This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Batter (cooking) is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
Batter is a liquid mixture, usually based on one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or beer. Egg is also a common component. Often a leavening agent is included in the mixture to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks (or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose as well as to add flavour).
The viscosity of batter may range from very "stiff" (adhering to an upturned spoon), to very "thin" (similar to single cream). Heat is applied to the batter, usually by frying, baking or steaming, in order to cook the ingredients (thus rendering them palatable) and to "set" the batter into a solid form. Batters may be sweet or savoury, often with either sugar or salt being added (sometimes both). Many other flavourings such as herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables may also be added to the mixture.
The word 'batter' comes from the old French word 'battre' which means 'to beat' [1], as many batters require vigorous beating or whisking in their preparation.
Contents |
Usage
Batters may be used to make crepes, dosais, idlis, vadais, Yorkshire pudding, fritters, doughnuts, hushpuppies, tempura, cakes, some breads, to coat meat or vegetables when frying, or to make pancakes, waffles or some cookies.
Batter is also very commonly used in some parts of the world to coat fish before frying. Batter makes up a critical component of the famous British dish Fish and chips for instance.
Non-alcoholic beers can be used to batter foods which is common in family restaurants. Often times, the purpose of battering foods with beer is to provide a healthy and hearty barley or wheat flavor to the food. The concept of beer battering is not only popular in America, but throughout Europe, Russia, and the Middle-East. When foods are beer battered and fried (fish, chips, onion rings, etc...), the alcohol diminishes, as the heat generated by the frying process evaporates any and all alcohol.
Quotes
| “ | Watching a woman make Russian pancakes, you might think that she was calling on the spirits or extracting from the batter the philosopher’s stone.[2] | ” |
References
See also
External links
- Yorkshire pudding recipe (Mrs Beeton)
- Tempura batter recipe (Bento.com)
- Sada Dosa recipe (IndiaHeritage.org)
 |
This food ingredient-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 3 October 2008, at 21:29.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Batter (cooking)".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.