First, happy holidays, everyone! Thanks for all the recipes, tips, and
-- most of all -- the extra helpings of humor on the side. Whenever I
feel the need to snort some coffee (or whatever it is I'm drinking)
through my nose, I know right where to go.

Now, for the problem at hand...

For years, all of my attempts to caramelize sugar have ended up in a
sticky, granular mess, often accompanied by a piquant scorched aroma.
The last time I tried it was about two years ago; my husband came
rushing into the kitchen with a fire extinguisher, and I won't tell you
how long it took to scrape/sand it all out of the pot.

I've learned a quick and easy 'cheat' with flan that I love -- I press
brown sugar into the bottoms of the ramekins before pouring in the
custard -- but I've got another recipe I'm planning to try where that
just won't work.

Any tips? I'm not too excited at the prospect of another bout with the
steel wool. Or the fire department, for that matter.

Thanks! And remember... the key to holiday survival is to breathe...
and eat lots and lots of fudge.

Karen MacInerney
Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
www.karenmacinerney.com

Karen MacInerney wrote:

> First, happy holidays, everyone! Thanks for all the recipes, tips, and
> -- most of all -- the extra helpings of humor on the side. Whenever I
> feel the need to snort some coffee (or whatever it is I'm drinking)
> through my nose, I know right where to go.
>
> Now, for the problem at hand...
>
> For years, all of my attempts to caramelize sugar have ended up in a
> sticky, granular mess, often accompanied by a piquant scorched aroma.
> The last time I tried it was about two years ago; my husband came
> rushing into the kitchen with a fire extinguisher, and I won't tell you
> how long it took to scrape/sand it all out of the pot.
>
> I've learned a quick and easy 'cheat' with flan that I love -- I press
> brown sugar into the bottoms of the ramekins before pouring in the
> custard -- but I've got another recipe I'm planning to try where that
> just won't work.
>
> Any tips? I'm not too excited at the prospect of another bout with the
> steel wool. Or the fire department, for that matter.
>
> Thanks! And remember... the key to holiday survival is to breathe...
> and eat lots and lots of fudge.

I have never had any problem with it. I put white sugar in a (stainless)
sauce pan, heat it over medium heat stirring constantly. The sugar starts
to melt slowly and unevenly, and then all of a sudden it's almost
completely melted but a little lumpy and darkens a little.. Keep stirring
and it begins to darken very quickly. When it gets to be straw coloured add
a little water....carefully and stir. It bubbles up. Pour into ramekins and
then dump as much of the excess as possible before it hardens in the pan.
Add hot water to the pan or immerse it in hot water to dissolve any residue
or else you have a hard mess to clean up.

"Karen MacInerney" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> First, happy holidays, everyone! Thanks for all the recipes, tips, and
> -- most of all -- the extra helpings of humor on the side. Whenever I
> feel the need to snort some coffee (or whatever it is I'm drinking)
> through my nose, I know right where to go.
>
> Now, for the problem at hand...
>
> For years, all of my attempts to caramelize sugar have ended up in a
> sticky, granular mess, often accompanied by a piquant scorched aroma.
> The last time I tried it was about two years ago; my husband came
> rushing into the kitchen with a fire extinguisher, and I won't tell you
> how long it took to scrape/sand it all out of the pot.
>
> I've learned a quick and easy 'cheat' with flan that I love -- I press
> brown sugar into the bottoms of the ramekins before pouring in the
> custard -- but I've got another recipe I'm planning to try where that
> just won't work.
>
> Any tips? I'm not too excited at the prospect of another bout with the
> steel wool. Or the fire department, for that matter.
>
> Thanks! And remember... the key to holiday survival is to breathe...
> and eat lots and lots of fudge.
>
> Karen MacInerney
> Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
> www.karenmacinerney.com
>

i have seen tiny home blow torches sold in cheffy type shops for this
purpose.....

yum

c

Mamma, the problem is, I'm not trying to caramelize it on top of a
creme brulee -- I'm trying to do it as a liquid in a pan. On a
recalcitrant stove.

