PSA: my bundt pan lid slipped and now my kitchen smells like burnt sugar forever

I tried making a caramel glaze for a bundt cake last night and the whole thing seized up then burned in like 45 seconds flat. The smoke alarm went off and my wife walked in asking if I was trying to recreate a crime scene. Has anyone else had caramel turn on them that fast or did I just get cursed by the sugar gods?

2 comments

2 Comments

josephmartin1mo ago

Man, that warm water trick is gold, but I swear my kitchen still smells like burnt sugar every time I even think about caramel!

taylor.hayden1mo ago

Last month I tried the same thing with a brown butter caramel and it went from shiny to grainy in about 30 seconds. I pulled it off the heat the second I saw it start to clump and dumped in a splash of warm cream. That saved maybe half of it, but the rest was a brick in the bottom of my pan. Now I always keep a glass of warm water next to the stove when I make caramel. If it seizes, I add a spoonful at a time and whisk like crazy over low heat. It wont fix a full burn, but it can rescue you right at that line before it goes dark.