caramelize

American  

[kar-uh-muh-lahyz, kahr-muh-] / ˈkær ə məˌlaɪz, ˈkɑr mə- /

especially British, caramelise

verb (used with or without object)

caramelized, caramelizing

1. to convert or be converted into caramel.

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caramelize British  

/ ˈkærəməˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to convert or be converted into caramel

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Other Word Forms

• caramelization noun
• uncaramelized adjective

Etymology

Origin of caramelize

First recorded in 1720–30; caramel + -ize

Example Sentences

Another pasta, this time a chicken spaghetti smells like Sunday afternoons in the South: sweet onions softening in olive oil, bell peppers and celery faintly caramelizing, mushrooms releasing their earthy perfume.

From Salon

Winter really does need these tiny pockets of sweetness to brighten the bite, and whether you choose something caramelized and dense or something juicy and sharp, that contrast makes the whole thing sing.

From Salon

A soaker is their thesis statement: a triple-beige stack of crisp-edged bread surrendering to brown gravy, studded with little hunks of meat that run a satisfying gradient from fatty to caramelized.

From Salon

The best salads mix the cooked — a little caramelized onion, roasted red pepper, maybe a chopped artichoke heart — with the crisp rawness of shaved fennel, scallions or celery.

From Salon

The sugar caramelizes, the heat cuts through the sweetness, and the result is bacon you physically cannot walk away from.

From Salon