Do I Need Evaporated Or Sweetened Condensed Milk For The Chocolate Pistachio Fudge? | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

FAQs

Is evaporated milk or condensed milk better for fudge? ›

Evaporated milk doesn't have sugar added. The sweetened condended milk is needed as no extra sugar is added to the fudge. If evaporated milk were used then the fudge would not be sweet enough and also would still be too soft unless the fudge is frozen.

As Leal explains: "Evaporated milk offers creaminess without sweetness and is suitable for savory dishes and some desserts. On the other hand, sweetened condensed milk is intensely sweet and used in desserts and sweet treats, thanks to its thick, syrupy texture."

These items are essentially the same with one big difference: no sugar is added to evaporated milk. Sweetened condensed milk also has 60% of the water removed, but contains 40% sugar. Due to the big flavor difference, they cannot be substituted for each other.

The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.

Substitute Heavy Cream for Evaporated Milk

Or, If you have both cream and regular milk on hand, thin the cream to make your own half-and-half. Whisk together equal parts of cream and milk and use the same amount called for in your recipe.

If you run out of sweetened condensed milk, simply substitute the same amount of evaporated milk for a one-to-one alternative. The consistency in the dish will be near the same, but the flavor will not taste as sweet. You can add sugar to the evaporated milk if you prefer to up the sweetness.

Sweetened-condensed milk is the perfect addition to all kinds of treats and recipes, from pies to fudge to tres leches cake. But in Vietnamese coffee culture, it has a much more important purpose – it's mixed into strong coffee to make delicious, traditional Vietnamese brew.

Evaporated milk tastes like milk but with a thicker, less watery consistency. The process of heating the evaporated milk in the cans imparts a slightly sweet flavor to the milk and it's just a bit darker in color than ordinary milk.

Sweetened condensed milk is also a little higher in fat, so pies made with it will be silky and dense, while pies made with evaporated milk will be a little fluffier. Luckily, you can find multiple pumpkin pie recipes geared toward either type of milk.

Is evaporated milk directly interchangeable with sweetened condensed milk? ›

It's thicker and sweeter than evaporated milk, which means the two cannot be used interchangeably. It's typically used to make rich desserts, such as magic cookie bars, tres leches cakes or an easy caramel sauce. Just two tablespoons of condensed milk contain 18 grams of added sugar.

Evaporated milk is shelf-stable cow's milk with 60% of its water content removed. Sweetened condensed milk, on the other hand, has been modified in a process similar to evaporated milk, with the addition of sugar. In both cases, stabilizers and preservatives are added to enhance the products' shelf life.

Why won't my 3 ingredient fudge set? This often happens when the condensed milk and chocolate chip mixture isn't hot enough to start. Everything must be completely melted before it is transferred to the pan to cool.

Fudge Didn't Set

If your fudge turned out super sticky, or it didn't set as it cooled, it probably never got hot enough. This mistake is super easy to avoid if you use a candy thermometer and cook the fudge to the temperature specified in the recipe (usually between 234 and 239°F).

To fix it, you can reheat the fudge mixture over low heat and continue cooking until it reaches the proper temperature.

The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.

– There are a number of reasons why the fudge was grainy. It might be that you haven't dissolved all the sugar before boiling the fudge mixture. It could be that there just wasn't enough fluid or fat to enable the sugar to dissolve or it might even be that the fudge wasn't beaten long enough or hard enough.

No, fudge doesn't need to be refrigerated. Store it in an airtight container (with wax paper between layers) at room temperature for one to two weeks.