What is browning, and what is it used for?

Browning is a dark sugar syrup made by burning sugar and thinning with water. It is used to give sauces (as well as soups and pan juices) a deeper brown color, without adding any flavor beyond a faint caramel bitterness.

How is it made according to the 1914 recipe?

2 kg sugar and 1 tablespoon of water are stirred in a frying pan over the heat until the sugar is dark brown. Then it is thinned little by little with 1 1/2 liters of boiling water, cooked down to a syrup, cooled, and poured into jars or bottles.

Why must the water be boiling when you thin it?

Because the burned sugar mass is very hot; cold water makes it splatter and set into lumps. Boiling water added a little at a time dissolves the caramel evenly and safely.

How long does the browning keep?

Because it is a dense sugar syrup, it keeps for a long time in a tightly closed jar or bottle — the recipe is meant precisely to make a large stock to draw from as needed.

Browning for sauces (caramel coloring)

Erken's sauce browning (caramel coloring): 2 kg sugar is burned dark brown with 1 tbsp water in a frying pan, carefully thinned with 1.5 l boiling water, cooked down to a syrup, cooled, and bottled.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 353 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Browning — burned sugar — was the housewife's means of giving sauces and soups a dark, appetizing color before ready-made sauce browning became common. It was cooked in large batches and stored in bottles.

How to make it

1
Burn the sugar
Stir the sugar with 1 tablespoon of water in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over the heat until the sugar is dark brown.
2
Thin with boiling water
Thin little by little with the boiling water. Be careful — the mixture sputters violently.
3
Cook down
Let the mixture cook down to a syrup.
4
Cool and bottle
Cool the browning and pour it into jars or bottles.

Changes from the original

Measurements modernized. The amount of water is read as 1½ liters (OCR unclear). The steps have been written out in modern language; "stekepande" is kept as frying pan/heavy-bottomed pan.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

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Frequently asked questions

What is browning, and what is it used for?: Browning is a dark sugar syrup made by burning sugar and thinning with water. It is used to give sauces (as well as soups and pan juices) a deeper brown color, without adding any flavor beyond a faint caramel bitterness.
How is it made according to the 1914 recipe?: 2 kg sugar and 1 tablespoon of water are stirred in a frying pan over the heat until the sugar is dark brown. Then it is thinned little by little with 1 1/2 liters of boiling water, cooked down to a syrup, cooled, and poured into jars or bottles.
Why must the water be boiling when you thin it?: Because the burned sugar mass is very hot; cold water makes it splatter and set into lumps. Boiling water added a little at a time dissolves the caramel evenly and safely.
How long does the browning keep?: Because it is a dense sugar syrup, it keeps for a long time in a tightly closed jar or bottle — the recipe is meant precisely to make a large stock to draw from as needed.

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