There’s nothing more satisfying than making your very own fudge. You can also customize your flavors, creating all manner of tasty creations. However, beating your fudge by hand can be tiring work. You need to keep beating the mixture until the fudge starts to lose its shine, and it starts to thicken up.
If you’re doing this by hand using the traditional wooden spoon method, it can be highly tiring for your arms, and will often become a struggle towards the end of the process. So you may be wondering if it’s possible to cut out all that hard work by using your hand mixer?
The good news is that you can use a hand mixer instead of a wooden spoon to beat your fudge. However, even though you can technically use a hand mixer to beat your fudge, it’s recommended to use a stand mixer instead.
This is because the tough consistency of the fudge mixture can be hard work on the hand mixer’s motor, often damaging the equipment.
A stand mixer is sturdier and able to better cope with the stirring process, as well as the density and viscosity of the fudge itself.
In fact, using an appliance can make the process even easier. You can also finish the beating process within a matter of minutes without having to tire yourself out. Make sure to use your beaters instead of the whisk attachments to ensure that you can properly beat the fudge without it sticking to the attachments too much.
It will be worth keeping an eye on your fudge at the same time. By using a stand mixer, it can be very tempting to keep beating your fudge even when it’s already lost its shine. The more you beat your fudge, the crumblier the final mixture will be.
Can I Use A Stand Mixer For Fudge?
Yes, you can also use your stand mixer for making fudge. In fact, this is often the preferred method over a hand mixer because of the appliance’s durability.
Simply ensure your paddle attachment is in place, then pour the fudge from the saucepan into the bowl ready for beating. Set the speed to medium, and leave the stand mixer to do all the hard work for you.
Using a stand mixer instead of a hand mixer is also arguably easier on your arms. This is because with a hand mixer you still have to hold it as you beat your fudge, so it will still be fairly tiring. Not as tiring by using the wooden spoon method, but definitely more tiring than using a stand mixer!
The only thing to be aware of when using a stand mixer is that it will make it slightly harder to judge when the fudge has finished beating. You will constantly have to check and make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so that all the fudge is getting beaten.
You will know it is ready once it starts to lose its shine and becomes thicker.
What Happens If You Don’t Beat Fudge?
Beating your fudge is the final stage to create your favorite confectionery. If you don’t beat your fudge, it won’t be fudge. This is because you need to beat your fudge so that you can control the overall size of the sugar crystals as they form. This will help to prevent your fudge from becoming too grainy.
So if you were to skip the beating process altogether, or not beat it for long enough, then you will be left with very grainy fudge that won’t be appealing to eat at all. This is because the sugar in the fudge can start to crystallize. This is what will give your fudge that gritty texture that won’t be tasty to eat.
If you want to make the beating process even easier, then you should use a stand mixer. This will help to take out the strain of the beating process so that it won’t take ages and ages to get the fudge to where it needs to be.
You will also need to ensure that you stop beating your fudge once it has reached the stage where it loses its glossy shine and starts to thicken up. If you keep beating your fudge, it will start to become rock hard and unworkable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Over beat Fudge?
Yes, you can over beat fudge. There is a slim window during the beating process when your fudge will be absolutely perfect. Once you have reached this stage, you will need to stop beating it immediately. This is because if you start to over beat your fudge, it will become rock hard and unworkable.
You should only beat your fudge until it starts to lose its shine, and the mixture starts to thicken up. Once it has lost that glossy appearance, it’s time to stop beating your fudge, and then turn it out into your prepared pan so that you can leave it to set.
Do You Have To Stir Fudge With A Wooden Spoon?
No, you don’t have to beat your fudge using a wooden spoon. While this is the more traditional method, you will find that the process can be very tiring. It will be much easier to use your stand mixer to beat your fudge. This will make the whole process much easier, and a lot gentler on your arms.
While you don’t have to stir fudge with a wooden spoon, it’s important to remember that you will need to beat it before you turn it out into your prepared pan. This is because otherwise the sugar will crystallize, and it will become grainy and not as nice to eat.
In Summary
So there you have it! While you can technically use a hand mixer when making fudge, it’s recommended to use a stand mixer. These are better equipped for dealing with the viscosity of fudge, whereas a hand mixer could become damaged with vigorous mixing.
Not only can you use your stand mixer instead of using the traditional wooden spoon, but it is also the recommended method on most fudge recipes. This is because it will take out the hard work of beating fudge for you.
Rather than taking up to an hour to beat your fudge, you can reduce this time down to around 20 minutes or so.
Make sure to keep checking the state of the fudge as the stand mixer beats it to ensure that you don’t overbeat it. You’ll know the fudge has finished beating when it loses its shine and starts to thicken.