My caramel didn't crystallize for the first time ever

I used a wet brush to wipe down the sides of the pan, which I learned from a video. The sugar dissolved evenly without any gritty bits. It felt like a huge win after so many fails. What's your trick for preventing sugar crystals?

4 comments

4 Comments

danielnelson2mo ago

Wait, a tiny bit of lemon juice stops crystals BETTER than avoiding water!

the_thea2mo ago

Nice, the wet brush trick actually worked for you lol. My only trick is crossing my fingers and accepting my fate as a person who makes gritty caramel sometimes.

robins832mo ago

Yeah I've totally been there with the gritty caramel, it's the worst. What finally clicked for me was making sure not a single drop of water gets in the sugar when it's melting, like even steam from a wet spoon can mess it up. I also stopped stirring it once it starts to boil and just swirl the pot gently. It still fails on me if my heat is too high though, caramel is such a pain lol.

victorh811mo ago

Actually, the wet brush method is just adding more risk of water getting into the sugar. A totally dry pan is the only safe way. Introducing any moisture on purpose seems like asking for trouble, even if it dissolves the sugar first. All that water has to go somewhere, and it can cause crystallization later. Keeping everything bone dry from the start has never failed me. The extra step with a brush just complicates a simple process.