Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan

When handling dangerously hot caramel, a heavy-bottomed pan is essential to reduce the risk of splashing and it has the added benefit of ensuring even heat distribution. I have several of these pans and the best ones are lined with white enamel, which allows me to gauge the color of the caramel as it goes through its various stages.

Even if I’m only preparing a small amount of caramel, I still use a medium-sized pan. This is because a larger surface makes it easier to monitor the caramelization.

To clean the pans, fill with hot water and let them soak to dissolve the sugar. Even when I’ve burned the pan and the sugar beyond recognition, when the kitchen is filled with billowing clouds of black smoke, and the caramel looks like bubbling black lava, I’ve always managed successfully to get the pan clean.