Although the blow torch sounds kind of fun, now that I think of it...


Karen MacInerney
Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
www.karenmacinerney.com

Karen MacInerney wrote:

> Mamma, the problem is, I'm not trying to caramelize it on top of a
> creme brulee -- I'm trying to do it as a liquid in a pan. On a
> recalcitrant stove.

Yep. The torch is fun, but it has limited application.

Here are some steps that will make it easier.

Add the sugar to the pan with about 1/4-1/2 water by volume
and stir a little to combine. The amount doesn't have to be
exact. The water will slow down the process but it will make
things easier. Caramel training wheels, so to speak.

Turn up the heat to full. When it begins to boil, cover it.
Don't stir, and wait about 3 minutes. The cover will
hold in steam and prevent crystallization of the sugar.

Take the lid off and watch it. In a few minutes turn
the heat down to medium. The higher the heat the
quicker it will go from light amber to burnt, so
dropping the heat will help avoid burning.

When it gets a bit darker, turn the heat off. There will
be some carry over heat but the darkening will slow
down. The key is to stop in time.

What you do with it depends on what your making. Add
some cream and you get caramel sauce (watch the
spatter). Leave it as is and it will harden to a
glasslike texture. Perfect for making windows for
your gingerbread house.

To clean up, put some water back in your now empty
pan along with the utensils you used. Bring it to
a boil and stir a bit and the sugar will eventually
dissolve away.

Practice makes perfect so get right in there. Sugar
is cheap.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

"Reg" > wrote in message
m...

> Here are some steps that will make it easier.
>
> Add the sugar to the pan with about 1/4-1/2 water by volume
> and stir a little to combine. The amount doesn't have to be
> exact. The water will slow down the process but it will make
> things easier. Caramel training wheels, so to speak.


I was going to suggest the same thing - I woldn't ever try to caramalise dry
sugar in a pan. Even just a little water, just enough to wet all the grains
will make the job much easier, and won't slow it down much at all - helps
everything work evenly.

> To clean up, put some water back in your now empty
> pan along with the utensils you used. Bring it to
> a boil and stir a bit and the sugar will eventually
> dissolve away.

Exactly! A great way to clean pans in lost of situations. Just dumping how
water into the pan immediately after pouring out the caramel sugar will get
most of the remainder into solution very quickly. Leaving the pan on the
side with this water in there while you finish what you are doing should
have near all of it dissolved anyway.


Shaun aRe

On 20 Dec 2005, Karen MacInerney wrote:

> First, happy holidays, everyone! Thanks for all the recipes, tips, and
> -- most of all -- the extra helpings of humor on the side. Whenever I
> feel the need to snort some coffee (or whatever it is I'm drinking)
> through my nose, I know right where to go.
>
> Now, for the problem at hand...
>
> For years, all of my attempts to caramelize sugar have ended up in a
> sticky, granular mess, often accompanied by a piquant scorched aroma.
> The last time I tried it was about two years ago; my husband came
> rushing into the kitchen with a fire extinguisher, and I won't tell you
> how long it took to scrape/sand it all out of the pot.
>
> I've learned a quick and easy 'cheat' with flan that I love -- I press
> brown sugar into the bottoms of the ramekins before pouring in the
> custard -- but I've got another recipe I'm planning to try where that
> just won't work.
>
> Any tips? I'm not too excited at the prospect of another bout with the
> steel wool. Or the fire department, for that matter.
>
> Thanks! And remember... the key to holiday survival is to breathe...
> and eat lots and lots of fudge.
>
> Karen MacInerney
> Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
> www.karenmacinerney.com
>
>

Check out www.foodnetwork.com I don't know if you get the channel, Food
Network, or not, but Alton Brown has a show called "Good Eats". His web
site might have the step-by-step instructions.

