What does the watch sugar turn to caramel experiment test?

It tests one variable: cooking time. The idea is that sugar cooked longer gets darker and more bitter, and the flavor changes at each stage.

20-minute experiment

Watch sugar turn to caramel

Pale, amber, dark: three flavors from one ingredient.

The idea

Sugar cooked longer gets darker and more bitter, and the flavor changes at each stage.

The one thing you change: Cooking time

You need

1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp water
A light-colored pan
Three metal spoons and a heatproof plate

Steps

Melt sugar and water over medium heat without stirring. Caramel runs past 170C and sticks to skin, so it burns deeply: never leave the pan and don't touch it.
Spoon a drop onto the plate when it is pale gold, then amber, then deep brown. It keeps darkening off the heat, so pull the pan at deep brown.
Let the drops cool for at least 5 minutes before you touch or taste them. Never add water to hot caramel, since it spits.

What you should find

Pale gold is sweet and buttery, amber is richer, and deep brown is bitter and smoky.

From the app

Cook this with Chef Fizz

Step-by-step mode with timers, in the free app.

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The science behind it

Caramelize sugar without burning

Table sugar begins to caramelize near 160°C (320°F) and reaches deep amber near 175°C (350°F), with nutty, toasty flavors. Past that it turns bitter. Amber…

Read the explainer

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