You don’t need to be a professional to master the different stages of cooking with sugar. Just take a few simple precautions. Roll up your sleeves and have fun! You’ll soon know everything about syrup, caramel and topping!

Do you have to right cooking utensils?

Firstly, make sure you have all the right equipment.

    * a flat, heavy-based pan, preferably made from non-tinned copper (it conducts the heat better) or at least stainless steel,
    * a bowl of very cold water (add a few ice cubes) to test the consistency of the syrup,
    * a marble top or silicone mat,
    * a brush and spatulas,
    * a skimmer,
    * coffee filters

You are ready? Then let’s start cooking.

Choose your ingredients!

They are several types of sugar. It’s best to use white caster sugar or lump sugar. Why are sugar lumps more practical? Simply because you don’t need to weight them, and they soak up water easily. The most pure sugar, white sugar is less likely to cluster, that is, to crystallize, on contact with impurities.


Have some water, lemon juice, cider vinegar or alcohol handy. This will help avoid crystallization during cooking. Butter, milk or honey slow the process by thickening the syrup. Chef’s tip: add one of these products at the start of cooking to avoid any bad surprises.

Chef’s advice

Advice and tips are always welcome in the kitchen. Check that you have a low, regular, even source of heat.  Heat the sugar, water and anti-crystallizing ingredient (lemon, neutral vinegar) together. Rock the pan

Until the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn up the heat to full. When it reaches boiling point, clean the sides of the pan with a damp brush to avoid crystallization during cooking. When the cooking is completed, switch off the heat and dip the pan in cold water. Congratulations! Don’t wait too long before tasting your syrup!

Mistakes to avoid

Don’t cook too much sugar in one go. You might not be able to use all of the syrup before it hardens. The ideal proportions are: 250 g of sugar, a glass of water and a tablespoon of lemon juice or neutral vinegar. Do not stir during cooking.


The key to success is to rock the pan occasionally to distribute the heat evenly. If you cook the syrup for too long, very carefully add a few drops of cold water. Beware: once the syrup starts to colour, nothing can be done to save it. So keep your eyes peeled!

Tip

You might be wondering how you know when the syrup is cooked. The syrup will be too hot to touch once it starts to pearl. Remove a teaspoon of syrup and dip it quickly into cold, clean water. Touch the sugar between your thumb and forefinger to test its consistency.