They run his sugar carmelizing and candy show every few months. The candy
show should be on around this time.

He talked all about what could go wrong and why and how to avoid it.

I know this isn't the help you needed, but it seems to be a matter of
technique more than anything else and that takes analyzing each step - and
practice.

I only tried it a few times (without success) long ago. So, I haven't
mastered it. But the show was great.

Elaine, too

Karen MacInerney wrote:
> First, happy holidays, everyone! Thanks for all the recipes, tips, and
> -- most of all -- the extra helpings of humor on the side. Whenever I
> feel the need to snort some coffee (or whatever it is I'm drinking)
> through my nose, I know right where to go.
>
> Now, for the problem at hand...
>
> For years, all of my attempts to caramelize sugar have ended up in a
> sticky, granular mess, often accompanied by a piquant scorched aroma.
> The last time I tried it was about two years ago; my husband came
> rushing into the kitchen with a fire extinguisher, and I won't tell you
> how long it took to scrape/sand it all out of the pot.
>
> I've learned a quick and easy 'cheat' with flan that I love -- I press
> brown sugar into the bottoms of the ramekins before pouring in the
> custard -- but I've got another recipe I'm planning to try where that
> just won't work.
>
> Any tips? I'm not too excited at the prospect of another bout with the
> steel wool. Or the fire department, for that matter.
>
> Thanks! And remember... the key to holiday survival is to breathe...
> and eat lots and lots of fudge.
>
> Karen MacInerney
> Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
> www.karenmacinerney.com
>
I put my white sugar in a saucepan. I turn the stove on to around medium
or low-medium, and place the pan on the burner. Some folk recommend
adding water at the start, but I don't do that. Sugar is a good
indicator of the heat transfer of your pan and whether you need a new
one or not.

The sugar will start to melt, first in the pattern of the burner (if
stove is electric).

So your difficulties are either you are using too high a heat or your
pan has hot spots. Or maybe it's the brown sugar, I have no exprience
melting brown sugar so I can't be sure about it. But any white granular
sugar melts almost as easily as butter (it just takes longer and
requires more heat to reach a melting temp), and requires little or no
effort.

I suggest you use a lower heat and stir frequently (that should solve
the problem of too much heat or hot spots).


I just put the sugar in a pot, make sure it is kinda level (not in a
pile, kinda spread out) and apply medium-low to medium heat, I stir in
other stuff after the sugar melts. Mostly stuff like Irish Whiskey to
make a hard sauce for desserts.

Thanks for all the tips. I have hope!

Maybe I have been using too high a heat. I saw somewhere a
recommendation that you shake the pan instead of stirring it... anyone
tried this?

Karen MacInerney
Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
www.karenmacinerney.com

Dave Smith wrote:

>
>
> I have never had any problem with it. I put white sugar in a (stainless)
> sauce pan, heat it over medium heat stirring constantly. The sugar starts
> to melt slowly and unevenly, and then all of a sudden it's almost
> completely melted but a little lumpy and darkens a little.. Keep stirring
> and it begins to darken very quickly. When it gets to be straw coloured add
> a little water....carefully and stir. It bubbles up. Pour into ramekins and
> then dump as much of the excess as possible before it hardens in the pan.
> Add hot water to the pan or immerse it in hot water to dissolve any residue
> or else you have a hard mess to clean up.
>
>

I'm with you, Dave, on this one. The MIL is the expert in this house, I
have watched her do it often - and she does it pretty much as you
describe. One extra thing though, she adds a few tablespoons of butter
after she adds the water.... We usually use it for caramelizing baby
potatoes - very yum. As for the pan - I just soak it in water for a few
hours - all the stuff melts off and it's easy to clean.

--
Cheers
Cathy(xyz)

On Wed 21 Dec 2005 09:22:00a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it cathyxyz?

