Should You Stir When Making Caramel?

Should you stir caramel as it cooks? Stirring caramel as it cooks isn't necessary—and it can even be detrimental, as it can cause the sugar solution to splash onto the sides of the pan, where the water will evaporate quickly and the sugar can form back into crystals.

Why shouldnt you stir caramel?

When making caramel, especially wet caramel, your main nemesis will be the sugar's natural tendency to recrystallize. The sugar crystals have jagged edges and, even after liquefying, want to regroup into a solid mass. Stirring a wet caramel encourages these crystals to hook up—and cause clumping.

Why is my sugar crystallizing when making caramel?

A "wet" caramel uses water and sugar; it cooks more slowly, but is prone to crystallising. Sometimes, as syrup boils, sugar starts to form back into crystals, which turn hard and cloudy. Crystallisation can be caused by stirring, or a grain of something other than sugar getting into the pan, or often just bad luck.