Using a Wooden Spoon

Always prepare your pan or have the waxed paper ready before beginning to beat fudge or pralines, because the candies can thicken during the beating process in what will seem like record time. If you stop to prepare the pan or even tear off a piece of waxed paper, you may not get the candy mixture out of the saucepan!

Fudge and pralines are cooked to a specific temperature, cooled to a lower temperature, and then beaten. When you first begin to beat either of these candy mixtures, they will be quite thin and very glossy. As the beating continues, the mixtures begin to thicken; this is the time to stir in nuts or other ingredients. At this point, watch very carefully as the mixture continues to thicken and the gloss just starts to disappear. When this stage is reached, quickly turn fudge into the prepared pan or drop pralines onto the waxed paper.

 

Step 1

1. The mixture will be thin and very glossy when you begin beating. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until fudge just begins to thicken; stir in nuts or other ingredients.

 

Step 2

2. Continue beating the fudge until it becomes very thick and just starts to lose its gloss. At this point, quickly turn the fudge into the prepared pan.