Boil until the mixture reaches 234°F on a candy thermometer. Stir gently throughout the entire boiling time. Note: If you do not have a candy thermometer, allow the mixture to boil for 7 or 8 minutes but do not exceed 9 minutes.
How do you know when fudge is done boiling?
Use a candy thermometer or conduct a cold water test to check if the fudge is done. Do not rely on the cooking time indicated in your recipe. The fudge is ready when a candy thermometer reads between 112 to 114 °C (234 to 237 °F) or the mixture forms a soft ball in cold water.
How long do you boil fudge to get to soft ball stage?
Combine sugar and milk in a small pot and cook over medium high heat. Stir continuously while the mixture boils for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of boiling, check to see if the ‘soft ball stage’ has occurred.
Do you Stir fudge while it boils?
Don’t stir the fudge Shaking or stirring the fudge mixture while it’s boiling or cooling causes premature crystal growth. If the crystals form too early, they continue to grow and become too large. Let it cool Start beating the fudge only when it has cooled down to 110°F. It will be glossy and dark brown.
What happens if you boil fudge too long?
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won’t evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won’t contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
Why isn’t my fudge thickening?
Fudge usually behaves this way when it’s not cooked to a high enough temperature (due to oversight or a faulty candy thermometer). If your fudge is tough, hard, or grainy, then you may have made one of several mistakes: You may have overcooked it, beaten it too long, or neglected to cool it to the proper temperature.
How do you know when fudge is done without a thermometer?
You don’t have a thermometer? You can always do the ‘cold water test’: drop a small amount of hot syrup in a glass of cold water. As it falls to the bottom of the glass, the syrup cools and forms into a ball. Remove the ball from the water and check its consistency with your fingers.
Why did my fudge turn out like caramel?
Fudge often turns into a chewy caramel-like texture because incorrect temperatures were reached. The ideal temperature for the fudge to cook at is 232-234°F (111-112°C). Anything more or less will change the texture completely.
Why is my fudge not setting?
When your fudge isn’t setting properly, the culprit is typically going to be that the temperature wasn’t right. If your fudge is sticky or overly gummy, then it likely wasn’t cooked to a high enough temperature.
What happens if you don’t beat fudge?
The ingredients for fudge are combined and cooked to 234 degrees, cooled to 110 degrees without stirring, then beaten until creamy. Candy that isn’t cooked long enough will end up too soft; overcooking makes fudge crumbly or hard. High-quality fudge has many small crystals.
What is the secret to making fudge?
Here are some tips to help you make your best fudge:
- Too big is better than too small. There needs to be a lot of extra space in the saucepan you choose to make your fudge in to give the ingredients room to expand.
- Check the consistency.
- Stop stirring.
- Don’t try to salvage all of it.
- If you want to forego sugar crystals.
Why is my homemade fudge soft?
Fudge will be soft if the temperature of the mixture or the amount of time that it is boiled is not correct. Most fudge recipes specify the exact temperature that the mixture must reach. If it is not boiled long enough or does not get hot enough, the result will be soft fudge.
How can I get my fudge to harden?
Use powdered sugar. Instead of adding evaporated milk, add some powdered sugar and remix your fudge batter. The powdered sugar can help the fudge set and harden if it is resistant to doing so.
Why is my fudge sticky and chewy?
Chewy and Gooey
If you boil the fudge to a temperature lower than 232 F, your fudge will retain extra moisture, which can make it chewy or in extreme cases, prevent it from setting at all. If the temperature goes much beyond 234 F, the fudge’s final texture will be hard, dry and crumbly.
How do you make fudge chewy?
Nuts add a little crunch to the soft fudge while dried fruits add a chewy texture.
When should I stop beating fudge?
Once cool, beat the fudge until it begins to thicken and has lost its glossiness. What is this? Just as not stirring was important during the cooking stage, beating now is very important. Stirring controls the size of the sugar crystals that form and this keeps the fudge from getting grainy.
What consistency should fudge be before setting?
Points to remember
You know it’s ready when a small amount of the mixture dropped into a glass of cold water sets into a soft ball that you can lift out with a teaspoon and pinch between your fingers.
Should fudge set in the fridge?
As a general rule, place fudge in the refrigerator in order to get it to harden. This process should take about two to three hours. In order to harden fudge faster, place it in a container in the freezer. This method will freeze fudge within an hour.
How long does fudge take to thicken?
Cover your fudge and place it in your refrigerator for at least eight hours (doing overnight can help combat the urge to rush the setting process). This should be enough time for any recipe, but keep in mind that you really can’t wait too long.
Why does my fudge have liquid on top?
The Problem. Fudge is an emulsion — the blending of two seemingly incompatible ingredients, sugar and butter — to make a creamy product. Greasy fudge indicates that the fat solids have separated from the liquid and the sugar.
How do you make fudge less runny?
Dissolve a tablespoon of cornstarch in a tablespoon of water and add slowly, stirring thoroughly, until your fudge is noticeably thicker.
How long does it take to boil candy to 300?
The temperature needs to reach 300-degrees to become hard candy. It will take a good 25-30 minutes to reach the temperature.
Why does homemade fudge get grainy?
A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals. Stirring would help sucrose molecules “find” one another and start forming crystals.
Should you cover fudge to cool?
First, allow the fudge to cool a bit at room temperature before putting it into the fridge to let the candy adjust. When you do put fudge into the fridge, whether you are trying to make it set or storing it, wrap it or cover it carefully.
Can I remelt fudge?
Yes! Remelting fudge is another way to fix a batch of fudge that hasn’t set properly or that has come out hard, brittle, or overly grainy.
How long does it take fudge to set in fridge?
Harden the fudge: Place your container or tins in the fridge for 2 hours, which is the time it takes for the fudge to set. Once it’s hardened, cut the fudge into 12 pieces or remove it from the muffin tins. Store in the fridge or the freezer (if you don’t devour it right away).
How long does fudge take?
Using a wooden spoon, beat the fudge vigorously until it thickens and begins to lose its gloss. This may take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. While beating by hand is the traditional method, you can use an electric mixer if you have one. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and turn it on medium.
Can I use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk for fudge?
Unfortunately, you cannot use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk in fudge. You can substitute evaporated milk for regular milk in many instances, but it will not give the same rich, creamy taste that you get from the sweetened condensed milk.
Why is my fudge not creamy?
It might be that you haven’t dissolved all the sugar before boiling the fudge mixture. It could be that there just wasn’t enough fluid or fat to enable the sugar to dissolve or it might even be that the fudge wasn’t beaten long enough or hard enough. All of these factors could be the cause of grainy fudge.
Should fudge be crumbly or chewy?
If you’re a fan of fudge, you know that the right consistency of it needs to be firm and smooth, not crumbly and grainy. If it isn’t, you’re doing something wrong. If you find that your fudge is crumbly and or lumpy, then chances are that it’s been overcooked.
What does butter do to fudge?
Smaller crystals result in a smoother, creamier consistency in the finished fudge. Coarse grainy fudge results when large crystals are allowed to form. Butter is added in the final stages to add flavor and smoothness and inhibit large crystal formation.
What happens if you add too much butter to fudge?
A fudge that fails to set up is usually the result of too much butter, the substitution of margarine for butter (too high water content), or results when there is too much water in the fudge (not boiling enough, rainy weather, etc.)