Myth or Fact? The weather impacts the outcome of yourHomemade Fudge.
As strange as it sounds, it is a fact that weather affects fudge making. This is because when the weather is damper with an increased humidity level your Homemade Fudge Recipe will take longer to boil. When making Fudge on a damp, humid day it will need to boil to a higher temperature in the pan and when it's left to cool and set it will be a little softer.
That doesn’t mean you can’t make Fudge on a damp, humid day! You can make Fudge all year round. You just have to add a few simple steps to your Homemade Fudge Recipe to keep your Fudge tasting and looking as great as it normally does.
How do you make Fudge on a damp, humid day?
All you have to do is add in a few steps to your Homemade Fudge Recipe which should consist of:
1. Lining a square tin with baking paper
2. Combine all your Fudge ingredients - Fudge mainly consists of sugar - in a heavy-bottomed pan. This part’s really important, especially when making Fudge on a humid day as you will need to boil your Fudge higher than to your normal temperature.
3. Heat gently until your Fudge ingredients have melted and then you’ll want to turn up the heat!
4. Normally, you’d stir continuously and heat your pan until it reaches the temperature suggested in your Homemade Fudge Recipe. However, on a humid day you will need to ensure you boil your Fudge to 0.5 degrees higher than the normal temperature.
5. You should expect the previous step to last a little longer and before you take it off the heat to cool, use a slightly lower heat on the pan base as this will reduce the possibility of the Fudge boiling over. However, once your fudge is at the correct consistency, remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
6. Then you’ll want to beat the fudge with a wooden spoon until set.
Don’t fancy making fudge on a damp, humid day?
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We hope you enjoyed our first blog in the Homemade Fudge mini-series. Leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts.
FAQs
Just as altitude can create complications when baking, high humidity in the kitchen can lead to significant setbacks when making fudge. Humidity can cause fudge to boil over in the pan or stay soft when set, so try to avoid working on humid days if at all possible.
What is the secret to good fudge? ›
Tips for Making Fudge
- Monitor the Temperature with a Candy Thermometer. If you end up with soft fudge that turns into a puddle in your hands or hard fudge that is a bit reminiscent of a crunchy candy, improper temperature is likely to blame. ...
- Avoid Stirring Once the Mixture Comes to a Simmer. ...
- Beat Thoroughly.
That's part of why candy making is so prevalent in winter; the best climate for making candy has a relative humidity of less than 35%, and cold air usually has less moisture than hot air.
How do you make fudge creamy and not grainy? ›
Grainy Fudge
To avoid this issue, swirl the pan instead of stirring it with a spoon. You can use a wet pastry brush to wipe down any sugar that sticks to the sides of the pot.
What not to do when making fudge? ›
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid for Candy Shop-Worthy Fudge and Caramels
- Using the Wrong Pan. All candy and confections start by melting sugar. ...
- Stirring the Sugar. ...
- Not Using a Candy Thermometer. ...
- Leaving Out the Parchment Paper Lining. ...
- Skipping the Cooking Spray. ...
- Scraping the Pot. ...
- Using a Cold Knife to Slice.
Perhaps you heard your grandmother complain that “you can never make fudge when it's raining.” No mythical urban legend here. High humidity alters the cooking properties of sugar. Fudge can take three times as long to set up, if at all. Sugary meringue absorbs humidity.
Do you stir fudge when it's boiling? ›
Start cooking over low heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Don't stir for the rest of the cooking. The syrup temperature rises slowly at first, but a lot faster after 104 °C (220 °F). Don't get distracted!
Why shouldn't you stir fudge after it reaches the correct temperature? ›
During cooking, sugar crystals can stick to the sides of the pan. If you stir the mixture, these crystals could fall in and crystallize a part of the sugar again.
What makes high quality fudge? ›
The trick to good homemade fudge is to cook the ingredients to the right temperature to form a sugar syrup, and cool the mixture properly so the texture of the fudge turns out smooth and firm, but soft enough to cut.
What is the best pan to make fudge in? ›
Secondly, the pot's material should allow for good heat distribution hence your top choice should be copper cookware or a pot with a copper core. Copper's exceptional heat conductivity offers unparalleled temperature control, an asset when working with finicky ingredients like sugar.
My advice to you is to just pour it in a jar, call it something else delicious, and pretend you meant for it to be that way. The nice thing about my “failed” fudge is that it tastes absolutely delicious! A spoonful of the delectable treat will make you want for more.
Why did my homemade fudge not harden? ›
Why has my Fudge not set? The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft.
What happens if you don't stir fudge? ›
By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals. Stirring would help sucrose molecules "find" one another and start forming crystals. Stirring also introduces air, dust, and small dried bits from the walls of the saucepan—all potential seeds for crystal formation.
Why did my fudge turn out like taffy? ›
If the temperature is too low, the fudge will be too soft and sticky, and if it's too high, it will turn into a hard, crumbly mess. The ideal temperature to cook fudge is between 232-234 degrees F (111-112 degrees C).
How long do you boil fudge to get to soft ball stage? ›
How long does it take to make fudge:
- about 18 min to reach boiling.
- about 40 minutes to reach soft ball stage.
- 60 minutes to cool.
- 28 minutes to beat in a KitchenAid (your time for this may vary)
- 4 hours to set.
The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.
What can go wrong when making fudge? ›
As water gradually evaporates, sugar is concentrated and the temperature of the mixture rises above 100°C (212°F). If there is too much evaporation, when the cooking time is too long, there will not be enough water left in the fudge and it will be too hard.
Does rainy weather affect candy making? ›
As a rule of thumb, only make candy when the weather is cool and dry, as the candy will cool faster and reduce the likelihood of crystal formation. Remember, high-humidity days can occur during the winter as well as summer.
Does humidity affect chocolate making? ›
Controlling excessive humidity is critical to avoiding quality issues like chocolate blooming. Chocolate blooms, specifically sugar bloom happens when humidity starts to dissolve sugar crystals on the surface of the chocolate and leaves behind a white powdery-looking film.
