Equipment Archives - Page 3 of 3

Fudge has long been a festive tradition for many families across the United States. The sweet and soft treat is incredibly versatile, fun to make, and can be made with a massive range of interesting and funky flavors! You can even add extra ingredients to create interesting textures, such as nuts. However, making fudge requires some fairly careful precision, to ensure that you get the right consistency for a soft and slightly chewy treat. In order to reach this level of precision, you’re going to need the right tools. A lot of these tools are easy to find, and you might already have them laying around in your kitchen. These include things such as saucepans, glass bowls, and thermometers. However, when it comes to mixing the fudge, it can be difficult to know which implement is the best one to use to create the perfect fudge. Should you use a wooden spoon? A whisk? Maybe an electric mixer? If you’re finding yourself unsure how to mix your fudge together, then worry no longer, as we are going to decide once and for all what the best tool is for mixing fudge! What Tools Can Be Used To Mix Fudge? Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly used tools involved in creating good fudge. Wooden Spoons One of the most common tools is the hardy and trustworthy wooden spoon. Wooden spoons can enable you to create a decent level of force to move the fudge around in the pan during cooking, to keep it from burning. Wooden spoons are also far less likely to conduct heat during use. This is vital, since creating fudge takes a decent amount of time, and involves the sugar being melted for long periods. Using a metal spoon would be risky in such a case, as it would soon become very hot, and dangerous to the touch. Using a wooden spoon is also useful in this case because it won’t cause the temperature to move about and shift in an irregular way. Metal spoons will take away some of the heat from the sugar, which can cause it to crystalize in an irregular manner. However, some chefs have noted that using a wooden spoon can carry its own drawbacks when it comes to mixing fudge. Wooden spoons have rough and uneven surfaces, with many small cracks and imperfections. These cracks can retain small traces of ingredients from other dishes and can create uneven air bubbles in the sugar. If these trace ingredients or unwanted air pockets find their way into your fudge mixture, then they can completely change the consistency of your fudge, which you definitely do not want! Mixing fudge also requires a constant motion, in order to keep the ingredients moving and to ensure that none of it burns. As the process of mixing fudge goes onward, the consistency can change in small ways, and you may need to apply different levels of force. Wooden spoons are built to handle this consistent motion, and can easily withstand strong forces. Metal spoons, on the other hand, are built for gently folding ingredients, rather than forcibly mixing ingredients. It’s a small difference, but it certainly has an impact. What Are Some of the Best Spoons To Use? The great thing about wooden spoons is that they don’t differ too much from product to product. One wooden spoon is very likely to be similar. However, they can differ slightly in terms of size and material. For a basic 12-inch wooden spoon that has the right amount of sturdiness, this Bamboo Spoon from ‘KitchenAid’ is perfect for the job. It also features a very low price, which makes it perfect for anyone who needs quick access to a wooden spoon. Bamboo has a light feel but is incredibly sturdy. . Another great option is this Teak spoon from ‘FAAY’. It may be slightly more expensive, but its beautiful look and incredibly sturdy build make it perfect for those who need to make frequent use of a wooden spoon. If you want a material other than wood, then your best bet is one of the many plastic, nylon, or silicone options that are available. Unlike metal, these spoons won’t conduct heat, and unlike wooden spoons, they can be slightly easier to clean and dry. For a silicone option, look no further than this spoon from ‘StarPack Home Store’, and for a nylon option, try out this Good Grips spoon from ‘OXO’. Whisking For many fudge enthusiasts, a whisk is a vital tool for creating the perfect set of fudge. Whisks allow for the folding of ingredients together, while also allowing lots of air to seep into the mix. This is perfect for creating truly fluffy and light fudge that is extremely pleasant to the tongue. The only problem is that whisks can’t facilitate the same level of force and strength as the trusty wooden spoon can. Many whisks feature quite flimsy designs, which make them best for whipping up creamy desserts. However, if used when the melted sugar is at its lightest and most malleable, then you can easily create the force necessary with a whisk. An extra option if you want to use a whisk to create your fudge is to make use of an electric whisk. Electric whisks usually take the form of a handheld device that creates strong power to really beat away at whatever you use it on. This is a great way to fold some air into some, particularly tough fudge. Electric whisks can also make use of different whisk shapes and sizes, to allow you to mix the fudge in whatever way you want, and without any extra hassle. Cleaning up an electric whisk is also incredibly easy, as you can detach the whisk elements from the motor to clean them in your sink. What Are Some of the Best Whisks To Use? There are many choices available when it comes to whisks, and they differ in very small ways. You likely want to purchase an affordable one that has few bells and whistles, and is focused solely on the job it is designed for. If this is the case, then you should pick up the ‘Stainless Steel Whisk’ from ‘Amazon Commercial’. This whisk boasts a