# What's the difference between butterscotch and caramel? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269 "2001-08-14T21:29:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/1 "2001-08-14T21:29:10Z")
The question is pretty self-explanatory. Is butterscotch just a particular type of caramel? There are all different kinds of things that are called caramel, so what’s the difference? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/2 "2001-08-14T21:47:14Z")
Well, one of the chickies at DairyQueen told me that butterscotch is served hot while caramel is served cold, so I guess in the world of soft-serve, that’s the difference. Al. ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/3 "2001-08-14T21:59:39Z")
I have recipes for both butterscotch candies and caramels. The diffence between the two is that butterscotch is basically sugar, a little butter and a little water. Generally, what you use to make a basic caramel sauce, but butterscotch is usually cooked a little longer to get a different consistency and hardness. Caramels are basically sugar, a little butter, cream and corn syrup. Butterscotch is normally never flavored, but caramels can be flavored with all kinds of stuff: Vanilla, maple, chocolate, almond, etc. They are very similar, but they do taste different when you make them. I don’t know if there is an accepted difference between the two, but hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/4 "2001-08-14T22:03:33Z")
To make caramel, you need to heat the sugar until it … caramelizes. And caramel usually doesn’t have butter in it. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/5 "2001-08-14T23:16:59Z")
A friend of mine made what he called caramel by boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a large pot of water for about two hours. To my surprised relief, the can didn’t burst. The contents did taste like caramel. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/6 "2001-08-14T23:50:04Z")
I’ve done that with the sweetened condensed milk, but I wouldn’t quite call the results caramel. And no, the can won’t burst. I believe butterscotch is made with molasses & butter, where as caramel is made from granulated white sugar (that has been caramelized) and butter. Whatever the process, they are certainly two very distinctly flavors. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2001, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/7 "2001-08-14T23:56:37Z")
Basically, the only difference I can see when I’m putting them on sundaes is as follows: 1. Butterscotch is yellow, and caramel is tan. 2. Caramel is thicker than butterscotch. 3. Butterscotch comes in small bins and caramel comes in big bins. 4. Butterscotch is ladled and caramel is pumped. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/8 "2001-08-15T00:09:56Z")
Okay I got off my butt and checked my cook’s encyclopedia. > [@](#): > > Caramel: (Burned Sugar) > A substance prepared by heating sugar very slowly until it is dark brown in color; when water is added it produces a dark brown liquid. Commercially it is used for coloring gravy, fruitcakes, wines, beers, vinegars, soups, sauces, etc. If the caramel is heated for a shorter time, instead of becoming bitter it will retain its sweet taste, making an agreeable flavoring for cakes, custards & candies. > [@](#): > > Butterscotch: > A variety of toffee, made from butter, brown sugar or molasses & water. The term is also applied to foods flavored with brown sugar or molasses. Sigh. So now I guess we need to know what toffee is. _flip-flip-flip_ > [@](#): > > Toffee: > A simple sugar mixture boiled to 310°F. The majority of toffees contain butter, but some are made from only sugar & water, with flavoring & sometimes coloring. And flipping through my candy cookbooks, it looks like you can get a wide variety of flavors from sugar & water, depending on how long & at what temperature you cook it. ---
**Author:** ![Evno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c68b51/32.png) [@Evno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evno)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/9 "2001-08-15T00:17:47Z")
I think they taste different. But I also think that Dr. Pepper tastes like cherry-rootbeer. Hmm… ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/10 "2001-08-15T01:48:39Z")
Hmmm…so it seems that my surmise is correct. “Caramel” refers to any substance that contains heated, browned sugar. It seems to me that Butterscotch is simply a subset of the caramel rainbow. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/11 "2001-08-15T02:03:38Z")
Butterscotch is sort of sweeter, I think. But Caramel is richer. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/12 "2001-08-15T03:47:18Z")
Hijack What is the difference between “Car-Mel” and “Care-a-mel”? ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/13 "2001-08-15T15:42:47Z")
Well, Carmel is a town in California. Famous for its former mayor, Clint Eastwood. The photographer Ansel Adams also used to live there. But that’s probably way off topic… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/14 "2001-08-15T16:25:50Z")
Probably just another one of those amusing Anglo-American terminology mix-ups, but it sounds to me like you’re talking about butterscotch _sauce_ and caramel _sauce_ - butterscotch is a hard, crunchy thing (similar to the centre of Dime/Daim bars, caramel is a soft chewy toffee-like thing. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/15 "2001-08-15T17:02:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lemur866 \* > \*\*Hmmm…so it seems that my surmise is correct. “Caramel” refers to any substance that contains heated, browned sugar. It seems to me that Butterscotch is simply a subset of the caramel rainbow. \*\* No, caramel is made with burned ( **browned** , if you prefer) sugar, while butterscotch is made with [**brown** sugar](http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20000707.html), which is white sugar mixed with molasses. Not the same thing at all. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/16 "2001-08-15T17:17:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by \*\*\*Markxxx \*\* > Hijack > > What is the difference between “Car-Mel” and “Care-a-mel”? This was discussed in About This Message Board of all places. See the thread: [So, the maintainance…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=79327) [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/17 "2001-08-15T18:36:44Z")
I don’t think brown v. white sugar has much to do with it; the _Oxford Companion to Food_ (Davidson, 1999) focuses on the texture: > [@](#): > > **Butterscotch** a very crisp form of _toffee_ containing butter, and sometimes also milk or cream…The origin of the name is unknown, but it does not appear to have any direct link with Scotland. > [@](#): > > **Toffee** the modern British name for a sweet formerly called ‘taffy’. … The basic form of British toffee is made from a syrup of sugar and butter with some addition to inhibit crystallization, such as syrup or treacle in place of part of the sugar, or an acid such as lemon juice. It is cooked to the soft or hard crack stage…with little or no stirring, and is poured straight out to set without pulling or other working. Many kinds of additions and flavourings are possible; treacle, nuts, chocolate, cream or sour cream, mint flavouring, and even whisky are among those used…see also _brittle_; _caramel_… [quote] **Caramel** a food product used both as a brown colouring and for its bitter-sweet flavour, is produced in the final stage of sugar boiling when sugar is heated above 170 C(340 F). The exact temperature at which caramel begins to form depends on the composition of the sugar…[discussion of caramelizing in other foods, such as vegetables] **caramel colouring** has several uses [such as]…gravy browning…Caramel is used extensively in **confectionary** …[most familiarly] as meaning a kind of toffee. Caramels and toffee are based on similar recipes, using sugar syrup enriched with milk, butter or cream, and the choice of name for a particular confection in this category may appear arbitrary. This is recognized by confectioners, and stated i _Skuse’s Complete Confectioner_ (13th edn, 1957): "The difference between toffee and caramel is essentially one of texture and the two types of confection merge into one another without any clear dividing line. \*\*Toffee should be hard, ‘chewy’, unlike butterscotch which is hard and brittle; caramel is soft-eating with a clean fracture.’ That clear :D? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/18 "2001-08-15T18:46:13Z")
I don’t think you can label either one a health food, can you? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/19 "2001-08-15T18:57:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kamandi \* > \*\*A friend of mine made what he called caramel by boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a large pot of water for about two hours. To my surprised relief, the can didn’t burst. The contents did taste like caramel. \*\* Evidently, if a can of sweetened condensed milk is left alone long enough, it will turn into a caramel-like substance on its own. Being in a house with no A/C probably sped up the process. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269/20 "2001-08-15T20:04:48Z")
Isn’t “sweetened condensed milk” a redundancy? If it’s not sweetened, it’s not condensed, but evaporated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-butterscotch-and-caramel/76269.md?page=2)