> Dave Smith wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> I have never had any problem with it. I put white sugar in a
>> (stainless) sauce pan, heat it over medium heat stirring constantly.
>> The sugar starts to melt slowly and unevenly, and then all of a sudden
>> it's almost completely melted but a little lumpy and darkens a little..
>> Keep stirring and it begins to darken very quickly. When it gets to be
>> straw coloured add a little water....carefully and stir. It bubbles up.
>> Pour into ramekins and then dump as much of the excess as possible
>> before it hardens in the pan. Add hot water to the pan or immerse it in
>> hot water to dissolve any residue or else you have a hard mess to clean
>> up.
>>
>>
>
> I'm with you, Dave, on this one. The MIL is the expert in this house, I
> have watched her do it often - and she does it pretty much as you
> describe. One extra thing though, she adds a few tablespoons of butter
> after she adds the water.... We usually use it for caramelizing baby
> potatoes - very yum. As for the pan - I just soak it in water for a few
> hours - all the stuff melts off and it's easy to clean.
>

Cathy, how do you make the caramelized baby potatoes?

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

Karen MacInerney wrote:
> Mamma, the problem is, I'm not trying to caramelize it on top of a
> creme brulee -- I'm trying to do it as a liquid in a pan. On a
> recalcitrant stove.
>
> Although the blow torch sounds kind of fun, now that I think of it...

Also handy for Baked Alaska for 500. Just put the baker and a
blowtorch in the freezer and away you go

John Kane, Kingston ON Canada

Karen MacInerney wrote:

> Thanks for all the tips. I have hope!
>
> Maybe I have been using too high a heat. I saw somewhere a
> recommendation that you shake the pan instead of stirring it... anyone
> tried this?

I can't see shaking the pan working to caramelize sugar because as the
sugar begins to melt it tends to stick to the pan, so what you have is the
wet, sticky stuff adhering to the bottom and the loose sugar on top. The
only sugar that is going to move about is the loose stuff. Besides, we are
talking hot sugar, and you can get nasty burns from that stuff.

What you need to do is to get the sticky stuff off the bottom and the
loose granules down to the heat. I find that it tends to glob to the spoon
in the early stages of melting, but when it is more completely melted it
becomes much more viscous. From that point it begins to change colour. It
goes from clear to faint yellow and then quickly gets very dark. You need
to take it off the heat and add a little water when it gets to be straw
coloured.


This caramel is a strange process. It starts off a white crystal. It
melts into a clear liquid. Then it turns yellow and then a deeper brownish
colour. It froths up into a tan coloured foam when water is added. Then it
goes back to an deep amber liquid. When you pour it into the ramekins it
maintains that same dark colour, like light maple syrup, but it turns rock
hard. Add the creme caramel to it and when it comes out of the oven and
sets you have a wonderful dark syrup. It always mazes me that it turns out
like that.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>>
>
>
> Cathy, how do you make the caramelized baby potatoes?

Very easy, actually.... I par-boil the spuds, then peel them (easier to
get the skins off)... MIL makes the caramel and then, once it's golden
brown, we turn the heat right down to "1" on an electric stove. We then
add the peeled spuds and turn them, until well coated in the caramel....
we keep turning them, every 5 or 10 mins, until well coated, and the
caramel has had a chance to "sink" into the spuds - this can take up to
45 mins. Yummy with ostrich steaks (or beef steaks). We also make
home-made apple sauce to go with it.


--
Cheers
Cathy(xyz)

"Karen MacInerney" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> First, happy holidays, everyone! Thanks for all the recipes, tips, and
> -- most of all -- the extra helpings of humor on the side. Whenever I
> feel the need to snort some coffee (or whatever it is I'm drinking)
> through my nose, I know right where to go.

<snip>

> Thanks! And remember... the key to holiday survival is to breathe...
> and eat lots and lots of fudge.
>
> Karen MacInerney
> Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
> www.karenmacinerney.com

Over you years I have had the same problem. There seem to be 2 tricks that seem
to wrok at least for me.

