Best candy thermometer?

What's a really high-grade candy thermometer? I've had failures trying to make from-scratch fudge and thinking maybe the Walmart grade candy thermometer isn't accurate enough.

Thanks!

 

What recipe are you using?
What failure are you having?

Before buying anything check the accuracy of what you've got. Bring some water to a boil and stick the thermometer in. What temp does it read? It should say about 212f (depending on your altitude and weather). Then on the cold end of the scale fill a glass or bowl with a lot of ice and some water. Stir well and give it time to get as cold as it's going to get and stick the thermometer in the water. It should be 32f (does not change with altitude or weather much).

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Some baking and candy making is science. If doing a recipe that relies on the boiling point you may need to pay attention to the weather and altitude. The air pressure affects the boiling point. Higher altitude lowers the boiling temperature while lower altitude raises it. I live at about 600ft elevation. In winter the cold, dry air can be like I am below sea level while on a hot, humid day it's like I'm at 3'500 feet. For water this can change it's boiling point from 230f in winter down to 205f in summer.

 

Per Pilot Dane:

Thanks for the reply. It's been a while but I followed a recipe or two from Youtube. I was ending up with either chocolate syrup or a chocolate brick. My recollection is the mix was stubborn about getting to the temp the recipe called for - it would stall out just short of it going by what the thermometer said. My understanding was getting to the correct temp for the correct amount of time is crucial.

I'm in Florida, elevation maybe 50 - 100 feet more or less.

Can't check the accuracy, I believe it got broken - it's been a while since my last attempt. I've gotten a notion to give it another try. The one I had was either this specific model or one very similar. I'd like to get one that's got a rep for being high quality and dependable.