Hi All:
Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
the holidays.

What did we do wrong?

Recipe:
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1- 12 ox jar chunky peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup margarine

Combine milk, sugar, margarine in heavy skillet on medium heat until
boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add marshmallows,
peanut butter, and vanilla. Blend well and turn into a buttered pan and
chill. Cut and serve.

We followed the recipe closely and it all went off without a hitch. we
were completely stumped as to what we did wrong. my wife confesses she
has tried fudge in the past and it always failed to harden. the
ingredients were fresh (as i munch some marshmallows between typing
--just to make sure they are ok, of course.)

Items we can think of:
1) we used real butter instead of margarine (my prime suspect)
2) the mixture was boiling all over, but we did not cook it very long.
there was plenty of heat and time to pour and melt the marshmallows, so
it was hot enough. we stirred with wooden spoon. no scorching.
3) we stirred the full mixture until the marshmallows were melted and
the mixture appeared smooth. i don't think we stirred too much or
whipped the mixture to death.
4) we used JIF p-butter. might have added a little too much, but not
more than a measured tablespoon or so. it was fresh and had some oil as
is common with quality p-butter.
5) we used a stainless steel sauce pan, not an iron skillet and poured
the hot stuff into a Pyrex bowl with the other stuff waiting
6) obviously we could have mismeasured something, but i don't think we
missed it much. and it tastes too good to be far off-- at least in my
opinion.
7) there is a typo in the recipe. it was one of those everyone bring
your recipe's and we'll sell it as a book collection of from a
relative's church.

--while i am newbie to cooking groups, i have been active in several
other newsgroups and i want to thank you resident experts in advance for
helping a newbie trying to get started in the kitchen. please excuse
any violations of group rules with this post. oh, if i picked the wrong
newsgroup, please point me in the right direction and i'll go away.

thanks ever so much for your time and attention,
~steve
---remove the CANofSPAM from the return address if you want to reply
directly. you may dispose of the spam anyway you wish....

(i have recently become disabled and am finally able to join wifey in
the kitchen, so i don't much about cooking much paste boiling water.
still working on cracking an egg without getting shell in the mix...
i spent over 30 years working as an engineer so i pay a lot of attention
to details)

~steve (east tn) wrote:
> Hi All:
> Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
> 35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
> it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
> like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
> the holidays.
>
> What did we do wrong?

I'm not sure what went wrong during production, but there are a few
'saves' that come to mind. Which ones will work depend on the fudge and
just how soft it is.

Scoop fudge with a melon baller, and roll in
a) cocoa
b) sprinkles
c) maple sugar crumbs
d) icing sugar sifted with cornstarch (only if it's quite dry)
e) ground nuts

Then refridgerate until serving if possible. Dip the scoop in hot water
often.

I find fudge "truffles" to be more popular than squares, and at the
same time easier to apportion to a crowd.

~steve (east tn) wrote:
> Hi All:
> Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
> 35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
> it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
> like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
> the holidays.
>
> What did we do wrong?

You left out the 1/2 teaspoon of VIAGRA. ;-D

On Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:12:56 -0500, "~steve (east tn)"
> wrote:

>Hi All:
>Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
>35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
>it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
>like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
>the holidays.
>
>What did we do wrong?
>
>Recipe:
>1 cup miniature marshmallows
>1- 12 ox jar chunky peanut butter
>1 tsp. vanilla
>1 cup evaporated milk
>2 cups sugar
>1/4 cup margarine
>
>Combine milk, sugar, margarine in heavy skillet on medium heat until
>boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add marshmallows,
>peanut butter, and vanilla. Blend well and turn into a buttered pan and
>chill. Cut and serve.
>
>We followed the recipe closely and it all went off without a hitch. we
>were completely stumped as to what we did wrong. my wife confesses she
>has tried fudge in the past and it always failed to harden. the
>ingredients were fresh (as i munch some marshmallows between typing
>--just to make sure they are ok, of course.)
>
>Items we can think of:
>1) we used real butter instead of margarine (my prime suspect)
>2) the mixture was boiling all over, but we did not cook it very long.
>there was plenty of heat and time to pour and melt the marshmallows, so
>it was hot enough. we stirred with wooden spoon. no scorching.
>3) we stirred the full mixture until the marshmallows were melted and
>the mixture appeared smooth. i don't think we stirred too much or
>whipped the mixture to death.
>4) we used JIF p-butter. might have added a little too much, but not
>more than a measured tablespoon or so. it was fresh and had some oil as
>is common with quality p-butter.
>5) we used a stainless steel sauce pan, not an iron skillet and poured
>the hot stuff into a Pyrex bowl with the other stuff waiting
>6) obviously we could have mismeasured something, but i don't think we
>missed it much. and it tastes too good to be far off-- at least in my
>opinion.
>7) there is a typo in the recipe. it was one of those everyone bring
>your recipe's and we'll sell it as a book collection of from a
>relative's church.
>
>--while i am newbie to cooking groups, i have been active in several
>other newsgroups and i want to thank you resident experts in advance for
>helping a newbie trying to get started in the kitchen. please excuse
>any violations of group rules with this post. oh, if i picked the wrong
>newsgroup, please point me in the right direction and i'll go away.
>
>thanks ever so much for your time and attention,
>~steve
>---remove the CANofSPAM from the return address if you want to reply
>directly. you may dispose of the spam anyway you wish....
>
>(i have recently become disabled and am finally able to join wifey in
>the kitchen, so i don't much about cooking much paste boiling water.
>still working on cracking an egg without getting shell in the mix...
>i spent over 30 years working as an engineer so i pay a lot of attention
>to details)