1. As you are evaporating the water and raising the temperature of the sugar
you need to scrape down the sides - it seems to be the crystallized sugar on the
sides that burns first.

2. As the sugar begins turning color reduce the heat on the stove this will
tend to slow the process slightly.

3. Remember the sugar will continue to brown, cook, caramelize for several
moments after you remove the pan from the heat - so take it off early.

4. Unless you can work very quickly you'll have a solid mess in a very short
period of time as thed pan/pot loses heat. Use a heavy pot. To counter act
this I keep a pot (Dutch oven) of simmering water on the stove for the process.
As the pan cools and the sugar sets putting the bottom of the pot into the hot
water seem to keep the sugar from setting completely.

Try it - with 2 cups of sugar - the most you can waste is a few cents.


Dimitri

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of
natural causes.

On Wed 21 Dec 2005 10:15:24a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it cathyxyz?

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>>>
>>
>>
>> Cathy, how do you make the caramelized baby potatoes?
>
> Very easy, actually.... I par-boil the spuds, then peel them (easier to
> get the skins off)... MIL makes the caramel and then, once it's golden
> brown, we turn the heat right down to "1" on an electric stove. We then
> add the peeled spuds and turn them, until well coated in the caramel....
> we keep turning them, every 5 or 10 mins, until well coated, and the
> caramel has had a chance to "sink" into the spuds - this can take up to
> 45 mins. Yummy with ostrich steaks (or beef steaks). We also make
> home-made apple sauce to go with it.

Sounds delicious, Cathy. I will give this a try soon.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

I do it pretty much as Dave does, in a saucepan over medium high heat.
I follow Julia Child's directions, which dictates 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3
cup water. You'll stir and stir that syrup, until you think your arm
will fall off, but have faith, it WILL caramelize. ANd when it turns
golden, it happens quickly. You have to act quickly when it does, but
make haste with care. I can speak from experience when I tell you that
molten caramel burns HURT. It takes a minute or two to set up, so
pour the syrup either into one big dish, or into ramekins, then quickly
swirl the caramel around to coat the bottom of the dish.

I do identify with the problem. Once, I tried to caramelize sugar in a
big skillet, but all the water evaporated. I was left with this lunar
landscape of hard white, uncaramelized sugar crust and had to start all
over. =o) For cleaning up, all you have to do is run VERY hot tapwater
into the sauce pan and let it soak, for a while. The hot water softens
the caramel, and it makes cleanup easier.

Melissa

wrote:

> I do it pretty much as Dave does, in a saucepan over medium high heat.
> I follow Julia Child's directions, which dictates 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3
> cup water. You'll stir and stir that syrup, until you think your arm
> will fall off, but have faith, it WILL caramelize. ANd when it turns
> golden, it happens quickly.

It does eventually caramelize? I tried it that way once. Actually, it was
my wife that tried it and I ended up taking over for her when it appeared
not to be working. I went back to my old method ( From Joy of Cooking) ,
melt the sugar and add water after it develops the straw colour. It is a
snap.

> You have to act quickly when it does, but
> make haste with care.

That's an important point. When I do it things happened very slowly at
first. The sugar gets gooey in places and then more of it gets gooey and
then it starts to become a clear liquid, develops a bit of colour and then
suddenly starts to darken very quickly. h.

>Also handy for Baked Alaska for 500. Just put the baker and a
>blowtorch in the freezer and away you go
>John Kane, Kingston ON Canada

LOL

But where you live, couldn't you just use the back yard instead?

