Caramel Apples

Plus, celebrating 5,000 of you!

If you’ve noticed changes to your Instagram home feed and Reels page, you’re not alone. What started as occasional suggested posts (ones from accounts you don’t follow that you could “snooze” for 30 days) has now become endemic. Now, after scrolling past 10 posts or so, at least for me, every other post is an un-snooze-able suggested post.

At some point in late spring/early summer, Instagram changed its algorithm in such a way that it spurred a rage from creators not seen since some of their infamous past changes: the switch away from reverse chronological feeds or the pivot to short-form video or Reels. I can’t open Threads (Instagram’s Twitter-like platform) without seeing other creators bemoan their dismal reach which has hit record lows.

I feel so fortunate to have a community of people who are engaged and care about home baking like I do, and I know it’s not fun to hear creators whine about this stuff, but most of our bottom lines rest in the ebbs and flows or these fickle algorithms. And unless you run a massive account (even those can struggle!) or are exceptionally good at baiting engagement, these changes make the business realities of social media harder and harder for creatives to weather. I personally have seen reach levels like I haven’t seen since I started the account five years ago. This can be humbling, but I try to remind myself that my output and work have only gotten better over the years. Every time I talk to creators, or stumble upon a Reddit thread where they discuss this trend, it’s the same story: I used to feel like there was a floor, that at the very least my work would be seen by x number of my audience. Now, there is no floor.

Instagram is now committing to what TikTok has known for a long time: We know what you’ll watch better than you do. Notice how I didn’t say “enjoy” or “feel better after watching.” Most people use the TikTok For You page, which earned a reputation for being way better at getting to know users tastes while also not flooding you with suggested posts of whales just because you liked one post about Sea World. Meanwhile, the TikTok Following tab, which has also forsaken reverse chronological order, won’t even show you all the videos you’ve missed.

At their core, these changes are about keeping you on the app for longer — whether or not what you’re watching is really what you’re after— so you can look at more ads for electric razors and buy more vacuums on TikTok Shop. (This is why I never scroll on the Reels or TikTok For You page — the rest of the app is already addictive enough!)

I recently stumbled on the video essays of strategist and university lecturer eugbrandstrat, in which he talks about branding and marketing, trends, and social media. So much of his analysis rings true, especially this video where he lays out who is succeeding on which platforms, and why.

I agree with this first sentiment about TikTok. Creators don’t own their audience there, and maybe they never did.

But I take umbrage with his opposite feelings toward Instagram. Users used to feel like they could see posts from the people they follow, in a timeline, and had the sense that they could catch up. Now, it’s common to hear people saying, “I never see posts from the accounts I used to love.” And as for creators, we can tell you that whereas the majority of views on most IG posts used to come from followers, now they come from random folks who don’t know you. (Unless of course you get really unlucky and the algorithm pushes it out to neither your followers OR the explore page, suggested posts, or the Reels feed.) That’s been the case for a while now, but with this latest update, it’s become more extreme for many creators. Similar to TikTok, you now have to claw and fight for the vast majority of your views, every time you post on Instagram.

This provides one benefit: if one of your posts blows up you could see a major bounce in followers, even if you’re a small account. But when those followers are less and less likely to see your posts, why does it matter? Why have follows at all? The audience that photographers, designers, craftspeople, artists, writers, etc. won over (for some over the course of 10, 15 years or longer!) you now you have to do that with every new set of eyeballs, every time you post.

And, if you can believe it, this does not always make for good, sustainable work or a rewarding user experience. There is no relationship-building, there is no trust that you are an expert in your field or that you’re posting in good faith. It makes it hard for any viewer to connect the content of the post to the person behind the screen because there’s no context. This only serves to drive toxic behavior and fuel dunking culture and fights in the comments, which in turn signals Miss Algo to push it out even more. It’s almost as though it would be better for everyone if creators could talk directly to their audience and didn’t have to be responsible for the thoughts, feelings and reactions of people who, before you popped up on their screen, didn’t know anything about you.

