Customer Reviews

Oh Fudge!: A Celebration of America's Favorite Candy

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was given this book as a gift. I am a professional cook and have always wanted to know how to make fudge. This book has been so well used it is constantly sticky on the cover! I sold over $200.00 worth of these different kinds of fudge over a two day period at an Xmas fund raiser... so many people said over and over... fudge just like i remember from when I was a kid! just like my grandma used to make, etc. a GREAT recipe book!

This is the way all cookbooks should be written. Plain and simple.

The author explains the history of fudge then how to make several different bases. For the most part, she explains what each ingredient will do to the base and which variations you can make by changing the base.

As far as the review that says none of the recipes come out - the author goes over this topic. Fudge will come out different everytime you make it. The are a lot of conditions in the kitchen that are uncontrollable (for me at least - air quality, humidity, distance above sea level, etc).

I have made several batches of fudge out of this book. Probably in the neighborhood of 40. Due to errors on my part, I would say 25 of them came out as described. Only three I had to throw out. I was able to find other uses for the rest :o)

When I was done with the book I felt like I was an expert on fudge. That is pretty much what I look for in a cookbook. When I get done with it I want to know everything I can about it. I want to know how to adjust a recipie to get what I want.

Terrific book. I am no candy-maker but had success with the very first recipe I made. Aptly named, Bread and Butter Fudge. Am now in process of trying variations and so far everyone is a success. I read that one reviewer said she tried all the recipes and not one turned out. She had 300 recipe failures? Can't believe it. After all, one of them, the Mamie Eisenhower one, came from the Eisenhower Library at Gettysburg and is the same one used during World War II to raise money for the war effort. I remember my Mother making it. Maybe dvaugh just needs a new candy thermometer.

I have a terrible sweet tooth. And there are times when that sweet tooth demands satisfaction. Namely, it wants something sweet and decadent, and it wants it now. This curse has stayed with me from childhood One of my earliest culinary experiments was to replicate a fudge recipe in one of my mother's cookbooks. Needless to say, it was a terrible disaster. And these disasters remained with me as I struggled to understand the intricacies of confectionery.

Soon after it was published in 1990, I came across this book, and within its pages, I began to understand all of the weird science about candy making. And why and how it succeeds and flops so spectacularly. Unlike other culinary arts, the world of candy is best explained by the word chemistry. You can fix other recipes that go wrong, you can even repair baking disasters, but a fudge, well, when it goes wrong, there's not a lot that you can do to save it.

Lee Benning in her funny, wise book, takes the reader by the hand and gently unsnarls the world of sugar and the treats that it can make. She begins her book by talking about her own failures in the kitchen and her determination to conquer the fudge pot. Fudge that refused to set. Fudge that crystallized and turned rock hard. And then she decided to break down just what happens in that mix of sugar, butter and liquid -- and then graciously lets the reader in on the secret.

The History and Lore of Fudge
With a healthy dash of humour, the author explores the origins of chocolate, sweets and especially fudge -- it looks as though it originated in the dorms of Vassar College, in New York. Most of all, it appears to be a failed caramel recipe -- and when it didn't turn out, the disgruntled cook exclaimed "Oh FUDGE!" and it looks as though the name stuck.

The Selling of Fudge
Once people started to fiddle with making fudge, naturally others wanted to buy it. Here you'll find the stories about fudge palaces, and especially that of James Garrahy, who it appears, has made his life into the art of making fudge -- and the feeding of forest creatures with the batches of failures...

Ten Steps to Making No-Fail Fudge at Home
Sounds crazy, right? I didn't believe it either, until I tried these steps, and discovered that yes, it really does work! What I really like about this chapter is that the author breaks down the science behind each step, and why and how it matters. Needless to say, my batches of ruined fudge have dropped to nearly zero now. Alas, the bathroom scale is going in inverse proportion to that number.