Karen MacInerney (from balmy -- too balmy -- Texas)
Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
www.karenmacinerney.com

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I do it pretty much as Dave does, in a saucepan over medium high heat.
> I follow Julia Child's directions, which dictates 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3
> cup water. You'll stir and stir that syrup, until you think your arm
> will fall off, but have faith, it WILL caramelize. ANd when it turns
> golden, it happens quickly. You have to act quickly when it does, but
> make haste with care. I can speak from experience when I tell you that
> molten caramel burns HURT. It takes a minute or two to set up, so
> pour the syrup either into one big dish, or into ramekins, then quickly
> swirl the caramel around to coat the bottom of the dish.
>
> I do identify with the problem. Once, I tried to caramelize sugar in a
> big skillet, but all the water evaporated. I was left with this lunar
> landscape of hard white, uncaramelized sugar crust and had to start all
> over. =o) For cleaning up, all you have to do is run VERY hot tapwater
> into the sauce pan and let it soak, for a while. The hot water softens
> the caramel, and it makes cleanup easier.
>
> Melissa

I ran hot water, boiling water into a skillet and it was about 5 days before
it came out. It was carmelized and did not come out. If it were not for
the skillet being new, I would've thrown it out.
My first and only attempt -- forget it! I wanted to do a flan -- which it,
too has never turned out for me.
Poor lost soul,
Dee Dee

Thanks everyone, for all the tips. I'll report back when I have my
next results... Wish me luck!

Karen MacInerney
Kitchen experimenter, family chauffeur, and culinary mystery author
www.karenmacinerney.com

Dave Smith wrote:
> wrote:
>
>> It does eventually caramelize? I tried it that way once. Actually, it was
> my wife that tried it and I ended up taking over for her when it appeared
> not to be working. I went back to my old method ( From Joy of Cooking) ,
> melt the sugar and add water after it develops the straw colour. It is a
> snap.

I've caramelized many a Creme this way, so I can say yes, it does
eventually caramelize. =o) Sometimes the key word IS "eventually" but
the end result has always been caramel since I started using the sauce
pan method. If your way works better for you, though, by all means
stick to it.
>
> > You have to act quickly when it does, but
> > make haste with care.
>
> That's an important point. When I do it things happened very slowly at
> first. The sugar gets gooey in places and then more of it gets gooey and
> then it starts to become a clear liquid, develops a bit of colour and then
> suddenly starts to darken very quickly. h.

It can burn very fast, yes. Sometimes I like it that way. Or at least
that's what I tell myself when I let the caramel get a little too dark.

Melissa

You said you wanted to caramelize sugar for a new recipe, but you didn't
say if it was for flan or not. This is simple and foolproof for flan if
you follow the directions; perhaps you can adapt it for whatever recipe
you're using.


This recipe for flan uses the little white porcelain ramekins that are
2 1/2 inches in diameter and 2 inches high. I can't remember where
I read this technique for caramelizing the sugar but I've never seen
it since. This amazes me because it's so much easier and simpler than
the traditional one. I'd be interested to know if anyone else knows of
this method.

Flan
----

Use 8 small ramekins, 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

Place 1 1/2 tsp. white sugar in the bottom of each dry ramekin. Place
directly on the rack (not on a cookie sheet or anything else) of a 375
degree oven and bake it until the sugar caramelizes, about 15 minutes.
Don't let the caramel get too dark. There's no need to stir or otherwise
touch the ramekins. When the sugar starts to flow and reach that caramel
color it's done, even if you can see some white sugar granules. They'll
continue to melt. Remove from oven and *COOL ON A RACK*. This is very
important--I've cracked several ramekins by placing them on a cool solid
surface, and also by not letting them cool thoroughly before pouring in
the custard. They will make charming little pinging noises as they cool
and the sugar hardens and develops cracks (the sugar, not the ramekin).
They don't have to be completely cold--you can proceed when they're warm
if you can comfortably touch them (this probably takes 30 minutes).

Custard choices:

2 c. milk
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. sugar

and one of the following:

1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

OR

1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract

OR

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract


Mix custard ingredients together with a whisk.

Pour into those *COOLED* (don't say I didn't warn you) ramekins.
Place in a large pan. Add hot water to the pan to come halfway up the
sides of the cups. Bake at 300 degrees until a knife inserted in the
center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on
a rack. Refrigerate.

