Not many people know but this blog was named after the south american treasure called Dulce de Leche. Many people still confuse Dulce de Leche for caramel but it's important for people to understand the differences between them because they don't have much in common aside from their similar color.
Dulce de leche should be considered a milk preserve because it's basically the reduction of milk (with sugar) that creates that beautiful amber color cream that can be kept for a long time in jar. After cooking for several hours the milk reduces and the sugar caramelizes, the constant stirring and the baking soda ensures that no sugar caramelizes slowly without any sugar lumps. Luckily we can buy suberb Dulce de Leche in almost any grocery store. My favorite ones are: The Fat Toad Farm from Vermont , La Salamandra from Argentina and Viçosa from Brazil (unfortunately this one is not sold in the US).