QUESTION: I have a fudge recipe that makes 5 pounds and calls for cooking the sugar for 6

Z\x

minutes. If I cut it in half, should I also cut the cooking time in half?

ANSWER: Time isn’t the best judge of fudge. While the cooking time might vary when you reduce the amount of ingredients, it also could vary even if the ingredients stayed the same.We checked with Megan Lambert, a pastry and baking expert at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C., who agreed that temperature is a much more reliable method, even for the full batch of fudge.“I would hate to overcook or undercook 5 pounds of fudge,” she said.A classic fudge usually is cooked to 234 to 240 degrees, also known as the softball stage. It is then cooled to 110 degrees and beaten until it begins to set. The best way to know when you’ve reached both of those points is to use a candy thermometer.