Everything about Fudge totally explained
Fudge is a type of
candy which is usually very sweet, extremely rich and sometimes flavored with
cocoa. It is made by mixing
sugar,
butter, and
milk and heating it to the
soft-ball stage at, and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency.
Chocolate can also be mixed in to make chocolate fudge. Fudge can also be used in brownies.
Origins
The American culinary folklore has it that fudge was invented in the
United States more than 100 years ago. The exact origin is disputed, but most stories claim that the first batch of fudge resulted from a bungled ("fudged") batch of
caramels made on
February 141886—hence the name "fudge."
One of the first documentations of fudge is found in a letter written by Laura Elizabeth Simmonds, an ex-student at
Malmesbury School in
Malmesbury, Wiltshire. She wrote that her schoolmate's cousin made fudge in
Baltimore, Maryland in 1886 and sold it for 40 cents a pound. Miss Hartridge got hold of the fudge recipe, and in 1888, made of this delicious fudge for the
Vassar College Senior Auction. This Vassar fudge recipe became quite popular at the school for years to come.
Word of this popular
confection spread to other women's colleges. For example,
Wellesley and
Smith have their own versions of this fudge recipe.
Chemistry
Fudge is a drier variant of
fondant.
In forming a fondant, it isn't easy to keep all
vibrations and
seed crystals from causing rapid
crystallisation to large crystals. Consequently,
milkfat and
corn syrup are often added. Corn syrup contains
glucose,
fructose (monosaccharides) and
maltose (disaccharide). These
sugars interact with the
sucrose molecules. They help prevent premature crystallization by inhibiting sucrose crystal contact. The fat also helps inhibit rapid crystallisation. Controlling the crystallization of the
supersaturated sugar solution is the key to smooth fudge. Initiation of crystals before the desired time will result in fudge with fewer, larger sugar grains. The final texture will have a grainy
mouthfeel rather than the smooth texture of quality fudge.
One of the most important parts is its texture. The temperature is what separates hard
caramel from fudge. The higher the peak temperature, the more sugar is dissolved, the more water is evaporated; resulting in a higher sugar to water ratio. Before the availability of cheap and accurate thermometers, cooks would use the
ice water test, also known as the cold water test, to determine the saturation of the candy. Fudge is made at the "soft ball" stage which varies by altitude and ambient humidity from to .
Some recipes call for making fudge with prepared
marshmallows as the sweetener. This allows the finished confection to use the structure of the marshmallow for support instead of relying on the crystallization of the sucrose. Fudge squares can be substituted for the marshmallows.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Fudge'.
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