simple design and a low price, which makes it perfect for a beginner. Another product in the ‘Good Grips’ range from ‘OXO’ is this extra handy whisk. This whisk features a comfortable non-slip handle so that you can get some serious mixing done without even breaking a sweat! When it comes to electric whisks, one of your best bets is the 180w Hand Mixer from ‘UTALENT’ on Amazon. This whisk comes with extra attachments, and various extra whisks so that you can create the perfect consistency for your fudge. It also comes with a turbo button, to allow you to always remain in control of its speed. Another affordable electric whisk is the ‘Hamilton Beach 6-Speed’. This whisk allows you to access some serious speeds so that you can make short work of massive batches of fudge. This product also comes with a handy snap-on storage case that attaches to the bottom of the device when it is stored away. This makes it easy to keep track of the detachable whisks so that you won’t end up losing one or both of them! Electric Mixers Stand mixers have proven to be trusted allies of many home bakers and chefs, thanks to their ability to take over mixing tasks hands-free, to allow the user to carry on with other difficult tasks within the kitchen as the mixing takes place. These types of mixers are referred to as ‘Stand Mixers’, as they stand on the kitchen counter and work away at mixing ingredients together. Such mixers are massively powerful and can apply far more force than an average electric whisk, or even a wooden spoon. Stand mixers allow the user to remain in complete control of the mixing process without having to actually get involved with the arduous and tiring task of mixing. This also ensures that the mixing remains consistent throughout the entire process, with no change in speed or force, as the machine will not grow tired, unlike a human being! Electric mixers also come packaged with large mixing bowls that are screwed into the base of the mixer during use. These large mixing bowls allow you to make massive quantities of whatever you are making, so you could make lots of fudge to create gifts or platters for parties. This makes electric mixers the best choice for those who are looking to make lots of fudge frequently. What Are Some Of The Best Electric Mixers On The Market? Getting the right electric mixer is highly important, as many professional chefs and bakers swear by the benefits of these machines. One of the best electric mixers that you can pick up today is the ‘6.5QT’ from ‘Aucma’. This mixer features six different operation speeds that you can choose from on the fly to get just the right consistency. As well as this, it also features a transparent splatter shield that keeps excess from flying out of the bowl, while still allowing you to watch over the mixing process. If you want something a little more subtle and stylish, then the ‘Cuisinart SM 50 BC’ is the one for you. This device comes with an incredibly deep bowl that nothing will seep out of, and that also features a sturdy and comfortable handle, to make porting your mixed ingredients around far easier and less of a hassle. Which Is The Absolute Best Option For Mixing Fudge? Now for the all-important final round. Let’s see which of our three best implements comes out as the true king of fudge mixing. Generally speaking, the most essential factor when choosing a tool for fudge mixing is the amount of force it can create. Mixing together the ingredients to make fudge can quickly become tiring, and requires strong forces to keep it in constant motion to get that iconic consistency. When it comes to facilitating strong force, the electric mixers and the wooden spoons clearly come out on top. Whisks are a great extra element for folding in lots of air to create fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth fudge, but it also needs to be used on light and malleable ingredients, and there is only a short window when the ingredients for fudge are light enough for a simple whisk to power through. Electric whisks can remedy this slightly, thanks to their increased power, but still, their power does not reach the levels of the average electric stand mixer. Now it’s time to decide if the electric stand mixer or the wooden spoon is best for your fudge-making needs! This is a very difficult choice to make, seeing as both have incredible benefits to offer to very different types of people. If you are making fudge for the very first time, then the absolute best choice for you is the wooden spoon. You likely already have one of your own that you use for other dishes. Wooden spoons are built to allow you to apply power to particularly tough and persistent ingredients, and fudge definitely knows how to put up a fight while it is being made. This option is best for newcomers to the world of fudge, as buying a wooden spoon does not cost much, and you likely already own one. If you are someone who is already well versed in baking, or even perhaps in making fudge, then one of the best options for you is the electric stand mixer. These helpful devices help to take the tiring work out of mixing and allow you to take control of the other aspects of food preparation, while also significantly cutting down on the time spent making certain dishes. These mixers boast incredible power, so can easily mix even the toughest fudge. In Conclusion Ultimately, looking at what we have explored above, it is a safe bet to say that the wooden spoon comes out on top. Though the electric stand mixer is able to take away some of the strain of the work, many skilled chefs and bakers would be able to easily make use of a wooden spoon to mix fudge. Buying an electric stand mixer would be a good investment if the user plans to make other dishes as well as fudge with it. Otherwise, just buying it to make fudge may be a significant waste of money.