caramelize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
caramelizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
caramelized,
past participle, past
-
caramelizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
caramelizesimple
-
caramelizessimple
-
have caramelizedperfect
-
has caramelizedperfect
-
am caramelizingprogressive
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are caramelizingprogressive
-
is caramelizingprogressive
-
have been caramelizingperfect progressive
-
has been caramelizingperfect progressive
Past
-
caramelizedsimple
-
had caramelizedperfect
-
was caramelizingprogressive
-
were caramelizingprogressive
-
had been caramelizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of caramelize
Explanation
To caramelize is to slowly cook a food until it turns sweet, nutty, and brown. You can also caramelize pure sugar, or cook it until it melts, becoming golden-brown, sweet, and thick. When a cook caramelizes chopped onion, she gently cooks it in butter or oil, usually for a long time at a low temperature, until the sugars in the onion begin to brown and become very sweet. She caramelizes sugar by cooking it until it melts and reaches a certain temperature. The verb caramelize comes from caramel, or "burnt sugar" in French.
Vocabulary lists containing caramelize
Blanch, Poach, and Scald: Cooking Methods
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Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet
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When Clouds Touch Us
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
You can caramelize the corn in a skillet, but if you prefer it with a late-summer-smoky-char, cook the shucked cobs on the grill before cutting off the kernels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Some wrap their ham in foil to prevent drying out, but this can hinder the glaze’s ability to caramelize.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
If you can nail the cook on the skirt steak, caramelize the onions to perfection and do a flawless garlic aioli, you have a sandwich that you’ll crave for the rest of your life.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2024
Zucchini, on the other hand, with its high moisture content, needs plenty of roasting time for the juices to condense, then caramelize.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2024
Laughing as they chop onions and caramelize them with garam masala and turmeric and ginger and garlic, trying to replicate my nanni’s kheema.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
The latter involves building a “cheese wall” around the perimeter of a cast-iron skillet, which crisps and caramelizes while baking in a very hot oven.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
The sugar in glazes caramelizes in the oven, adding deep sweet-savory notes and intensifying browning.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 19, 2023
Grilling brings out the sweetness and caramelizes the natural sugars in the peaches.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2023
A final coating of brown sugar and honey, speckled with mustard seeds, caramelizes onto the ham in the oven.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2022
In doing so, the sugar in the sweetened coconut caramelizes for a greater depth of flavor, and the crisp texture it adds plays nicely with the soft and fluffy cake and frosting.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 2022
Inside, tuna and onion cooked slowly until savory hits sweet, almost caramelized.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
I tend to order tartare whenever I see it, and Redbird’s version stands out: served over a crisp potato tosti with caramelized onion crema, egg jam, pickled pearl onion, and shaved marrow.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2026
Roast for about 30 minutes or until the edges are brown and caramelized.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026
A caramelized garlic steak bowl sells for $17.95, and a garden cobb salad is $15.75.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
He takes a bite of it, tearing the caramelized pink flesh with his teeth.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Have a listen while you’re caramelizing or grilling the corn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Roasting, grilling or caramelizing can bring out natural flavors in foods.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
The near-direct heat chars the peaks of the skewered meat, and the valleys catch little pools of caramelizing sauce.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 11, 2023
In response to Coffey, chef Thomasina Miers' suggested caramelizing turnips in butter.
From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2023
When sugar is caramelizing, it reaches a high temperature.
From School and Home Cooking by Carlotta Cherryholmes Greer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
