What is the best equipment for cooking caramels

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on April 8, 2012 at 7:36pm

Daniel -

What kinds of production quantity are you talking about? Induction burners can be made to work (you should overbuy wattage), but if you're making a LOT you might want to look into something like aSavage Bros FireMixer 14 or 92.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Herskovic on April 8, 2012 at 9:36pm

Thanks for making me aware of such equipment. I probably would want to make a batch of caramel that could fit at least a six foot cooling table (more equipment I don't know much about). I'd be curious to hear what other members use...

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on April 9, 2012 at 12:52pm

Daniel:

You're probably not going to be able to make batches of caramel that size on an induction burner efficiently and cost-effectively. Best to invest in a machine specifically designed to make caramel in those quantities. Consider electric models because, depending on where you are (and you have to check w/ local authorities) you may not need special venting and fire suppression. Gas units may require a hood at least.

Savage Bros also make water-jacketed cooling tables.

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Permalink Reply by Kim Bahr on April 8, 2012 at 10:34pm

What would you classify as "overbuying wattage"?

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on April 9, 2012 at 12:44pm

Kim: Many induction burners have cut-off switches that turn the burner off when a certain temperature is reached for a certain time. When you have to get huge masses of sugar hot for a long time, it's common for the burners to turn themselves off to keep them from overheating.

If I was going to be making a lot of caramel, I would purchase the highest wattage (2000 minimum) 220V professional unit I could.

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Permalink Reply by Kim Bahr on April 9, 2012 at 1:17pm

Thanks for the info.

We were looking at one that is 1800 watt and not 220V, but would only plan on doing a few small batches a week.

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Permalink Reply by cheebs on April 9, 2012 at 1:39pm

We use the 1800w (120v) for small batches about three to five times a week.  For larger batches I just purchased a 3000w 220v model that does the job very well.  However, this still is only capable of making medium-sized batches (2-3 kilos) efficiently.  A used Firemixer would probably be a very good investment if you want to cook 25-kilo batches.

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