Our marble tables are an essential part of the fudge-making process at Ryba’s. Marble naturally absorbs heat, making it the perfect surface to cream and cool our fudge. During the day, we rotate between 3-4 tables to ensure the marble has enough time to cool between batches. Regardless, the marble will heat up slowly during the day as it absorbs in the heat from each batch of fudge.
The ideal starting point for the marble each morning is as close to the surrounding air temperature as we can manage. If the marble begins too cold, the stone can “shock” the fudge and cause it to cool and set up unevenly. Since the night air is generally much colder than during the day, electric blankets keep the marble slabs at the correct temperature throughout the night so we can start right back to making the creamiest fudge on Mackinac Island in the morning.
Before we close the store each night, we slip low-powered electric blankets onto the marble fudge tables we intend to use the next morning. This does not heat the tables but rather maintains the heat present in the marble so each morning starts with lukewarm slabs. With the magic of this seemingly simple innovation, our fudge sets up evenly every time!