Hello all.

I'm considering buying a "thick bottomed pot" for making fudge. Problem
is, I don't know much about the process.

One of my problems in making fudge is that I'm a vegan, and use soya
milk to make fudge. I think that soya milk burns even easier than cows
milk, making burning a major problem. I don't know how thick my current
pots are, but I doubt that there are "thick" bottomed.

I went to a shop and asked what they had. They pointed me towards a pot
with a 5mm base. The cost was £25 (about US$50), marked down from £75
(about US$150). I realise that doesn't mean that the pot is necessarily
a bargain :-).

My questions a

[1] Is a 5mm base considered "thick"? Is it the right thickness to make
cooking fudge on a gas stove much easier than a "regular" pot?

[2] If I get a suitable "thick bottomed pot", either the 5mm one or a
thicker one, is it really going to make it much easier to make fudge
without it burning?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello all.

I'm considering buying a "thick bottomed pot" for making fudge. Problem
is, I don't know much about the process.

One of my problems in making fudge is that I'm a vegan, and use soya
milk to make fudge. I think that soya milk burns even easier than cows
milk, making burning a major problem. I don't know how thick my current
pots are, but I doubt that there are "thick" bottomed.

I went to a shop and asked what they had. They pointed me towards a pot
with a 5mm base. The cost was £25 (about US$50), marked down from £75
(about US$150). I realise that doesn't mean that the pot is necessarily
a bargain :-).

My questions a

[1] Is a 5mm base considered "thick"? Is it the right thickness to make
cooking fudge on a gas stove much easier than a "regular" pot?

[2] If I get a suitable "thick bottomed pot", either the 5mm one or a
thicker one, is it really going to make it much easier to make fudge
without it burning?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.


==============================


I'm not into making fudge, but aren't you supposed to use a double boiler
for this type of thing?

<http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-1/qid=1168371898/ref=sr_1_1/602-8157692-6462243?ie=UTF8&asin=B00004RGB7>

wrote on 09 Jan 2007 in rec.food.cooking

> Hello all.
>
> I'm considering buying a "thick bottomed pot" for making fudge. Problem
> is, I don't know much about the process.
>
> One of my problems in making fudge is that I'm a vegan, and use soya
> milk to make fudge. I think that soya milk burns even easier than cows
> milk, making burning a major problem. I don't know how thick my current
> pots are, but I doubt that there are "thick" bottomed.
>
> I went to a shop and asked what they had. They pointed me towards a pot
> with a 5mm base. The cost was £25 (about US$50), marked down from £75
> (about US$150). I realise that doesn't mean that the pot is necessarily
> a bargain :-).
>
> My questions a
>
> [1] Is a 5mm base considered "thick"? Is it the right thickness to make
> cooking fudge on a gas stove much easier than a "regular" pot?
>
> [2] If I get a suitable "thick bottomed pot", either the 5mm one or a
> thicker one, is it really going to make it much easier to make fudge
> without it burning?
>
> Thanks in advance for any feedback.
>
>

The thicker the bottom of the pan...the part that is heated....the more
even the heat will be..Thick bottomed pans won't stop you from burning
stuff, But it does allow you to do it evenly.

Even heat allows for better temperature control, which make cooking
easier, fudge, soup or stewed apples... hot spots make for scorched food
in a pan more likely.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
> I'm not into making fudge, but aren't you supposed to use a double boiler
> for this type of thing?

I did read about this online. It seems that it's not typical to make
fudge in a double boiler, and with "traditional" fudge recipes, the
temperature won't get hot enough to make fudge. At least, those are the
experiences I read.

Mr Libido Incognito wrote:
> The thicker the bottom of the pan...the part that is heated....the more
> even the heat will be..Thick bottomed pans won't stop you from burning
> stuff, But it does allow you to do it evenly.

Looking on Amazon, I can get milk pans with 6.5mm thick bases, which
are thicker than

> Even heat allows for better temperature control, which make cooking
> easier, fudge, soup or stewed apples... hot spots make for scorched food
> in a pan more likely.

