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I’m trying to make fudge and other hard candies such as peanut brittle in my Lodge Dutch Oven. The problem that I’m having is that I cannot hold the pot and scrape out the inside by myself. Definitely a two-person job. I can’t always depend on my roommate to be around for those three minutes that I need her there.

Is there any tool that can hold the pot by the handles so I can turn it out into my cooling pan with one hand while scraping with the other?

Fudge and especially brittles set up so fast that I end up wasting it in my fumbling. Not to mention how hot it is.

Anastasia Zendaya
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Valerie Charboneau
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    Why do you want to use a Dutch oven for this? Do you not have other pans? – Sneftel Feb 14 '21 at 21:35
  • @Sneftel even with non-cast iron pans, the weight of the pan+candy can be quite heavy for one person to both hold and scrape while being hot. – senschen Feb 15 '21 at 15:39
  • @senschen It doesn't sound like the OP is making industrial-sized batches. A pan sized for and containing a pound of sugar will only weigh about 3 pounds total. – Sneftel Feb 15 '21 at 15:53
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    @Sneftel my fudge recipe makes 4 pounds at a time, and therefore requires a pot larger than a saucepan. I don't consider that "industrial". If OP is making their candy in a dutch oven, I imagine their recipe is on a similar scale. – senschen Feb 15 '21 at 15:57
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    Hello - I use the dutch oven because I can control the heat in a heavy pot like that more easily than a thinner pot. I'm not making industrial-sized batches but similar to senschen's suggestion. Perhaps I should say that I'm an old weak lady :-) – Valerie Charboneau Feb 15 '21 at 16:27
  • I would suggest, as you did to use extra help from your roomate (and pay with extra candies) – Max Feb 15 '21 at 20:25
  • Seems like a product opportunity: a tiny container tilter that can clamp onto pot handles. There are commercial tilt skillets like this, but they’re as expensive as a new car. – Jacob Krall Feb 22 '21 at 02:42

1 Answers1

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One option is to put the dutch oven on top of something next to your cooling pan then tip it on it's side, still on top, and scrape it from there. You could probably use an upside down pot or tray, depending on the size of what you have. This way you won't be holding the weight of the dutch oven so much as just keeping it from rolling side to side.

Alex
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  • Cork mats are very useful here - they can take the heat but unlike metal trivets are grippy and stop the heavy pan kicking as you tip – Chris H Feb 23 '21 at 16:47