Fudge

[mum2A&L]

If it comes out with a texture more like toffee what am i doing wrong? do i need to 'boil' it for longer? beat it after for longer? more milk / sugar?

 

[pilkers]

I think that might be down to temperature. It might not be getting hot enough. Do you have a jam thermometer???

 

[mum2A&L]

I think that might be down to temperature. It might not be getting hot enough. Do you have a jam thermometer???

Nooooo.... where can i get one of them from?

 

[pilkers]

anywhere really. I got mine from a local mill shop type place. But bigger superstores should have them... Mine was about 3 quid.

Some fudge recipes need the fudge to be heated to a certain temperature. You can test the fudge using the ball and water method...

The temperature is what separates hard caramel from fudge. The higher the peak temperature, the more sugar is dissolved, the more water is evaporated; resulting in a higher sugar to water ratio. Before the availability of cheap and accurate thermometers, cooks would use the ice water test, also known as the cold water test, to determine the saturation of the candy. Fudge is made at the "soft ball" stage which varies by altitude and ambient humidity from 235 °F (113 °C) to 240 °F (116 °C).

If your fudge is too soft, it wasn't cooked long enough or at a high enough temperature. You can refrigerate it to help make it harder. If your fudge is too hard, you either cooked it too long or at too high of a temperature and there is nothing that can be done to save it. We suggest using the "soft ball test" when making fudge to help ensure proper cooking. See below.

What is the "soft ball test"?

It is a test to see if the fudge has been cooked to the proper stage. Before you start cooking, fill a small dish with ice water and set aside. After you have brought the recipe to a full boil for 4 minutes, dribble a few drops of the mixture into the ice water from a wooden spoon. After it cools in the water (about 10 seconds), you should be able to roll it into small ball with your finger tips. If you put it in your mouth, it will be slightly chewy. If it passes these tests, you are done and should remove the mixture from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Otherwise, cook for another 30 seconds and try the test again. Most of the time, cooking time will not exceed 5 minutes.

Hope that helps

 

[lisa&alex]

i would say you are heating to long and its getting just past soft ball stage..my neighbour made us chocolate and nut fudge.. its lovely! we made them, rockyroad mmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Suzie and Faith]

here is a recipe for a fudge that comes out more crumbly - a butter tablet sort of texture.
It's from the net mums site and can be made with a MICROWAVE i've just made it and it is YUM
http://www.netmums.com/h/n/FOOD/recipes/ALL/877//

 

[Jaidy]

I made some fudge the other week and it was that crap it didnt even set ....so I cant offer any advice. Good luck!!!

 

[mum2A&L]

thanks for all the advice ladies. Im going to have another attempt today. I really want to make some to be able to take into work on wed - last day ritual and all.


One site i looked at the other week mentioned the soft ball stage... i had NOOOO idea what it meant!


If i wanted to add things like nuts etc, what stage would i add them? when i mix it after it had cooled?


If i wanted to make Jack daniels fudge - how much do you recon i would need?

 

[Melly+2]

did it turn out ok hun? never made fudge as i dont like it but hope it went well

 

[mum2A&L]

it did... We did it once, and it didn't want to set, so save wasting it, we put it back in the pan for a bit longer, tried again and it was LOVELY!!


didn't quite match the rum truffles i normaly make over xmas, but it did me

 

[Melly+2]

haha thats ace, i dont do stuff like this, i dont know how to make a cake so this would definatly go tits up for me

 

[mum2A&L]

cakes are easy.

(apart from the one i tried to make in the microwave that kinda exploded and coated the whole inside of my microwave!! )

 

[Melly+2]

cake in the microwave, sounds like my kinda thing i cant be trusted with cake, i get the ones out of a box and i never knew you were supposed to make butter icing with icing sugar and not normal sugar, you can just imagine