How much easier does it make it? All else being equal, would a 6.5mm
thick base be an order of magnitude better than a 5mm base? Or would it
only be a minor improvement. I understand that a thicker base makes
burning less likely, but was wondering precisely how much less likely.
If I'm having trouble now with cheap thin-bottomed pots, is a thicker
bottomed pot going to make it much easier, or only a little bit easier
to make it?

wrote on 10 Jan 2007 in rec.food.cooking

> but was wondering precisely how much less likely.
> If I'm having trouble now with cheap thin-bottomed pots, is a thicker
> bottomed pot going to make it much easier, or only a little bit easier
> to make it?
>

I don't know...I've burnt stuff in thick bottomed pans as well as in thin
bottomed pans. Just cause the base is thick doesn't make it foolproof. I'd
say a little bit easier. But again that's a relative term.

On 10 Jan 2007 02:51:40 -0800, "
> wrote:

>
>Mr Libido Incognito wrote:
>> The thicker the bottom of the pan...the part that is heated....the more
>> even the heat will be..Thick bottomed pans won't stop you from burning
>> stuff, But it does allow you to do it evenly.
>
>Looking on Amazon, I can get milk pans with 6.5mm thick bases, which
>are thicker than
>
>> Even heat allows for better temperature control, which make cooking
>> easier, fudge, soup or stewed apples... hot spots make for scorched food
>> in a pan more likely.
>
>How much easier does it make it? All else being equal, would a 6.5mm
>thick base be an order of magnitude better than a 5mm base? Or would it
>only be a minor improvement. I understand that a thicker base makes
>burning less likely, but was wondering precisely how much less likely.
>If I'm having trouble now with cheap thin-bottomed pots, is a thicker
>bottomed pot going to make it much easier, or only a little bit easier
>to make it?

We I grew up (in the dark ages) we had nothing but thin aluminum pans
and I learned how to cook without burning food just fine. Thick
bottomed pans are not going to remove the need to keep a careful eye
on whatever is on the stove. If you are burning things, turn the heat
down or even with a thick bottomed pan you will have a nice and even
pan that is too hot.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Mr Libido Incognito wrote:
>> The thicker the bottom of the pan...the part that is heated....the more
>> even the heat will be..Thick bottomed pans won't stop you from burning
>> stuff, But it does allow you to do it evenly.
>
> Looking on Amazon, I can get milk pans with 6.5mm thick bases, which
> are thicker than
>
>> Even heat allows for better temperature control, which make cooking
>> easier, fudge, soup or stewed apples... hot spots make for scorched food
>> in a pan more likely.
>
> How much easier does it make it? All else being equal, would a 6.5mm
> thick base be an order of magnitude better than a 5mm base? Or would it
> only be a minor improvement. I understand that a thicker base makes
> burning less likely, but was wondering precisely how much less likely.
> If I'm having trouble now with cheap thin-bottomed pots, is a thicker
> bottomed pot going to make it much easier, or only a little bit easier
> to make it?
>


Revolvers and some semi-auto handguns have no safety. Friends have told me
they think that's dangerous. I tell them "YOU are the safety". Sometimes I
ask them if their BBQ has a device to detect burning hair or clothing, or if
it's their job to not get too close to the flame.

Let's simplify your quest: With cookware, there are two categories:

- Junk. Avoid it. That's easy. But, an attentive cook can work with junk if
necessary.
- Major brands which are thick enough, so you select based on other features
(non-stick, type of handle, etc). If you buy almost anything from Cuisinart,
All-Clad, Calphalon or similar brands, the products will have bottoms that
are thick enough.

No matter how thick the bottom, it's still possible to burn food if you're
not attentive. One way to further minimize the possibility is to buy a thing
whose name I don't know. I have one - it's a thick metal disk that goes on
top of the burner to diffuse the heat. I got mine at a local store,
www.cooksworld.com. Call them and ask about this "thing". They'll sell you
one.

Thanks for all the pointers. I have found that in my local market there
is a guy selling pots and pans. He has a thick-bottomed pot that he
claims is an expensive brand, that looks fairly solid, for a cheap
price (£10, almost US$20). I think I'll give that one a go. If it
doesn't work out, then at least I can use it for sauces and the like.
If it does work out, then I might shell out the proper money for a
top-ish brand.