with salt and one without. How did the flavor change and why? Explore thescience of salty and sweethere.
FAQs
As you heat the ingredients in the pan, you create what is called a Maillard reaction. This chemical reaction occurs when amino acids in your proteins (butter and condensed milk) is combined with sugar and heat, resulting in a series of reactions that cause the brown color you see and the rich flavors you taste.
What is the chemical formula of caramel? ›
Explanation: The typical formula for caramels is C24H36O18 , so the elements of water have been removed from the sucrose.
What is caramel in science? ›
caramel, candy substance obtained by boiling sugar to or beyond approximately 240 °F (115 °C), at which point its mass takes on a slightly yellowish colour and pleasantly burnt smell.
Is boiling sugar to make caramel a physical or chemical change? ›
Different chemicals are present before (sugar) and after (caramel) the cooking process. Therefore, this is a chemical change. The irreversible nature of caramelization is also an indicator that this transformation is a chemical change.
What happens when sugar turns to caramel? ›
Caramelization is what happens when any sugar is heated to the point that the molecules undergo chemical reactions with oxygen in the air and with each other – the molecules either break apart into smaller molecules, or combine with one another to make larger molecules.
What does acid do to caramel? ›
Add an acid: Adding an acid keeps sugar from recrystallizing by breaking down a portion of the sucrose molecules into fructose and glucose molecules. Our Caramel Sauce, for instance, includes cream of tartar as insurance against the sugar crystallizing.
What is the chemical analysis of caramel? ›
Caramelization products include oligomers with up to six carbohydrate units formed through unselective glycosidic bond formation, dehydration products of oligomers losing up to a maximum of eight water molecules, hydration products of sugar oligomers, disproportionation products, and colored aromatic products.
What elements make up caramel? ›
The chemical make up of caramel is the same as sucrose, so it will still be composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
What is the composition of caramel? ›
The main ingredient in caramel is sugar. However, depending on the recipe you use, you may have to incorporate butter, heavy cream, water, or corn syrup as additional ingredients. High-quality, real caramel is always made with three basic ingredients and those are sugar, heavy cream, and butter.
What is the theory of caramel? ›
Caramelization is what happens to pure sugar when it reaches 338° F. A few tablespoons of sugar put in a pan and heated will eventually melt and, at 338° F, start to turn brown. At this temperature, the sugar compounds begin to break down and new compounds form.
CAS Number. 8028-89-5. Chem/IUPAC Name: 3,5-Dimethyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione.
What makes caramel harden? ›
The water evaporates, leaving sugar crystals behind. If even one sugar crystal falls back into the pan of cooking caramel, it starts a chain reaction of sugar crystals and the entire pan will harden.
What is the chemistry behind caramelization? ›
Like the Maillard reaction, caramelization is a type of non-enzymatic browning. Unlike the Maillard reaction, caramelization is pyrolytic, as opposed to being a reaction with amino acids. When caramelization involves the disaccharide sucrose, it is broken down into the monosaccharides fructose and glucose.
Why add butter to caramel? ›
As the sugar heats, it will melt and start to "caramelize" (hence the name "caramel"), changing color and creating caramel flavors. Once the sugar has all dissolved and turned brown, we add butter. The heat of the caramel will melt the butter and create even more wonderful flavors.
Why is my homemade caramel bitter? ›
Overheating the mixture
Follow the recipe carefully, and never melt your caramel on your stove's highest setting—it will cause the caramel to scorch and taste burnt. Once it gets a burnt or bitter flavor, it can't be saved. Luckily, sugar is inexpensive, so you can always start over!
What is the decomposition of caramel? ›
Chemistry of Caramel
Caramel is the result of a decomposition reaction of sucrose (also known as table sugar) when it is heated to its decomposition temperature, between 170-186 C. Sucrose is a disaccharide made up of glucose and fructose.
What ingredient causes caramelization? ›
But most caramelization happens with sugars that are naturally found within other ingredients. Fruits and vegetables caramelize in the same way that pure sugar does. It just happens at a slower rate, since there's less sugar.
What physical and chemical changes take place when sugar is heated to make caramel? ›
Making caramel from sugar is a chemical change, not a physical one. This is because the sugar undergoes a chemical reaction where it decomposes and forms a new compound (caramel) with different properties.
