Is your fudge taking too long to cool? Do you want to speed up the process?
Maybe you have heard of some methods that allow you to cool fudge quickly and want to know if they work?
Or are you curious about cooling fudge and want to know more? No matter the reason that brought you here today, we have the answer for you!
Finding out how to cool fudge quickly can be tricky, especially if you have never done it before.
You head online for some advice but are met with page after page of conflicting and confusing information.
Frustrated and overwhelmed, you are left unsure who to trust or where to turn. How are you supposed to know how to cool fudge quickly now?
Well, you can turn to us! Today, we are here with all the answers that you need.
Keep reading to find out how to cool fudge quickly, the best ways to do it, and some factors that you should consider when cooling fudge quickly.
Get ready to become a fudge expert today!
Fudge can be cooled quickly by either being poured into several smaller containers, increasing its surface area, allowing it to cool quicker, or by being placed in the refrigerator or freezer.
You need to take care when placing your fudge in the fridge or freezer, as they can speed up the crystallization process of the sugar in fudge, leaving you with a grainy texture!
How Long To Cool Fudge Before Cutting?
How long your fudge needs to cool before you can cut it depends on a few factors. Generally speaking, fudge is left to cool on your kitchen counter at room temperature.
Your fudge should be ready to cut anywhere from three to twelve hours after you made it.
The recipe you are following will tell you how long your fudge needs to cool before you can cut it.
Some fudge recipes are ready to cut in about three hours, whereas other fudge needs to be left for twelve hours (or overnight) to cool before they can be cut.
You want to make sure that your fudge is cooled before you cut it! Not only does that prevent you from burning yourself on hot fudge, but it ensures that the fudge has been set correctly.
You don’t want to cut into your fudge, realize that it has not set, and have runny fudge seeping across your kitchen counter, do you?
Of course, if your room is warmer than the average room temperature (above 76 degrees Fahrenheit), then it will take longer to cool.
You will want to ensure that the room you are cooling your fudge is cool enough to bring the temperature down.
Alternatively, if your room is colder (below 68 degrees Fahrenheit), you might notice that your fudge cools at a faster rate than the recipe states.
You also need to consider how dense the fudge is when you are trying to cool it.
The more fudge mixture that you pour into one tin, the longer it will take for all of the fudge to cool, especially if it has been spread unevenly in the tin.
Don’t worry, we have some great tips on avoiding this later!
How Do I Know When My Fudge Is Set?
The best way to tell whether your fudge is set is to touch it. If your fudge is firm to the touch, without much give, it is set and ready to go!
You also want your fudge to be completely cool. If it feels warm when you touch it, then the fudge is not set and will need to be left for longer.
You can also tell if your fudge is set when you remove it from its tray. You should be able to lift your foil from the tray or pan, simply by lifting the baking lining or foil you have used.
If the fudge starts wobbling or buckling while you move it, then it needs longer to set!
Along with considering whether your fudge has cooled before you cut it, you also need to ensure that it has set too!
Will Putting Hot Fudge Into The Fridge Damage The Fridge?
No, putting hot fudge into your refrigerator should not damage the fridge.
There have been thoughts before that putting hot food straight into a refrigerator can damage it, but with modern appliances, your hot food is unlikely to damage the refrigerator.
But that doesn’t mean it is all good news!
Putting hot food into a cool space, as your refrigerator leaves you with clashing temperatures.
Your fridge will now need to work harder than before to bring the higher temperature down, which impacts its energy efficiency.
Your refrigerator will use more energy to do so and you might notice an increase in your energy usage that day.
The hot fudge you have put into the fridge could also cause condensation. Again, the clashing temperatures of the hot fudge and the cool space cause issues!
Condensation might develop and settle as ice on the back wall of your refrigerator. Any food that is touching the back wall could also become frozen, damaging it!
The ice itself doesn’t pose too much of a threat to your fridge, but you should remove it to prevent it from spreading to other foods or melting, leaving you with puddles of water in your fridge that need removing.
This is welcome news if you planned to put hot fudge in the refrigerator, but be mindful that your fridge will need to work harder than usual to bring the temperature down.
