Cooking For Engineers

[dotty]

Hello
I love this website - I've been meaning to post but when I get on here I just keep reading!
I'm trying to make a smooth creamy firm fudge. After many weeks today I actually got a fudge texture - first time.
When I beat the mixture until it loses the gloss - although it is creamy & melts in the mouth there is a grainy feeling also. Not alot but it's noticable.
Does it mean I've over beaten it?
I tried another batch & kept on beating but it just got thicker & thicker & was still the same.
I took extra care to ensure the sugar & milk were completely melted -no granules at all. I can't work it out. Should I not stir when melting or not stir when bringing up to the temperature??

Please, any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
puzzled dotty

[Michael Chu]

What's the recipe?

[dotty]

Hi Michael - 2 cups of sugar melted with 2/3 cup of coconut milk. On a very low heat, stirring now & then until all sugar dissolved. Turned heat very slightly up - bring to 235F.
Take off heat, add 3/4 cup of coconut oil & vanilla - not to stir at all until mixture cools to 110F.
Once cooled beat until mixture loses gloss.
What do you think?

Thank you!
hopeful dotty

[Michael Chu]

Oh, that's... interesting. I'm used to the typical sugar, milk, butter recipes (and as an American I assumed chocolate - glad I asked for the recipe). I've never used coconut milk or coconut oil in this application - so hopefully someone else can comment.

By the way, where are you located?

[islander]

hmm coconut milk does seem interesting. Not sure if your still trying as I see if your post is back in Jan but im guessing mabey your thermometer is off and cooking to hot or its taking to long to get up to temp and is crystallizing your sugar. There must be sugar experts out there that gave give better help then me but thats my guess. Havent made fudge in years.

[guest 38016]

I once read a fudge recipe that said if you stir the mixture as it is coming to a boil or while it is boiling, it will be grainey. Because I like grainey fudge, I always stir mine while it is boiling. Perhaps you stirred at the wrong time.

[kgb1001001]

The problem is that your sugar is crystallizing -- the easiest way to prevent that is to add some corn syrup to the mixture before you heat it. See here for an explanation, or watch the Good Eats episode on Fudge.

[danicamoore]

For me I usually stir it in rapid boil form and upon turning the heat I'm still stirring it for couple of minutes. Coconut milk was good for me. I've try it before and not bad for me.