Most people doling out social media advice over the last five years have told creators to “niche down,” which is valuable in an oversaturated market LIKE FOOD VIDEOS. But if we can’t rely on our niche following even seeing our work, does that mean we have to do a 180 and become relevant and relatable to everyone again? Therein lies the cause behind the slow slog back to bottom-of-the-barrel: weird animal videos, 911 calls, engagement/enragement-bait posts, hyper-stylized aesthetic videos, aspirational lifestyle content.

And still, all that being said, a few creators I really admire are managing just fine! They’ve figured out a way to create engaging work that’s unique but still valuable, entertaining, informative. As it’s always been on social media, everyone else has to get with it, give up and move on to another platform — or maybe switch up their business entirely.

That brings me to one of many good things about having this Substack, which blasted past 5,000 subscribers this past week!!!! You can rely on recipes, tips and tricks, recommendations, etc. being sent right to your inbox so you don’t miss them in the chaos of social media. (Okay, to be fair, I’m sure some of your inboxes are chaotic.) And I can rely on a certain number of folks being delivered my work three or four times a month. (This is also why paid members help keep this whole train running — in addition to unlocking access to the whole archive of recipes and keeping the free recipes and tips and videos coming for everyone else!)

Sometimes people laugh when I say the “easygayoven community” — it’s kind of like your boss saying your team is a family — but I actually do want to treat this whole operation like a community for home bakers. (Like, go use the chat feature on Substack! Let’s talk in there!) It’s just a nicer way to think about an email list or followers on Instagram. I can complain all day about how platforms screw over users and creators alike, but I find solace in the folks like you who make the recipes, share them with your friends and family, write to me with questions or feedback (I try to answer all of them!), and read my long rants like this one. So thanks for being here!

This Week’s Recipe

If you’re friends are talking about renting a car, going upstate and spending a fortune to be chased around by cider-hungry bees and get some stale donuts, you know it’s apple-picking season! So I’m re-upping this recipe in case you’ve recently come into some good apples whether you plucked them yourself or just braved your local farmer’s market. I like Granny Smith for these, but of course any variety works.

Three things that will help you: 1) You need to wash store-bought apples extra-thoroughly because they sometimes have a waxy coating that will make caramel slide right off. 2) Caramel clings better to chilled apples, so stick them in the fridge for an hour before getting started dipping. 3) It helps to have a candy or digital thermometer for this recipe unless you are familiar with identifying the firm-ball stage in candy-making, which I also give instructions for below.

Toppings are optional. I give a few ideas, but the possibilities are endless! These are best enjoyed within an hour or two but you can keep them wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge.

Caramel Apples

Makes 4 or 5 caramel apples

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water (57 grams)

• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (260 grams)

• 1/2 cup light corn syrup (156 grams)

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature (113 grams)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla or the seeds from half a vanilla bean

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28 grams)

• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• 4 or 5 medium Granny Smith apples 

• Thick wooden skewers 

• White chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

• M&Ms, crushed Oreos or crushed peanuts (optional)

Directions

1. Scrub apples thoroughly with warm water. Dry completely. 

2. Line a half-sheet tray with greased parchment paper or a silicone mat.

3. Skewer each of the apples near the stem. Chill them in the refrigerator for a half hour or so. 

4. Before making the caramel, ensure you have all ingredients out, measured and ready to go.

5. Make the caramel. Combine water, corn syrup and sugar in a saucepan and then cook over medium-low heat.

6. Once the sugar mixture turns a deep amber color and you begin to see wisps of smoke, take it off the heat. 

7. Immediately pour in the heavy cream and butter, stirring vigorously until it all comes together. Be careful as it can bubble up and steam quite a bit. Mix in salt and vanilla. 

8. Return the caramel to the stovetop and cook on medium-low until a candy or instant-read thermometer reads 245-249°F. (Alternatively, drop a spoonful of the hot caramel into cold water and form it into a ball. The ball should be firm but pliable.)

9. Pour caramel into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, or a tall vessel wide enough to dunk the apples.

10. Let caramel cool to about 200°F. Dunk each apple about three-fourths of the way up, then scrape off the excess from the bottom. Place on the prepared sheet and repeat. 

11. Let the caramel cool completely before drizzling in melted dark and white chocolate, or covering in M&Ms or crushed peanuts.