Basic Fudge Recipes
My favorite fudge recipe is in here, what Benning calls "Bread and Butter" fudge -- it has just five ingredients: sugar, cream, butter, vanilla, and corn syrup, with variations to turn it into any flavour that you can think of. Learn this one, and you can pretty much do any of the recipes in this book. And for additional fun, the author includes Bread and Butter(milk) fudge, and Vassar Fudge, fudges made with sour cream or brown sugar, Seashore fudge, and many other variations -- including several made with alcohol. Finally, the most unusual fudge of all -- a Summer Fudge made from Jello. Really. And it's fabulous.

Exceptional Exceptions
If you don't care about calories, this chapter is for you. Sometimes we really need to pull out all of the stops and here you find Triple Rich caramel fudge, the Lazy Cook's fudge, and the Big, Big Batch of Fudge, made with of all things, rice cereal.

Exotic Fudges
Fudge made with Goat Milk, Carrots, and other assorted oddities. To be honest, I've haven't gone this far yet, but I guess that some day I will, if I ever get tired of that basic recipe.

Quick 'n' Easies
Fudges that are made in the microwave or freezer. And even one that is made with potatoes. Or pudding mixes. Some of these are downright strange, and I haven't tried many of them. Still, some do look to be very interesting.

Fondantly Speaking
Fondant is one of the more fun sorts of candy to experiment with. You can roll it, shape it, use it to cover a cake with. And you don't need to go to an expensive specialty shop to get it either. I've tried making it with these recipes, and to be honest -- it can be done!

Something to Chew On: Caramel
Caramel is one of those things I tend to avoid, being that I have a mouthful of very expensive dental work. However, there really is nothing else to compare to that rich buttery taste of a good caramel. There's all sorts of variations here too -- caramel with chocolate, coffee, or coconut, among others. Toffee also fits in here too.

Divine Divinities, Nutty Nougats, and Mmmmmmm-Marshmallows
Here's where to find all the other candy that doesn't quite fit anywhere else. One of my favorites, divinity is here too. It's very very sweet, but light as a cloud. If you've made meringues, you can learn to make divinity -- and if you make it with brown sugar, then it becomes seafoam. Nougats are little like caramels, and equally bad for your dental work, but can be delicious.

Fudge Failures and How to Fix Them
And sometimes, you just can't make it work. This little chapter is a godsend when things can't seem to set, or the timing got away from you. It's a very useful chapter.

Mishmash
Everything else ended up here. Taffy, fudge sauces (most failed fudges turn into wonderful sauces for ice cream, you know), and how to work with chocolate.

A Chronology of Historic Fudges
This chapter is here for mostly curiousity's sake. It tracks down the earliest known caramel recipes in the United States, and sort of follows the transformation into fudge, and from there, to requested recipes -- quite a few of them are from the White House, and from commerical candymakers.

In addition to the above, two little additions are in this book, one that goes into detail about where to order or send for fudge, and a section on testing and temperatures. The first one is very out of date, lacking internet links, but the second more than makes up for it. This is where to find commonsense explanations of such terms as thread, soft ball, hard crack and so on -- they're actually descriptive terms for what happens when very hot sugar syrup meets ice cold water, and a way of testing without using a candy thermometer.

In short, I had a great time with this book. Once I got the ten basic steps of candy making down, I felt as though I could do anything in the kitchen. That year, I was able to give tins of homemade fudge to my chocoholic friends and they went into raptures over it. One even said that it put 'instant fur on her teeth.' From that heady experience, I moved on to divinity, pralines, you name it, I tried making it.

True, you're probably going to gain instant weight just by reading these recipes. Those of you out there with incurable sweet tooths will be found by their nearest and dearest in a sugar haze, with the litter of dirty pots and dribbles of chocolate all around the house. Benning makes the art of candy making fun and satisfying, and almost guilt free.

