Honestly, if I had known there was so much controversy about how to make fudge I don't think I would have bothered today! The recipe I used (Salted Caramel Fudge), said to put the cream, sugar, butter and glucose syrup into the pan all together (except I don't have glucose syrup and used a tablespoon of Canadian maple syrup instead). I melted the sugar, then upped the temperature to get it to boiling and used the sugar thermometer to gauge when it got to 116C. Then off the heat and beat it until it got to 60C. Then a bit more beating until it lost its shine. Then pour into a 20 x 20cm lined tin, run some caramel through it, and sprinkle with sea salt. This is where I am now. I am supposed to leave it at room temp overnight to set. Tomorrow, I am to cut it into 36 squares. (Assuming it has set of course.) Only time will tell if it is edible. First, and possibly last attempt at fudge!
Pouring fudge dilemma?
- Thread starter SlowCook66
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Katy, think you've done the classic way that has worked for most people. My sister made fantastic fudge, like the OP wants, not too firm but not soft either.
SlowCooker - I also think you are reading too many recipes and trying to piece together a perfect one. That's not going to work, as I think you've found out. Choose one and try it. Then try a similar one. But don't mix and match til you can make a single recipe consistently.
You also mentioned that it is turning grainy and crystalizing. Plus you also mention using a beater/mixer instead of hand beating. I think that is a mistake. You allow it to cool for a bit - then you beat by hand (I recommmend a wooden spoon) til the gloss goes, then you add the butter.
By using a mixer you are incorporating too much cool air and encouraging the crystalizing to start.
SlowCooker - I also think you are reading too many recipes and trying to piece together a perfect one. That's not going to work, as I think you've found out. Choose one and try it. Then try a similar one. But don't mix and match til you can make a single recipe consistently.
You also mentioned that it is turning grainy and crystalizing. Plus you also mention using a beater/mixer instead of hand beating. I think that is a mistake. You allow it to cool for a bit - then you beat by hand (I recommmend a wooden spoon) til the gloss goes, then you add the butter.
By using a mixer you are incorporating too much cool air and encouraging the crystalizing to start.
It looks good to me. I have had fudge turn out grainy. It was still highly edible. If someone doesn't like the graininess, well, more for me. I admit to preferring smooth to grainy, but it's still delicious.
If it doesn't turn out perfect - be sure to tell everyone at work that you are testing a new recipe and they are the guinea pigs. That way if it's not perfect you can say "Well, it's not my recipe... I'm just testing it"
LOL
(another post from last night forgotten by the "post reply" button)
LOL
(another post from last night forgotten by the "post reply" button)
My work colleagues are a decent bunch and well-used to me using them as guinea pigs for my baking experiments! LOL (Generally, they get something edible out of the deal!) They were very sweet (excuse the pun) about the fudge, but this was definitely not a winner. Oh well! Can't win them all. 
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
Melt the fudge and serve it warm over vanilla ice cream with a sprinkle of nuts.
I'd much rather have fudge like that than hard, grainy fudge.
Take heart, you did great compared to my ex-SIL, who thought he was a great cook and knew everything. He and DD decided to make fudge and bought the ingredients not too long after they married. They made it and it never hardened, was a thick sauce. DD called asking me what they did wrong. We went through the recipe, everything seemed fine, so I asked her if they used everything the recipe called for. Well, it comes out they bought evaporated milk when the recipe called for sweetened condensed milk. DD said she asked him if that was okay to substitute (she didn't cook then) and he told her it was the same thing. I told her no it wasn't, big difference on the 2, and that's why they got fudge sauce instead of fudge candy.
I think the whole sugar content here is far too much for me Aunt Bea. I rarely eat ice cream. (I rarely eat fudge either, but I do like to try to make things I haven't made before - hence the experiment with fudge.)
Any other ideas - particularly incorporating nuts? I would be very happy to make something that would mean I didn't waste the ingredients.
Any other ideas - particularly incorporating nuts? I would be very happy to make something that would mean I didn't waste the ingredients.
Aw, thanks medtran! (And in my defence, my fudge was super smooth - the only "grains" were the sea salt flakes that were sprinkled on the top.)
I think I am better at cooking than gardening! (And better at upholstery than decorating...) It's all about expectation and results. Arrogance when you don't know everything, is a waste of time and effort! (IMO)
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
You could make cookies and use them to make a cookie sandwich with the fudge in the middle - maybe an almond-flavored cookie with chopped almonds. Or a bar cookie with a sugar cookie base and the fudge on top, sprinkled with nuts.
hmmmm, I'm sure your co-workers would love those bars!
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
That's why it needs some sort of base - something to spread the fudge on.
Just out of interest here. Fudge has a very high sugar content (obviously) which would ordinarily make it quite long lasting. But it also has a high cream content - boiled to death of course - does that cream content make it a fairly short-lived product?
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
I think it would keep for at least a couple of weeks in the fridge.
I was thinking of combining rather than spreading GG. The fudge isn't soft enough to spread.
Very frustrating, as I was quite close to getting the right consistency!
It is "squidgy" texture I guess?
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GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Give it a try with a small amount of the fudge and see what you think.
It probably would be if you heated it just a tiny bit.
And I've never had fudge last long enough to go bad - who are you kidding!!!!
And I've never had fudge last long enough to go bad - who are you kidding!!!!
