I'm trying to figure out what's the max temperature that an already caramelized sucrose solution can be heated to, so it remains liquid after cooling and its thicknes is maximized.
1 Answer
There is no such temperature; caramel is not liquid*. Sucrose solutions stop being liquid at temperatures well below the caramelization temperature.
If you need liquid caramel, there are ways to achieve it, mostly by using sufficient acid, or by making a caramel sauce by diluting the already-prepared caramel with dairy. I suppose you could also achieve it by adding water post-caramelization, but you would have to be very exact in your ratios. But you cannot get it by temperature control only.
* if you wish to be very pedantic, even the darkest caramel is liquid, but only in the sense that church windows are supposed to be liquid - you have to wait for years for its drip to move a few centimeters. This factoid has no practical use for cooking, but it may help you clarify your concepts - your phrases "remains liquid" and "thickness is maximized" actually point to a state of matter which is probably not the one you wanted to achieve.
answered Jun 12, 2022 at 9:45
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Nitpick: glass doesn't flow over that timescale; some old windows are uneven or thicker at the bottom because they were made that way, back when completely smooth and even glass was impractical. (Maybe pitch would be a closer point of reference?)– giddsJun 14, 2022 at 22:25
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@gidds I am aware that the glass story is controversial, that's why I said "supposed to be" and not simply "is". I find it the best example to convey what I mean, because, no matter if the story is true or not, it is very popular. Most people won't get the reference if I compare it to pitch.– rumtscho ♦Jun 15, 2022 at 8:17