Start checking the fudge for doneness after 10 minutes of boiling. If you are using a thermometer, your fudge is ready when it reaches 235°F. Or go old-school and use the soft ball test. Using a metal spoon, drizzle a little fudge in a cup of ice water.
How can you tell if Fudge is soft ball stage?
Remove the ball from the water and check its consistency with your fingers. For perfect fudge, the syrup should form a soft ball that can be picked up, but easily flattened. If the syrup is undercooked, drops of syrup will sink to the bottom of the glass in threads or simply dissolve.
How do you make soft ball stage fudge?
Fudge, pralines, and fondant are made by cooking ingredients to the soft-ball stage. Drop a little of this syrup in cold water and it will form a firm ball, one that won’t flatten when you take it out of the water, but remains malleable and will flatten when squeezed.
Do you Stir fudge while boiling?
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 temperature is soft ball stage for fudge?
Soft-ball stage refers to a specific temperature range when cooking sugar syrups, occurring between 235 and 245 F. In addition to using a candy thermometer, this stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water.
How do I fix fudge that didn’t set?
In many cases, the sugar, butter, and milk mixture needed to be cooked longer or to a hotter temperature. That’s usually the culprit when fudge doesn’t set. You can try reheating your fudge mixture by adding a little more evaporated milk and bringing it slowly back to the boil.
What causes fudge not to harden?
It sounds like your fudge simply wasn’t heated enough. … If it’s overcooked (resulting in grainy fudge) or undercooked (resulting in poor setting) all you really need to do is add a bit of cream, reheat the fudge to the target temperature, and let it set again.
How do you calculate soft ball stage?
Using a clean spoon, carefully take a little of the syrup and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave to cool for a moment then pick up the ball of syrup. If it’s pliable, sticky and can be moulded in your fingers easily, it has reached the soft ball stage and the syrup can be used to make fudge and marzipan.
How do you fix condensed milk fudge that is too soft?
To reset soft fudge, return it to the pot and add in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water per batch of fudge. Reheat your fudge until it reaches the soft-ball stage. Repeat the steps of cooling and stirring, although you will likely not need to add extra seasoning.
What happens if you cook fudge too long?
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. If the process of crystallization begins too early, fewer crystals form and they become much larger.
How long should you boil fudge?
Determining when the fudge is done.
Start checking the fudge for doneness after 10 minutes of boiling. If you are using a thermometer, your fudge is ready when it reaches 235°F.
Should you cover fudge to cool?
To keep homemade fudge at its best, cover it tightly with waxed paper, foil, or clear plastic wrap. Once wrapped, store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If the recipe specifies that you store it in the fridge, be sure to keep it there. Fudge can also be frozen for later use.
Should you refrigerate fudge?
Should I refrigerate Fudge? DO NOT REFRIGERATE YOUR FUDGE! This will dry it out quicker and possibly cause it to pick up other scents from inside the fridge (and no one wants to eat chocolate raspberry zucchini casserole fudge!)
What temp is hard ball stage?
Sugar stages
| Stage | Temperature | Sugar concentration |
|---|---|---|
| thread (e.g., syrup) | 110 to 112 °C (230 to 234 °F) | 80% |
| soft ball (e.g., fudge) | 112 to 116 °C (234 to 241 °F) | 85% |
| firm ball (e.g., soft caramel candy) | 118 to 120 °C (244 to 248 °F) | 87% |
| hard ball (e.g., nougat) | 121 to 130 °C (250 to 266 °F) | 90% |
How do you thicken fudge?
You can also add powdered sugar. Heat the fudge until it is very soft and almost liquid and add enough powdered sugar to stiffen it up. You need to cook your fudge longer so the sugar will ‘set. ‘
How can you tell if candy is 300 degrees?
Step 6: Hard Crack Stage 300 F (150 C)
Hard Crack: With a clean spoon, when the syrup dropped into ice water it separates into hard, brittle threads that break when bent. You can actually hear a crack when the syrup hits the cold water.