Beating Equipment

A wooden spoon with a long handle is ideal for stirring candy mixtures as they cook, because the spoon never becomes too hot to handle. And it's also the best tool for beating fudge and penuche (do not use an electric mixer because the mixture will overtax the mixer motor).

Unlike fudge, divinity and nougat require a sturdy, freestanding electric mixer. When you're beating either of these candy mixtures, the denseness of the mixture strains the motor of a mixer. Portable mixers and some freestanding mixers simply don't have enough power to handle these candy mixtures. And because of the strain on the motor, it is not a good idea to make consecutive batches of divinity or nougat.