To unmold, run a knife along the edge of the flan and invert on a plate.
That sugar that was a hard sheet on the bottom is now the proper runny
caramel consistency.

Try not to eat them all at once.

Sandy

wrote:

> You said you wanted to caramelize sugar for a new recipe, but you didn't
> say if it was for flan or not. This is simple and foolproof for flan if
> you follow the directions; perhaps you can adapt it for whatever recipe
> you're using.

I just checked the original message and she said that she learned a cheat for
a cheat for a flan.


>
>
> This recipe for flan uses the little white porcelain ramekins that are
> 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 2 inches high. I can't remember where
> I read this technique for caramelizing the sugar but I've never seen
> it since. This amazes me because it's so much easier and simpler than
> the traditional one. I'd be interested to know if anyone else knows of
> this method.
>
> Flan
> ----
>
> Use 8 small ramekins, 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
>
> Place 1 1/2 tsp. white sugar in the bottom of each dry ramekin. Place
> directly on the rack (not on a cookie sheet or anything else) of a 375
> degree oven and bake it until the sugar caramelizes, about 15 minutes.
> Don't let the caramel get too dark. There's no need to stir or otherwise
> touch the ramekins. When the sugar starts to flow and reach that caramel
> color it's done, even if you can see some white sugar granules. They'll
> continue to melt. Remove from oven and *COOL ON A RACK*. This is very
> important--I've cracked several ramekins by placing them on a cool solid
> surface, and also by not letting them cool thoroughly before pouring in
> the custard. They will make charming little pinging noises as they cool
> and the sugar hardens and develops cracks (the sugar, not the ramekin).
> They don't have to be completely cold--you can proceed when they're warm
> if you can comfortably touch them (this probably takes 30 minutes).
>
> Custard choices:
>
> 2 c. milk
> 2 eggs
> 3 Tbsp. sugar
>
> and one of the following:
>
> 1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
>
> OR
>
> 1 tsp. vanilla extract
> 1/2 tsp. almond extract
>
> OR
>
> 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
> 1 tsp. lemon extract
>
> Mix custard ingredients together with a whisk.
>
> Pour into those *COOLED* (don't say I didn't warn you) ramekins.
> Place in a large pan. Add hot water to the pan to come halfway up the
> sides of the cups. Bake at 300 degrees until a knife inserted in the
> center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on
> a rack. Refrigerate.
>
> To unmold, run a knife along the edge of the flan and invert on a plate.
> That sugar that was a hard sheet on the bottom is now the proper runny
> caramel consistency.

Sorry, but I don't understand how this is any easier than the procedure I
described, not that it means that you saw my posts. Stir sugar in a pan over
medium heat until it melts and turns straw coloured, add a little water, stir
and pour into ramekins. It takes a lot less time, doesn't involve checking in
a hot oven and having to be careful with hot ramekins.

> Sorry, but I don't understand how this is any easier than the procedure I
> described, not that it means that you saw my posts. Stir sugar in a pan
> over medium heat until it melts and turns straw coloured, add a little
> water, stir and pour into ramekins. It takes a lot less time, doesn't
> involve checking in a hot oven and having to be careful with hot ramekins.

The caution in my method is to not put the hot ramekins on anything cold.
"Checking in a hot oven" isn't difficult; it involves peeking in and
looking at the color of the sugar.

All the other methods I've seen involve carefully stirring sugar,
pouring it quickly into ramekins, and having to clean out a pot with
sugar stuck on. Mine avoids all this.

Of course, we're each used to the procedure we've done in the past,
so we might find that the easier one.

I just made flan in the pressure cooker I just bought last week. I bought
it because of the thread on that topic. 8 minutes to finished flan --
unbelievable. And no hot-water bath to contend with. Thanks to all
who posted about pressure cookers.

Sandy