The text is clear and easy to follow, and while the author does get repetitive in spots, I can excuse her that. It's obvious that she loves what she is doing and delights in sharing that knowledge with the reader. There's bits of humor here and there, and you'll find yourself chuckling right along with her. It's this little touch that makes this a cookbook worth keeping and going over -- I've had my edition for nearly twenty years now and I still refer to it whenever I venture into the kitchen for a batch of fudge. I know that if I try any of these recipes, it will work.

Forget the calories, find the best ingredients that you can, get your hands on a good candy thermometer and get to the fun art of making fudge. Get the rest of the family involved too; after all, if everyone else is eating it, it's just another excuse to make a new batch of fudge, right?

Happily Recommended.

This is a marvelous book! I've been making candy for 50 years, have a number of candy cookbooks, and have used many more from libraries. This is one of the best I've ever seen! It covers the gamut of candies from fondant and fudge through divinity, caramels and nougats. There's a lot of information in the front, but you can jump straight into the recipes and if you do just what she says, you'll have success. I don't know why I never got this before - maybe the cutesy title - but it is a well-researched and well-tested recipe book, one which makes a lot of less thorough books unnecessary. Benning provides numerous variations for the recipes, and myriad "fixes" for failed candy. I don't have words for how good it is! It looks unassuming but it's packed with serious info and marvelous recipes. You can't go wrong with this one!

This book is wonderful fun. I checked it out from the library for Christmas candy making. My son and daughter and I were going to have a Christmas candy making marathon. We read the book and chose the recipes to try. We did not always know what we were doing, but the book really walks you through it. It even tells you what to do with your failures. We had a failure, a big sticky mess, and the book suggested we make caramels. They were delicious! What a cherished memory that Christmas fudge making time was for me. This book is the stuff that can make magical Christmas memories.

found this book to be a good guide in fudge making. the only problem (if there is one) is that is takes quite a bit of time to get the nack of it. been working on hte seashore fudge for the past three weeks with limited success although improvemtn each time. well worth the book but be prepared to try and try again. pictures would have been a plus, as in what soft ball vs hard ball looks like and different colors of caramelization. think I need another reference for comparison though. all in all a good investment

What a great history synopsis on fudge! The 300 recipes including the original Mackinac Island chocolate fudge recipe are a great find for domestic bakers. This book belongs on the countertop of every "true fudgie".

Now in its 5th printing, the work contains numerous pages devoted to the origin and development of Mackinac Island fudge. The Straits of Mackinac area leads North American in retail fudge production, tourism fudge promotion, and samples tasted by visitors affectionately referred to as "true fudgies"!

BUY two copies - give one to a friend and make a friend for life!

I have had great success making fudge using recipes on the internet and by using another book, Who Wants Candy. I've had this book over a year and find the instructions very poor.

For example tonight I made the Bread and Butter Fudge. I followed Benning's recipe exactly and when I let it cool to her recommended temperature (using 2 candy therometers placed in the center of the pot until it cooled to 110) - the fudge was already candying when I began to stir it. I could tell it was glossed over by the time my 2 thermometers read 110, but I was going to rely on her instructions.

Overall, I think many recipes in this book suffer greatly because she doesn't guide the reader back to a common sense approach. (Like on the cooling stage - if I had left the thermometer on the side of the pan I bet it wouldn't have candied before I had a chance to stir it; also other recipes elsewhere just say "cool an hour" - also her "shocking method" is not essential for good fudge). I've never had any of these problems with old fashioned fudge recipes posted on the net or with the Who Wants Candy book. I would not buy this book again. Repeatedly I find Benning's recipes lack the RIGHT KIND of detailed instructions. Of all the recipe books I've purchased recently, I think the least of this one. I've made several of her recipes successfully but the quality of the fudge just doesn't compare with simple recipes found for free on the internet.

drolly written and well-researched. you will know all there is to know about fudge after reading this book!.
the recipes are great, with the best/clearest instructions for fudge-making that i have ever seen. my very first effort yielded a pound of pretty good fudge! with no thermometor!
get this book, make loads of fudge and take up jogging or something.