My maple fudge recipe asks me to bring the candy up to temperature stirring occasionally, then do not touch it and let it come back down to the proper cooling temp...

Then it tells me to transfer the whole mixture to an electric mixer with "WHISK" attachment, and whisk for 3 minutes.

I asked on another forum, if I could just whisk it by hand myself and save a lot of mess and trouble, losing product as well because I am told to not even scrape the sides of the pot during transfer as this will introduce large crystals and make a grainy fudge.

If I can just bring it back down to temperature and then whisk is in the pot for three minutes while it thickens that would be simple and great.

My real question is the whisk to use...

Can I use a Danish dough whisk, instead of a Balloon whisk? 

That would also be much easier, and I would not have to struggle with getting the fudge from inside the tines as well.

Any thoughts on whisking candy to thicken it with a Danish dough whisk???

Thanks

Stickyman

i just use a silicone spatula --   the danish whisk looks good if it will get around in all the corners and is deep enough so that it doesn't climb up onto the wooden handle -- probably using an electric beater of some kind would make a nice product also -- you might want to consider backing off earlier so you don't have a lot of product clinging on whatever you use -- and besides the excess on the whisk is a big juicy free sample --

you can prevent the graininess from developing by keeping the sides of the pan brushed down with a little water, or by oiling the sides of the pan before you start the fudge, or by putting a lid on it during the cooking which causes the bits on the sides to melt back in --also using some corn syrup or a bit of honey or agave in there will help reduce/eliminate graininess --

or just try a spoon -- best to you 

Thanks for tips!

And good idea about the handle getting in the mix of things - didn't think about that.

The main point was that several recipes had me heating the fudge and then transferring it to whisk for a mere 3 minutes until glossy. So... why transfer to mixer if I can do it by hand?

It would also be helpful to know why, when I cool it down to a proper temp, to then whisk for 3 minutes?

I am just starting out, but I am learning a lot about candy chemistry these past few days.

Thanks again

sure thing

My fudge book reckons it is much easier to stir by hand, once you  have the knack, as it is less trouble and less dishes than transferring the mix.  Takes longer but you don't need to even stir vigorously.  She just uses a wooden spoon.

You need to cool it down to the proper temp after shocking and seeding, before stirring, so that when it is agitated it grains properly.   If you do this when the temp is too high it will crystallise instead.  (Still tastes good in my mind but a different texture to what you will be aiming for).  I once had a batch that was a combination of the two.

I use the old hersheys chocolate fudge which includes the heating and cooling stage and have always used a wooden spoon. The beating with a spoon takes between 5 and 10 minutes. When I was learning the hardest part was learning when to pour it in the pan.