Caramel
By: Anonymous

About

Caramel is made by cooking sugar up to a high temperature of about 340 degrees Fahrenheit (170 Celsius). Caramel has many uses in candy and sauces, and as a topping for such desserts as crème brulee.
Caramel has a distinctive dark tan color and a rich flavor that suggests vanilla.

Information
Translations: Grauzdēts cukurs, Karamelė, Karamela, Đường ngào, Karmel, Karamel, कारमेल, Caramelo, Карамель, Καραμελόχρωμα, الكرمل, 캐러멜, Karamel, Карамела, Karamelo, 焦糖, Caramelo, Carmel, Karamel, Caramello, קרמל, Carmel, Karamel, カーメル, Karamell, Carmel, Karamell, Карамель, Karamelli, Карамел


Physical Description
Silky, smooth texture that ranges in color from light amber to dark tan. 
Colors: light amber to dark tan


Tasting Notes
Flavors: sweet
Mouthfeel: Chewy
Food complements: Ice cream, Salt, Oranges, Apple
Beverage complements: Milk, Coffee
Substitutes: Butterscotch


Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: january, february, march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober, november, december
Choosing: Buying caramel is easy. You can either get a ready to use caramel of you can actually request how sweet your caramel will be (just ask the store first if they can customized the taste before buying). 
Check the manufacturing date outside the packaging before you buy a caramel. Also do not buy caramel with broken or damaged container. Do not buy caramel with molds or signs that will lead to molds.
Buying: You can buy caramel at certain pastry store. Candy or sweet shops are also good alternative stores.


Preparation and Use
A candy thermometer can be your best friend when making caramel in order to ensure that you maintain a temperature of 244 degrees farenheit for the best dipping caramel and 212-214 degrees for caramel sauce.  Darker caramels are produced by higher temperatures.  
:Let the caramel "setup"(rest) for on average 10 minutes after the cooking process. If you want softer caramel just reduce the cook temp. for sauce I suggest stopping at approx 212-214 degrees. The higher the temperature the harder the caramel will be. 


Conserving and Storing
Caramel last long long time. The best way to store caramel is to contain it on a secure, air tight container and place it on a cool and dry place. Avoid exposing it on high temperature environment for it will create changes on your caramel.


Social/Political
Milton Hershey, the famous chocolate manufacturer, first entered the candymaking business at the Lancaster Caramel Company, which had been started in the late 1800s. It was because of his desire to improve on the caramel candies that he found the German-built machinery to manufacture chocolate.
Hershey's first intention was to cover his caramel candy in chocolate. He did succeed at that, but then he became so fascinated with chocolate that he sold his caramel company for an unheard-of sum of $1 million and used the money to found his chocolate company.
American caramel became a hit worldwide but, sadly, as with many good things, the desire for more and more profits caused manufacturers to decrease the quality of the ingredients. Quality dropped at about the same rate as price. It wasn't long before caramel, which had been a favorite of confectioners, was looked down on and considered a "cheap" ingredient that was unworthy of use.
In the last couple of decades, some of the smaller manufacturers returned to basics and started using high-quality ingredients in caramel. Caramel has been returned to the good favor (and flavor) of confectioners everywhere.
History: Caramel is an American confection. As early as the seventeenth century, American women were using caramelized sugar and water to make candies. The candy made from caramelized sugar and water was, of course, hard. But the hardness was considered a good thing. It was very inexpensive to produce. It was easily transported, and it wasn't necessary to handle it with care. Best of all, it had a very long shelf life.
Somewhere around 1850, it was discovered that by adding milk and fat products to this cooked sugar mixture, a sweet chewy confection was produced, and it was quickly named "caramel." Caramel was an instant hit, and it got more and more popular.