 Question:
Hi there! My wife and I were
trying to make fudge last night for the holidays. We though we did
everything right from the ingredients to the proper temperature, but it
never set up in the pans and is still runny and kind of grainy. Please save
us from this attack of the dripping fudge! - Todd and Melissa
Answer:
Follow the directions
exactly! Don’t mess with the
recipe. The proportions matter in the chemistry of fudge making.
- Measuring ingredients has to be
precise, as too much or too little of any ingredient could ruin the
fudge.
- Never double the recipe or substitute
main recipe ingredients (except for add-ins such as nuts or dried
fruit). as it will affect the cooking time and temperature.
Failure of the fudge to set, is most
typically the result of way too much butter or the substitution of an
inferior margarine for superior butter.
- Adding the butter at the improper
time cause most problems. Add the butter after the boil. Adding with the
sugar and milk will result in poorly dissolved sugar which crystallized
prematurely resulting in fudge with a grainy texture. Adding the butter
to the sugar mixture after a rolling boil helps keep the sugar from
early crystallization. Adding the butter to the milk-sugar mixture only
impedes the milk's ability to dissolve the sugar.
- Cool at room temperature or placing
the pan in a room temperature bath of water. Too rapid a cooling (like
placing in the refrigerator) can cause 'premature' crystallization and
result in a lumpy, grainy fudge."
Check out the following article on fudge making:
The
Physical Chemistry of Making Fudge, by Sue Ann Bowling
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I all else fails, failed fudge that refuses to set up still makes incredibly
decadent frosting.
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