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I was given a fudge recipe citing evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. Is it possible to fix this by adding sugar and re-cooking the fudge or is it just a recipe gone bad?

user31084
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  • what state is the mixture in currently? I have no experience with this, so I won't put it as an answer, but this might be helpful: http://www.kitchensavvy.com/journal/2007/09/evaporated-vs-c.html#ixzz2EgLZtMV8 – talon8 Dec 19 '14 at 15:32
  • Actually, related question (maybe duplicate?): http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4600/can-evaporated-milk-be-converted-to-sweetened-condensed – talon8 Dec 19 '14 at 15:34
  • I'd be inclined to try melting it and doubling it by adding more chocolate and some dulce de leche (which is condensed even further than condensed milk) – Joe Dec 19 '14 at 15:36
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    @Joe - the composition of dulce de leche can vary widely: in many places, it is quite common to *make* dulce de leche by cooking an (often sealed) contained of condensed milk, which would obviously not concentrate or condense it further, merely subject it to further Maillard reactions and thus alter the flavor and texture. Even prepared traditionally by cooking down fresh milk, dulce de leche may not be significantly more concentrated (depends on ingredient proportions). All that said, it might still make some delicious fudge, just with a very different taste. – Athanasius Dec 19 '14 at 16:57
  • Does it taste bad in its current state? – Doug Dec 19 '14 at 18:12
  • I just added a cup of sugar and reheated it for 10 minutes. It is more of a caramel consistency than fudge. – user31084 Dec 20 '14 at 14:55
  • Candy is so picky that I doubt you can rescue it effectively. – tsturzl Jan 06 '15 at 01:38

2 Answers2

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Add 1 to 1/4 cups of sugar for each cup of evaporated milk. Put it on top of a stove and stir until the sugar is dissolved. If the state of your recipe is such that you cannot put it on top of a stove then use icing sugar instead and mix until the sugar is completely incorporated.

John Reese
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Along with any sugar you added, you might want to add some cream of tartar. About 1/4 to 1/2 tsp would be enough for a can or two of evaporated milk. Start with the smaller amount, though.

It's a thickening/solidifying agent. Good for use in icings and such. I've messed around with it in a few recipes for replacement, just in case I make a mistake or don't have something on hand. It works well when I put it into a very enriched batter that I would like to either slightly stiffen or thicken. Especially well when used with sugar (usually I use 10x).

Phil C.
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    Can you explain what this addition does? – Catija Nov 11 '15 at 09:05
  • It's a thickening/solidifying agent. Good for use in icings and such. I've messed around with it in a few recipes for replacement, just in case I make a mistake or don't have something on hand. It works well when I put it into a very enriched batter that I would like to either slightly stiffen or thicken. Especially well when used with sugar (usually I use 10x). – Phil C. Nov 12 '15 at 02:40
  • You might consider actually adding that supporting information to your answer, as it will do a lot to explain **why** this is a good idea. Great answers on SE answer the question and give good explanation of why their solution works. Welcome to SA! – Catija Nov 12 '15 at 02:42
  • Very good advice. Thank you, and for the welcome! :) – Phil C. Nov 12 '15 at 02:44
  • It's not always a thickening agent. It's just an acid. It's used with egg whites because the acid helps denature the proteins and stabilize the foam. If it thickens the milk at all it will be by denaturing the milk proteins. It would do nothing to thicken liquids that don't react to acid. – Sobachatina Nov 12 '15 at 04:08