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Making & Using Caramel: Techniques & Recipes for Candies & Other Sweet Goodies. A Storey BASICS® Title
Chef Bill Collins demonstrates all the techniques you need to make caramel candies, cookies, puddings, and more, using illustrated step-by-step instructions that ensure success every time. Includes safety guidelines, troubleshooting tips, and irresistible recipes!
- GenresCookbooks
88 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 2016
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7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 23, 2017
This year for the holidays I decided I would try making caramel covered marshmallows. It was not successful. If only I had read Bill Collins Making & Using Caramel before I started.
Cookbooks are becoming totally different things before our very eyes. In the past, we relied on cookbooks to find new and interesting recipes and to help us through the process. Our current technology makes it possible to find new and interesting recipes everywhere we look online without having to purchase a cookbook. So, why would you buy a cookbook these days?
Making and Using Caramel is a good example. What we need today is a simple, yet effective books to help us learn the fine points of cooking. The recipe says not to stir. Why? The recipe says to add the vanilla at the end. Why? The answers to these kinds of questions are what we need in cookbooks today. The recipe alone is no longer the key factor. We can get a recipe anywhere. What we need is someone to explain the process, go over the technique, and help us understand the chemistry.
Making and Using Caramel is like attending a class with a knowledgeable chef who will entertain us as well as educate us. He doesn't wait to tell us what to expect. He spells out the technique first, then walks us through the process, and finally provides us with examples of how the technique can be used by providing quality recipes. You learn the "why" about the instructions, learn what can go wrong and how to prevent it, and hear about possible things you might try that are a bad idea (lick the spoon when the caramel is 300 degrees? nope).
Now, maybe I can try to make those caramel covered marshmallows, but this time with a better understanding of caramel techniques.
Cookbooks are becoming totally different things before our very eyes. In the past, we relied on cookbooks to find new and interesting recipes and to help us through the process. Our current technology makes it possible to find new and interesting recipes everywhere we look online without having to purchase a cookbook. So, why would you buy a cookbook these days?
Making and Using Caramel is a good example. What we need today is a simple, yet effective books to help us learn the fine points of cooking. The recipe says not to stir. Why? The recipe says to add the vanilla at the end. Why? The answers to these kinds of questions are what we need in cookbooks today. The recipe alone is no longer the key factor. We can get a recipe anywhere. What we need is someone to explain the process, go over the technique, and help us understand the chemistry.
Making and Using Caramel is like attending a class with a knowledgeable chef who will entertain us as well as educate us. He doesn't wait to tell us what to expect. He spells out the technique first, then walks us through the process, and finally provides us with examples of how the technique can be used by providing quality recipes. You learn the "why" about the instructions, learn what can go wrong and how to prevent it, and hear about possible things you might try that are a bad idea (lick the spoon when the caramel is 300 degrees? nope).
Now, maybe I can try to make those caramel covered marshmallows, but this time with a better understanding of caramel techniques.
January 17, 2016
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This is another great addition to the Storey Basics line of focused how-to books. Each in the series is short, to the point, and without a lot of fluff. Just what you need to get the task accomplished quickly and efficiently. Each book comes with illustrations rather than photographs and tends to be around 100 pages.Contents: Part One: Introduction to Caramel (essential equipment, main ingredients, success with caramel 101); Part Two: The Recipes (candies, brittle, and toffee, sweet and savory sauces, pieces, cakes, and other deserts); Resources, Metric Conversion Chart, Index.
There are several key issues to be aware of when making caramel and the book makes sure to cover each in depth to prevent mistakes. The tools needed are few and it's very likely that everyone has all the ingredients already in the pantry or fridge. So there is very little shopping needed in order to make the recipes that afternoon.
The recipes are a nice mix - from peanut brittle to toffee, caramel popcorn to caramel apples. All the recipes were very easy to follow and the results delicious.
In all, a nice, quick, and easy to use booklet to get one started making all kinds of caramel immediately. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
May 24, 2016
GGreat book showing than little - of a great quality - truly goes a long way!
You think you know your way around caramel? Think twice or better, try this little gem of book! It contains very detailed recipes (with more than a few cooking tips included) - and all of them seem so tasty! And they don´t stop with sweets, there is even the Asian BBQ sauce recipe included!
The process is simple, but effective and I think that even a beginner could master the art of caramel making quickly with this book. And you don´t need anything fancy - just your basic kitchen equipment and the classical ingredients (the author just recommends some quality salt and good-quality pure vanilla extract for the best results - but no preaching! :)).
I very much like this book. My only regret is that there are no photographies included (but there are some pictures to describe the basic caramel-making procedure).
Recommended!
You think you know your way around caramel? Think twice or better, try this little gem of book! It contains very detailed recipes (with more than a few cooking tips included) - and all of them seem so tasty! And they don´t stop with sweets, there is even the Asian BBQ sauce recipe included!
The process is simple, but effective and I think that even a beginner could master the art of caramel making quickly with this book. And you don´t need anything fancy - just your basic kitchen equipment and the classical ingredients (the author just recommends some quality salt and good-quality pure vanilla extract for the best results - but no preaching! :)).
I very much like this book. My only regret is that there are no photographies included (but there are some pictures to describe the basic caramel-making procedure).
Recommended!
December 5, 2015
This is my first cookbook purely for making and using caramel and I am really happy that I got the chance to review it.
Bill's description of techniques, equipment and recipes is simple, easy to follow, but kept interesting at the same time. I read this book like I would a novel, because I love cooking and was interested in all things caramel.
The recipes are easy to follow, which is usually a downfall of many cookbooks. I am only taking away half a star due to the fact that there are no pictures at the moment. I am hoping that the finished book will be accompanied by photograph of Bill's creations.
Thank you to Bill Collins, Storey Publishing and Netgalley for giving me access to this book in return for an honest opinion.
4.5/5
Bill's description of techniques, equipment and recipes is simple, easy to follow, but kept interesting at the same time. I read this book like I would a novel, because I love cooking and was interested in all things caramel.
The recipes are easy to follow, which is usually a downfall of many cookbooks. I am only taking away half a star due to the fact that there are no pictures at the moment. I am hoping that the finished book will be accompanied by photograph of Bill's creations.
Thank you to Bill Collins, Storey Publishing and Netgalley for giving me access to this book in return for an honest opinion.
4.5/5
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews