6 Tips for Making Caramel Corn
Curious About Making Caramel Corn?
When your customers are craving something sweet, try offering caramel corn. Covered in candy-coated confection, caramel corn is a flavorful and highly profitable snack. When making caramel corn there are different methods to choose from and certain guidelines that you should follow. Before you get started, consider these 6 tips to ensure your caramel corn is the best it can be.
1. Know Your Corn Choice
If you are new to the popcorn business, you may not know there are different types of popcorn. For caramel corn, we recommend using Monster Mushroom. This type of popcorn is a larger size, easy to coat, and less likely to break. This is compared to butterfly kernels which are light and tender and not recommended for caramelizing.
2. Experiment with Your Mixes
It is important to experiment with different mixes and see what works best for you. For cookers/mixers, Caramel Corn Treat Mixes come in different formulations. This allows you to customize your popcorn however you want. Complete Corn Treat Mixes only require you to add water. One-Step Mixes include oil already, all you need to do is add sugar and water. While with Corn Treat Concentrate Mixes, you can add your own sugar, oil, and water.
3. When in Doubt Add Butter
Butter can add extra richness to your caramel corn. You can incorporate butter at any point during the cooking process, but for the best results, we suggest stirring it in about halfway through. This timing allows the butter to blend smoothly into the caramel, creating a flavorful, well-balanced treat.
4. Avoid Stickiness
No one wants their caramel corn stuck and clumped together. To prevent this from happening use Free-N-Easy Candy Corn Separator. This lightweight spray is a necessity when making caramel corn.
To make sure the cooker is well seasoned, it is best to aim the spray at the paddles and the sidewalls of the cooker mixer. As the popcorn tumbles it will pull any residue off the sidewalls and make sure it ends up on the product. This spray will help your caramel kernels separate easily once they cool.
5. Watch Out for Humidity and Altitude
Humidity and altitude are two factors you need to consider when making caramel corn. Since humidity can make the final product sticky instead of crisp, the best way to cook caramel corn is in an air-conditioned environment. This allows you to keep the humidity level low.
For altitude, it is important to know that water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes. If you are making caramel corn at higher altitudes you may need to add a little extra water to the recipe to prevent burning and to produce consistent batches.
6. Packaging Your Caramel Corn
When getting ready to package your caramel corn, you need to make sure the product is completely cooled. If you don’t you will be trapping moisture inside the packaging. We recommend packaging your caramel corn in a window bag or clear package so your customers can see the enticing product you made.
Ready to get started on making caramel corn? Explore our equipment, accessories, and supplies. If you need advice or help getting your food business off the ground, Gold Medal can help. Contact us today.