I also have always been afraid of doing recipes that require a heavy use of a thermometer because I always wonder if I following the procedure right. If it’s my first time making something, I don’t always know what to look for and expect in each stage of the recipe procedure. I made some poured fondant last year, for cakes, and I didn’t even know if I was making it correctly. Once I did the second batter, I realized I had thrown out a perfectly good pot of poured fondant the first time around. But that’s trial and error for you. Now I know what to expect in texture and look when I am boiling the stuff and then watching it set on top of baked desserts.

Tempering chocolate is something I also want to try one day but it sounds intimidating and tedious, based on what I often hear and read from other cooks.

I wondered about that myself and really, I think you probably can use a standing mixer. The only thing I’d be mindful of is the fact that the bowl is cold and might bring down the temperature of the fudge considerably when you make the transfer. So, if I were to use a standing mixer, I’d either warm the bowl a little by popping it in the oven for a minute or I wouldn’t let the fudge cool as much before making the transfer.