Caramel, Part II: If You're Going To Fail, Fail Spectacularly.

I'm cavalier with recipes. But sometimes in the kitchen, as in life, this will get you bitchslapped.

Though I managed to produce an interesting but impractical slurry, as caramel it was a complete and utter disaster. I confess I was just trying to eyeball it and guess when the mixture bubbling on the stove was hot enough to be caramel, which I can testify does not work, so don't try it.

Perhaps there are caramel masters sitting high atop mountains who can make caramel without a thermometer. I am not one of them.

I am often the object of the charity of my friends Paul and Elda, and in this case, after listening to me complain and probably to shut me up, they gave me a spare candy thermometer, and also a high quality steel loaf pan which I used to cool subsequent batches.

And then, somewhat more humble, I went back to the computer and did some research.