How to cook "old fashioned" fudge

[JohnnyP]

I'm using a Cuisinart stainless steel clad pot and a glass candy thermometer.
I set the flame to just below medium.
The directions say heat to softball temperature of 235, DO NOT STIR.

I use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides down (into the mixture) as it cooks.
Why do the directions say no stirring?

A layer of overcooked syrup forms at the bottom, as well as on the bulb of the thermometer, giving me an inaccurate measurement and a loss of usable product.

 

[retired baker]

stirring will start the graining process too soon and crystalize the batch.

"A layer of overcooked syrup forms at the bottom"

never seen that, you might be cooking it too slow.
i always start with the pot covered, let the steam wash any crystals from the sides, full blast on the heat.
when you see steam coming out remove the lid and let it boil on high heat, when the temp reaches 220 reduce the flame to half,
temperature will accelerate from here and must be watched.

 

[JohnnyP]

Thank you very much. Yes, I was cooking it very slowly and stirring in the Cuisinart pot and it did set up way too early.

About the recipe, I started with the one made with cocoa powder, half and half, sugar, salt, and Karo syrup, then adding butter and vanilla after it cools to 110F.

I was searching for a recipe that didn't use marshmallow creme and found a forum (can't find it again) with a member that claimed they used to work at See's and they used marshmallow creme. Then another member said "no they don't but your recipe is very close". Then he added the secret ingredient was gelatin. So I went searching again and found a couple recipes that added a tablespoon of gelatin powder. As a substitute, I used some tara gum powder I had leftover from when I made gelato. I used only a teaspoon. I got two fabulous batches of fudge that I cooked in a cheap teflon coated pot. It was firm but moist enough that you could see teeth marks when you took a bite. So so good. Then I received the Cuisinart pot as a gift and now it flops.

 

[retired baker]

no old fashioned recipe uses cuisinart gadgets, i would say its not old fashioned, its just how its done.

100 yr old recipes i've seen listed egg frappe , its a commercial ingredient or was because i've never seen it,
marshmallow is a close cousin.
gelatin is an ingredient in marshmallow, as is egg white and corn syrup.

i would guess its to add creaminess, like marshmellow cream aka fluff.
fluff is very similar to marshmallow but contains no gelatin. tara gum is very similar to xanthan powder, probably better for this use.

so egg frappe was a trade name for marshmallow cream, fluff is just a trademark.

you can get it in 17 lb pails.

https://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Marshm...lGwzpPgWKXdHG5_E0c3R5bQqiZ28l2ZBoCWbIQAvD_BwE

 

[JohnnyP]

Thank you. Another day another experiment.