How to clean caramelized sugar

July 18, 2005 8:17 PM

How do you clean caramelized sugar from pans or utensils? Hot water? Boiling water?
posted by BradNelson to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Best answer: This page recommends adding water, bringing to a simmer, letting sit awhile, and then cleaning. I have no experience with this, at least with caramel, though I've had to do similar things with the occasional pan used for tomato-based dishes.

As a general practice, though, I notice cooks on TV tend to deglaze their pans right off, usually with wine. I'm not sure if that's because it's better for the pans, or because it helps prevent the food sticking, or if they just like the wine. Maybe some combination of all three.
posted by Tuwa at 8:31 PM on July 18, 2005

Best answer: If it's a pan, just boil some water in it until the sugar dissolves, pour it out, and wash the pan.
posted by lackutrol at 8:41 PM on July 18, 2005

Tuwa got it in one.

However, never add water to a hot sugar syrup. That would really hurt.
posted by nenequesadilla at 8:43 PM on July 18, 2005

Response by poster: That's what I hoped. Thanks!

I think deglazing is a great way to really clean out small particles after cooking something. Not sure that it would really take out a chunk of hardened sugar though.
posted by BradNelson at 8:47 PM on July 18, 2005

No, deglazing is to dissolve all the tasty bits for incorporation into a sauce. Hence the use of wine or stock for the purpose.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:24 AM on July 19, 2005

nenequesadilla is also right, by the way, about the hot syrup. I had (apparently correctly) assumed that the pan was already cool. So the obligatory safety notice for anyone who read this in the future: keep water away from hot sugar syrups, or hot frying fats for that matter, unless you're into severe burns.
posted by lackutrol at 12:07 PM on July 19, 2005