[Sca-cooks] I have conquered the fudge monster!!!!

[Phlip]

As some of you may know, I've been experimenting with chocolate fudge,
trying to get it to the texture I wanted. You may remember, I asked on the
List, and got a couple of responses, and I took them to heart, making more
batches, trying to do things as described in the recipe. My results were at
best, tasty, but texturally...odd.

The first couple of batches were tasty, but too granular, and not hard
enough, although they set up fairly quickly. The next three batches were
tasty, but took forever to set- I had thought the first one was going to
remain chocolate flavored taffy, but discoveed towards the end of the second
day that it _was_ crystalizing, but very, very slowly.- same with the next
two batches, although I had discovered a breakpoint, where the texture of
the boil changed, and it seemed to me that that might be what the
instructions were looking for- a change of state, leading to a particular
method of recrystalization, but it still took forever to set up- like, a
couple of days.

Now guys, as far as chocolate goes, I'll admit I didn't mind eating my
mistakes (after all, Margali's doing Atkin's, and Rob is limitting sugar
intake because of incipient diabetes), but still, figuring that I was eating
a batch in 24 hours or so, waiting a day or two, then trying again, 10,000
calories a day in addition to my regular diet is a bit much even for my
metabolism ;-) The way things were going, y'all were going to hafta hire a
semi, or else roll me to Pennsic ;-)

Yesterday, Rob got me a candy thermometer, so I decided I'd try this by the
numbers.

I discovered the problem, I think. I was close, oh-so-very-close to the
temperature I needed. To get a good solid chocolate fudge, according to my
thermometer, I'll guesstimate that I needed to go just 3 degrees F beyond
where I was stopping, with the different boil and the soft ball texture.
Johnna had warned me that the main problem with most fudge was overcooking,
so I had been very careful not to go too far, and didn't go quite far
enough. The latest batch, with those extra 3 degrees is very finely grained,
set up in a very short period of time (45 minutes?) and is very like the
fudge my grandmother used to make. It's also very solid (which is what I
wanted), solid enough that in order to cut it, I had to score it and break
it.

 I'll try it a couple more times, to make sure that I've got it right, first
with the thermometer again, then without, but, at least you won't hafta roll
me to Pennsic.

And, I think I've learned quite a bit about the crystaline structure of
sugar, and by projection, steel.

I'm happy, now- and I have good fudge to celebrate with ;-)


Saint Phlip,
CoDoLDS

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....