You didn't cook the fudge long enough after it came to a boil. When it
reaches boiling, it's 212 degress (Farenheit). You need to continue
boiling it until it reaches about 235 degrees (Farehneit). This is the
soft ball stage, and pretty much the standard temperature necessary
when making fudge. If you Google peanut butter fudge you should find a
lot of recipes with the same ingredients, but more detailed
instructions. You might try one of those.

Cathy

Starch and gluten .....

Do you have the same problem with your dick?
I so, thats why. If you cant get your dick hard, you wont get your
fudge hard.


On Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:12:56 -0500, "~steve (east tn)"
> wrote:

>Hi All:
>Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
>35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
>it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
>like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
>the holidays.
>
>What did we do wrong?
>
>Recipe:
>1 cup miniature marshmallows
>1- 12 ox jar chunky peanut butter
>1 tsp. vanilla
>1 cup evaporated milk
>2 cups sugar
>1/4 cup margarine
>
>Combine milk, sugar, margarine in heavy skillet on medium heat until
>boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add marshmallows,
>peanut butter, and vanilla. Blend well and turn into a buttered pan and
>chill. Cut and serve.
>
>We followed the recipe closely and it all went off without a hitch. we
>were completely stumped as to what we did wrong. my wife confesses she
>has tried fudge in the past and it always failed to harden. the
>ingredients were fresh (as i munch some marshmallows between typing
>--just to make sure they are ok, of course.)
>
>Items we can think of:
>1) we used real butter instead of margarine (my prime suspect)
>2) the mixture was boiling all over, but we did not cook it very long.
>there was plenty of heat and time to pour and melt the marshmallows, so
>it was hot enough. we stirred with wooden spoon. no scorching.
>3) we stirred the full mixture until the marshmallows were melted and
>the mixture appeared smooth. i don't think we stirred too much or
>whipped the mixture to death.
>4) we used JIF p-butter. might have added a little too much, but not
>more than a measured tablespoon or so. it was fresh and had some oil as
>is common with quality p-butter.
>5) we used a stainless steel sauce pan, not an iron skillet and poured
>the hot stuff into a Pyrex bowl with the other stuff waiting
>6) obviously we could have mismeasured something, but i don't think we
>missed it much. and it tastes too good to be far off-- at least in my
>opinion.
>7) there is a typo in the recipe. it was one of those everyone bring
>your recipe's and we'll sell it as a book collection of from a
>relative's church.
>
>--while i am newbie to cooking groups, i have been active in several
>other newsgroups and i want to thank you resident experts in advance for
>helping a newbie trying to get started in the kitchen. please excuse
>any violations of group rules with this post. oh, if i picked the wrong
>newsgroup, please point me in the right direction and i'll go away.
>
>thanks ever so much for your time and attention,
>~steve
>---remove the CANofSPAM from the return address if you want to reply
>directly. you may dispose of the spam anyway you wish....
>
>(i have recently become disabled and am finally able to join wifey in
>the kitchen, so i don't much about cooking much paste boiling water.
>still working on cracking an egg without getting shell in the mix...
>i spent over 30 years working as an engineer so i pay a lot of attention
>to details)

wrote:
> ~steve (east tn) wrote:
>
>>Hi All:
>>Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
>>35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
>>it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
>>like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
>>the holidays.
>>
>>What did we do wrong?
>
>
> I'm not sure what went wrong during production, but there are a few
> 'saves' that come to mind. Which ones will work depend on the fudge and
> just how soft it is.
>
> Scoop fudge with a melon baller, and roll in
> a) cocoa
> b) sprinkles
> c) maple sugar crumbs
> d) icing sugar sifted with cornstarch (only if it's quite dry)
> e) ground nuts
>
> Then refridgerate until serving if possible. Dip the scoop in hot water
> often.
>
> I find fudge "truffles" to be more popular than squares, and at the
> same time easier to apportion to a crowd.
>
Thanks for the suggested ways to use the almmost fudge. like
peanut butter, it is great on a spoon and i would hate to
throw it away.

