You can use a crock pot to melt Peter’s Caramel. However, there is one thing that you should be aware of:
Caramel tends to burn easier when melted in a crock pot. Here’s why:
1. The melting point of caramel is approx 125-150 degrees F. On average, the “warm” setting on a crock pot is approx 165 degrees F: Now that you know this, you can melt the caramel in the crock pot, but not for a long amount of time. To keep the caramel from burning, you’ll need to work quickly.
2. Stir, stir, stir: Just like melting caramel over a double boiler on the stove top, it needs to be continually stirred in a crock pot to keep it from burning.
3. Although it has 3 temperature settings, a crock pot is either “on” all the way or it’s not: Since there is no way of turning the crock pot on a specific temperature, the caramel can easily crystallize and burn.
Our advice: We think the best way to melt Peter’s Caramel is in the oven. You can find out the instructions by reading this post.
Find out for yourself: Testimonial of Ashlee from Topsy Turvy
“The caramel was amazing, and I can’t wait to use the rest of it for dipping apples with my kids. I heated my block up in my crock pot on low and it was GREAT, but when I left it too long it started to burn a bit. My fault! Anything I can do so it’s not ruined? It cooled much harder than it was before.”
To answer Ashlee’s question: There is no way to salvage burned caramel. Depending upon how bad the burn, the taste should stay the same, but the consistency is very sticky, clumpy, and becomes hard to chew. To avoid burning it, your best bet is to melt it by different means. But the choice is yours.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever melted caramel in a crock pot?
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Image courtesy of I’m Topsy Turvy