Best Ways To Cool Fudge Quickly
There are a couple of ways that you can cool fudge quickly!
These methods are designed to be faster than if you left your fudge on the side to cool at room temperature.
Let’s take a look at these now to find a method that best suits you.
Use Several Tins
First, you can use smaller tins to help your fudge set faster. Instead of pouring your entire mixture into one large tin, try several smaller tins.
Doing so increases the surface area of your fudge that is exposed to the air, helping your fudge cool faster.
After all, the more fudge that is in contact with the cool air in your room, the quicker it will cool down and set!
When using this method, it’s worth mentioning that you might not get the perfect square of fudge that you do if you use one tin.
If you opt for smaller square tins you should be fine, but pouring fudge into muffin tins or circular tins will leave you with a differently shaped fudge.
Don’t worry, it will still have the same delicious taste!
Refrigerate Or Freeze Fudge
Another option is to use your fridge to cool your fudge quickly.
You need to be careful here, though! Fudge needs to cool slowly at room temperature as it prevents the sugar from crystallizing too quickly.
When the sugar in fudge crystallizes too quickly, impacting the texture. Instead of smooth, delicious fudge, you are left with a grainy consistency. Who wants that?
You can prevent this though! We recommend allowing the fudge to cool at room temperature for a little bit before you place it in the fridge.
Doing so will allow the sugar to crystallize slightly and can avoid the grainy texture.
When placing your fudge in the fridge to cool, make sure you wrap it or cover the fudge. You don’t want to run the risk of your fudge picking up flavors from other foods in the fridge.
You don’t want fudge that tastes like an onion!
Another option is to freeze your fudge, but it is not one we recommend. This is because the lower temperatures in your freezer can cause the fudge to develop a grainy texture.
Sure, it will set your fudge quickly, but are you willing to sacrifice the texture for quick-setting fudge?
If you are in a rush, the freezer can be used to set your fudge quickly, but we recommend allowing it to cool a little first to prevent it from developing a grainy texture.
You will also want to ensure that your fudge is wrapped or stored in an airtight container to stop freezer burn which will also ruin the texture of your fudge.
What To Do If My Fudge Won’t Set?
You might find that your fudge isn’t setting, even when you have placed it into the refrigerator or left it out at room temperature overnight.
When this happens, there are a few things that you can do to try and save your fudge and ensure that it sets. Let’s take a look at your options now.
Reheat Mixture
If your fudge won’t set, the first thing you should do is reheat the mixture.
Often, fudge does not set because it wasn’t heated to the correct temperature during the boiling process.
So you will need to reheat your fudge mixture and bring it to a boil. Add a little milk here as this stops the fudge mixture from thickening too much.
When you heat your fudge, make sure it reaches the correct temperature before you remove it from the stove.
Double-check what temperature it needs to reach in your recipe and use a candy thermometer.
The thermometer should be placed into the fudge, allowing you to read an accurate temperature while it boils.
We recommend always using a candy thermometer when making fudge to ensure that it reaches the correct temperature the first time!
Add Thickener
You can also add a thickening ingredient to your fudge mixture when you reheat it to ensure that it sets.
You can use powdered sugar or a small mixture of water and corn flour. If you are making this mixture, you should aim for a gravy-like consistency.
Both of these ingredients will help the fudge to set. They thicken the mixture, absorbing any excess moisture that might prevent your fudge from setting.
Make sure that you only use one thickening ingredient, you don’t want to accidentally make your fudge too thick!
For a more informative guide of what to do if your fudge isn’t setting, read our post.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it! You can cool your fudge quickly by pouring the mixtures into several smaller tins, increasing the surface area of your fudge, or placing it in the fridge or freezer.
When placing your fudge in the fridge or freezer be sure to take care to avoid impacting the texture of your fudge!
While these methods will help to cool your fudge quickly, especially if you are in a rush, the best way to cool your fudge is to leave it in its container to cool at room temperature.
Once your fudge is cool to the touch, you can cut it and enjoy delicious fudge!