Tommorrow we'll try two or three of these.

Thanks!
~steve

cathy wrote:

> On Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:12:56 -0500, "~steve (east tn)"
> > wrote:
>
>
>>Hi All:
>>Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
>>35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
>>it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
>>like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
>>the holidays.
>>
>>What did we do wrong?
>>-----snip----<
>
>
> You didn't cook the fudge long enough after it came to a boil. When it
> reaches boiling, it's 212 degress (Farenheit). You need to continue
> boiling it until it reaches about 235 degrees (Farehneit). This is the
> soft ball stage, and pretty much the standard temperature necessary
> when making fudge. If you Google peanut butter fudge you should find a
> lot of recipes with the same ingredients, but more detailed
> instructions. You might try one of those.
>
> Cathy

Thanks for the details of how to do it right.
we've added notes to our copy of the recipe for next batch,
maybe tomorrow,

Thanks ever so much!!
~steve

"~steve (east tn)" > wrote in message
news
> cathy wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:12:56 -0500, "~steve (east tn)"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Hi All:
>>>Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
>>>35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
>>>it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
>>>like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
>>>the holidays.
>>>
>>>What did we do wrong?
>>>-----snip----<
>>
>>
>> You didn't cook the fudge long enough after it came to a boil. When it
>> reaches boiling, it's 212 degress (Farenheit). You need to continue
>> boiling it until it reaches about 235 degrees (Farehneit). This is the
>> soft ball stage, and pretty much the standard temperature necessary
>> when making fudge. If you Google peanut butter fudge you should find a
>> lot of recipes with the same ingredients, but more detailed
>> instructions. You might try one of those.
>>
>> Cathy
>
> Thanks for the details of how to do it right.
> we've added notes to our copy of the recipe for next batch,
> maybe tomorrow,
>
> Thanks ever so much!!
> ~steve

Steve, I second Cathy's explanation. In the old days when I was making a lot
of fudge, not cooking it long enough until it reached the right stage was
ALWAYS the reason it didn't harden. And the opposite is true, too: if you go
overboard and cook it too long and hot, it hardens so much that it flakes
and crumbles. A good candy thermometer is probably the safest way to go.

John

JMF wrote:
> "~steve (east tn)" > wrote in message
> news >
>>cathy wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:12:56 -0500, "~steve (east tn)"
> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hi All:
>>>>Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
>>>>35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
>>>>it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
>>>>like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
>>>>the holidays.
>>>>
>>>>What did we do wrong?
>>>>-----snip----<
>>>
>>>
>>>You didn't cook the fudge long enough after it came to a boil. When it
>>>reaches boiling, it's 212 degress (Farenheit). You need to continue
>>>boiling it until it reaches about 235 degrees (Farehneit). This is the
>>>soft ball stage, and pretty much the standard temperature necessary
>>>when making fudge. If you Google peanut butter fudge you should find a
>>>lot of recipes with the same ingredients, but more detailed
>>>instructions. You might try one of those.
>>>
>>>Cathy
>>
>>Thanks for the details of how to do it right.
>>we've added notes to our copy of the recipe for next batch,
>>maybe tomorrow,
>>
>>Thanks ever so much!!
>>~steve
>
>
> Steve, I second Cathy's explanation. In the old days when I was making a lot
> of fudge, not cooking it long enough until it reached the right stage was
> ALWAYS the reason it didn't harden. And the opposite is true, too: if you go
> overboard and cook it too long and hot, it hardens so much that it flakes
> and crumbles. A good candy thermometer is probably the safest way to go.
>
> John
>
>
Thanks John.
i think i know one more Christmas present i need to find tommorrow...
should make a good stocking stuffer too.

Happy Holidays to all
and Merry Christmas too!
Thanks,
~steve

~steve (east tn) wrote:
> Hi All:
> Sorry for such a newbie question, but i was 'helping' my darling wife of
> 35 years make some fudge for the holidays. The fudge tastes great, and
> it is thick, but will not set up hard enough to cut and serve. we would
> like to have some homemade peanut butter fudge for family gatherings for
> the holidays.

Stir in some Viagra.