HIGH ALTITUDE CANDY MAKING
High altitude cooking can be very entertaining if you have recently moved into a high altitude area or you are unfamiliar with cooking at high altitudes. For the purpose of these hints, high altitude is considered anything over 1,000 feet above sea level. Although there is no magic equation these tips might help you out if you are unable to get good results from your recipes.
If you are cooking candies, you can decrease the cooking temperature in the recipe by 2º for each 1,000 feet of elevation. The candies concentrate much faster at higher altitudes, therefore lower temperatures and shorter cooking times are required.
THANK YOU! I've lived in Denver for 20 + years, but never realized that I should adjust the temperature for candy making and I've burnt a lot of candy. This week, I experimented with lowering the temperature and the candy turned out beautifully. THANK YOU for posting this! It was a great reassurance/reinforcement! THANK YOU!
I can't get my sea-level fudge to set here in the Mile High neighborhood. I cook them to the soft ball stage, but they never harden beyond a thick frosting consistency. HELP?!?!
Did you try calibrating your thermometer?
You might want to this every time you make candy in a new local. Put a pan of water on the stove to boil. Place the tip of your thermometer in the water once it has started boiling. The boiling point of water is 212F at sea level. Take a look at the temperature. If it reads 202F you may need to recalculate and subtract your temperature from 212F. If your fudge needs to be cooked to 240F, cook it to 230F based on the example.
I invested in a digital thermometer which has helped me out greatly as it is easier to determine actual temperatures instead of trying to read an old fashioned thermometer.
I have also heard that if your recipe calls for marshmallows to cook them (or the marshmallow cream) with the chocolate, sugars and milk.
Help please, I have made a batch of fudge but unfortunatly it came outlike thick frosting. I am wondering if there is a way to save this instead of wasting all this fudge I made.
You can store it in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for about a week.
When you are ready to use, take about 1/4 cup and place in a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to one minute, it might liquify enough to use as a hot fudge topping for ice cream, cake, cheesecake or other desserts that you would like a little drizzle for.
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