Caramel vs Butterscotch
Caramel and Butterscotch are two types of confectionery that show some difference between them when it comes to the manner of their preparation and taste as well. It is indeed true that both butterscotch and caramel are popular in their own way. Caramel candy is prepared by the use of caramelized or slightly burnt sugar. On the other hand, butterscotch is a type of confectionery that makes use primarily of brown sugar and butter. This is one of the main differences between caramel and butterscotch. These differences as well as the method of preparing each delicacy will be discussed in this article for your perusal.
What is Caramel?
White granular sugar is the main ingredient in caramel though you can use brown sugar too. Caramel is beige prepared by the heating of variety of sugars to dark brown confection. As a matter of fact caramel is used for flavor in the preparation of puddings and desserts. It is sometimes used as topping for the ice creams. Caramel is mostly used as fillings in chocolates.
Creme caramel
Sugar is boiled to the light caramel stage to dark caramel stage in the preparation of caramel. This is between 320 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In Celsius, this is around 170 degrees Celsius. Color and flavor get into the preparation as the sugar melts. The breakdown of molecules also takes place in the process. There are various caramel products such as caramel apples, caramel nuts and caramel custard.
What is Butterscotch?
Although brown sugar and butter are the primary ingredients in the preparation of butterscotch it has other ingredients too in corn syrup, vanilla, cream and salt. Corn syrup brings the chewiness to butterscotch. Cream is added to the mixture when you want to make a butterscotch sauce. In fact, the ingredients mentioned above are used in the preparation of toffees as well. Hence, it is no hyperbole that both butterscotch and toffees are prepared almost similarly. However, there is a difference between butterscotch and toffee though both use the same ingredients. Butterscotch is made by boiling butter and brown sugar until soft-crack stage of the candy thermometer. However, to make toffee from the same mixture, you have to boil the ingredients until hard-crack stage of the candy thermometer.
Butterscotch Hard Candy
Sugar is greatly boiled in the preparation of butterscotch. In fact, sugar is boiled between 270 and 288 degrees Fahrenheit. It is boiled to the soft crack stage in the preparation of butterscotch.
What is the difference between Caramel and Butterscotch?
• Main ingredient in caramel is white granular sugar while brown sugar can also be used. Main ingredients in butterscotch are brown sugar and butter.
• To make butterscotch, butter and brown sugar are boiled until soft crack stage. To make caramel, sugar is boiled until light caramel and dark caramel stages of the candy thermometer. This is also an interesting difference between caramel and butterscotch.
• In degrees, for butterscotch, butter and brown sugar are boiled between 270 and 288 degrees Fahrenheit and for caramel, sugar is boiled between 320 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• By boiling the butterscotch mixture until hard-crack stage in the candy thermometer we can make toffee.
Images Courtesy:
- Creme caramel via Wikicommons (Public Domain)
- Butterscotch hard candy by Evan-Amos (CC BY-SA 3.0)
