caramelize

verb

car·a·mel·ize ˈkär-mə-ˌlīz

ˈker-ə-mə-,

ˈka-rə-mə-

caramelized; caramelizing

transitive : to subject (sugar or the sugar content of a food) to caramelization : to change into caramel (see caramel sense 1) by heating at high temperature

… flan bathed in caramelized sugar and topped with whipped cream …—

Penelope Casas

At a restaurant, some unlucky prep cook gets to peel, slice, and caramelize bags of onions in the morning.—

Stephanie Alleyne

intransitive : to change to caramel

Fructose begins to rapidly caramelize at around 200 degrees …—

Matthew Card

: to undergo caramelization

These sweet potatoes caramelize slightly in the oven, which gives them a sweet crunch as their flesh remains creamy.—

Lesley Porcelli

Examples of caramelize in a Sentence

The onions will take five minutes to caramelize. Caramelize two cups of sugar. Continue stirring until the sugar caramelizes.

Recent Examples on the Web Cubed potatoes are wrapped in a decadently creamy, cheesy sauce that's topped with crisp, caramelized Ritz crackers for a yummy textural experience. —

Darcy Lenz, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2024 The potatoes were nicely caramelized, and our gravy was smooth and full of delicious fond. —

Lizzy Briskin, People.com, 5 Oct. 2024 The best part is that the apple filling caramelizes on the bottom of the pan to create a sticky bun-like texture. —

Nicole Hopper, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2024 Mercury will join the sun in Libra shortly after, caramelizing your communication style while heightening your powers of persuasion. —

Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for caramelize

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caramelize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.