Caramel Sauce Success

I made caramel sauce and it wasn't an accident that it turned out! For me, homemade caramel sauce is one of those things you know it's going to be tasty but the finished product is great beyond my imagination. After failing at my last attempt at making caramel sauce, here, I had many conversations with the awesome Chef Steph who suggested Cardamom Glaze for the Orange Bread. We spent lots of time talking about each step I took and what I could do differently next time I tried making caramel sauce. Thank you, Chef Steph! Here are the things I did differently and a link to the recipe I used.

1. I increased the amount of water to 1/2 cup. I think one of the problems I have had was not dissolving the sugar so some of it would start to caramelize and some of the sugar was not up at a high enough temperature and would begin to crystallize.
2. Before I tried making caramel sauce for the first time I read lots of reviews and suggestions. Some folks said it was important to use cane sugar and that you might not get the results you want with beet sugar. This time, without even thinking about it, I used the sugar that was in the pantry. It was store-brand sugar. I'm sure it was beet sugar. It worked just fine. It reacted the way I was expecting.
3. I mixed the sugar and water in a bowl first. Then, I added the sugar and water mixture to the pan. Stephanie also mentioned to make sure the sugar was dissolved before it boils. I thought to mix it in a bowl.
   
4. Before even turning the oven on, I measured the cream and let it sit out (I add the vanilla to the cream so I don't to measure anything after I add the cream to the sugar). By the time I added it to the sugar, the cream was almost room temperature. Using room temperature or slightly warmer cream was something else Stephanie the Pastry Chef highly recommended.
   
5. I set the heat higher, too. I started out a medium heat and increased it slightly when the sugar started to bubble. I think this made a huge difference.
   
6. I have no idea if this made a difference but I added the cream in thirds, not far apart.
7. When you add the cream to the sugar, a lot of steam will be generated and it is really hot. Please be careful! When you pour in the cream, don't have your hand or any fingers over the pot because the steam might burn you.
8. I used heavy whipping cream, just like I did in the failed attempt. It wasn't anything to do with the cream that made my sauce not turn out. By the way, Market of Choice has an awesome deal on heavy whipping cream. The one cup cartons were $.95 (I think I remember correctly) and the pint was $1.83.

I'm sorry I don't have step-by-step photos of the process. Once the sugar starts cooking, the whole things starts to move fairly quickly. Once the sugar is caramelizing and turning brown, it moves really fast. I hope these tips and suggestions are helpful. Enjoy!

-Ace