Whats the difference between carmel and caramel?

If you’re confused, don’t read this question:

Officially, caramel is the candy and Carmel is the city in CA or the Mt. in Israel..

Are you asking which is the correct way to pronounce caramel?
Both car-mel and care-uh-mel are correct. And both are spelled the same.

Really? I always though “carmel” was a slurry kind of underclass pronunciation.
Call me a snob. I don’t mind at all, ‘cause it’s true.

/ˈkærəmɛl/

The difference is one vowel. An ‘A’.

To me, caramel would be the candy, and carmel would be cooking (caramelized).

@ERic; correct on part one, and correct on part two of part two.. The cooking process is caramelization and the geographical sites are Carmel. Just ask Clint Eastwood.

As I see it, carmel is straight heated sugar. Like on roasted nuts.

Caramel is full of yummy chemicals that make it goopy and delicious. Think caramel in candy bars.

I can assure you that to anyone in the confectionery world, there is no such thing as “carmel”. Caramel is sugar that has been cooked to the point of molecular breakdown. The brown color comes from the carbon liberated by the dying sugar molecules.

If you allow the caramel to cool at this point, it will set as a hard, brittle solid. If you add a liquid (milk, cream, water…) at the end of cooking, the caramel will stiffen upon cooling, but never harden completely. That’s what the little Kraft caramels are.

@Gail, not this time, I don’t think. CARml is how some people pronounce what is
rightly spelt (!), and said, thus: CA-ramel. Car-MEL is the town mayored by Clint E.

The rest of you slurry underclass carmel-sayers, you must trust Harp. He is an
legitimate reliable Expert.
This is our big chance as a community to improve ourselves. Are we going to let it
pass us by?

Caramel. Period.

Let me clarify: I meant “caramel” in part one of section two of my answer, but I spelled it “carmel” to indicate pronounciation. I should have been more clear.