LogFAQs > #961025813

Mad_Max posted...

Don't feel like making a topic for this but does @adjl or anyone have a good fudge recipe?

Thinking of making some penuche fudge but I might go with plain ol' fudge

Fudge is one of those things I've been meaning to take a proper stab at for a while, but I never seem to get around to it. The one batch I've tried seized up before I got it into the pan and ended up with a weirdly gummy texture to it, which I think means I didn't get it hot enough. I should really try again.

Mad_Max posted...

Is it that easy? I remember my great aunt using a candy thermometer, which I don't have, but I was gonna sorta wing it anyway

There are kind of two approaches to fudge. That's the easy way, which produces a perfectly serviceable result no matter how many snobs might tell you it's "wrong." The hard way involves boiling the mixture to a certain temperature to change how the sugar behaves, then letting it cool to a certain temperature without disturbing it, stirring it vigorously to force the sugar to crystallize while making sure those crystals are small enough to give a smooth texture (a similar principle to how ice cream is made), then letting it set the rest of the way. Many would say that gives a better product, but there's much less room for error.

If you want to try the hard way but don't have a candy thermometer, an instant-read meat thermometer will do the job just as well, provided it can read temperatures up to 250F or so (you only actually need 230-240). Just be very careful not to touch any of it. As obvious as that seems, the mixture's going to be well above boiling and has a nasty habit of sticking to whatever it hits (this is true of all candy-making, though fudge is very much on the low end, temperature-wise), plus it's thick enough that it may end up bubbling unpredictably, so holding your hand close enough to it to use a meat thermometer can be a little risky.