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Favorite Matzo – Do You Have One? Or More???


weinoo

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The Jewish holiday of Passover is rapidly approaching. That means, at least in my neighborhood, and in many others, matzo starts appearing in stores in great numbers.

Now, when I was a kid, there were basically two kinds of matzo: egg and plain.

Now, as an adult ( :laugh::laugh: ), I find literally dozens of different matzos in the stores. Every year, there are more and more.

The classic, whole wheat, everything, egg, onion, garlic, egg and onion, garlic and onion, etc. etc. etc.

So - what's your favorite? Brand? Style? Whatever.

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

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I'm a purist, I like plain matzoh, preferably with a smear of whipped cream cheese. I can't say I've noticed much difference between the commercial brands (I know some people probably have brand loyalty, I get whatever brand the supermarket is giving me for free with my $50 purchase :wink: ). Whole wheat which is made with apple juice instead of water tends to not taste as "dry". I bought spelt matzoh last year and it wasn't markedly "better" in any way. My late uncle used to go into Brooklyn and get schmura (sp?) matzoh which is hand made and usually more of a round/irregular shape, and tends to be close to burnt. Interesting in smaller quantities.

At the end of the day...it's pretty much edible cardboard no matter what.

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

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I prefer the plain matzoh - always have. Over the years I've become accustomed to matzoh imported from Israel. The ones I've tried seem to be a little more crunchy than the more typical US made matzohs, like Streits and Manischewitz. And, if I recall correctly, one of the US made matzoh brands contains ingredients other than the traditional flour and water. In addition, they're more expensive than the imported brands I've tried, and contain fewer matzohs.

Plain matzoh seems to be a better choice for making matzoh brei (did I spell that correctly?), which I love making for Toots a couple of times a year.

...Shel

Edited by Shel_B (log)

 ... Shel


 

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The Jewish holiday of Passover is rapidly approaching. That means, at least in my neighborhood, and in many others, matzo starts appearing in stores in great numbers.

Now, when I was a kid, there were basically two kinds of matzo: egg and plain.

Now, as an adult ( :laugh::laugh: ), I find literally dozens of different matzos in the stores. Every year, there are more and more.

The classic, whole wheat, everything, egg, onion, garlic, egg and onion, garlic and onion, etc. etc. etc.

So - what's your favorite? Brand? Style? Whatever.

Chabad-certified Schmurah. Because nothing screams exclusivity and Jewish wealth like the need to spend 21+ dollars a pound on shit that tastes like building material.

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/265986/jewish/Order-Matzah-Online.htm

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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One of my first blog posts was about Streit's matzo factory, located on the corner of Rivington and Suffolk streets for the last 90 or so years.

A hot from the oven matzo stays hot for about one minute on a chilly night. And it's good for about one minute - I mean, without butter, cream cheese, salt, etc. it's basically a bad cracker.

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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The Jewish holiday of Passover is rapidly approaching. That means, at least in my neighborhood, and in many others, matzo starts appearing in stores in great numbers.

Now, when I was a kid, there were basically two kinds of matzo: egg and plain.

Now, as an adult ( :laugh::laugh: ), I find literally dozens of different matzos in the stores. Every year, there are more and more.

The classic, whole wheat, everything, egg, onion, garlic, egg and onion, garlic and onion, etc. etc. etc.

So - what's your favorite? Brand? Style? Whatever.

Chabad-certified Schmurah. Because nothing screams exclusivity and Jewish wealth like the need to spend 21+ dollars a pound on shit that tastes like building material.

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/265986/jewish/Order-Matzah-Online.htm

Hey - have you seen the cost of a lulav and an etrog lately :cool::cool::cool: ?

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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I'm a purist, I like plain matzoh, preferably with a smear of whipped cream cheese.

That's "schmear." Otherwise it doesn't taste the same. ;-}

I'm a purist, too. I also prefer plain, and the brand (usually Streit's) that's in my local supermarket's post-Passover half-price sale. I like using it as a hummus transport vehicle.

Edited by Alex (log)

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First of all, I am not a Jew. I just play one on TV :smile:

I picked up a box of Holyland Matzo (made in Israel) from my local TJ's last week for 2 bucks. My favorite el cheapo matzo to date -- nicely browned all over, with nearly burnt edges. As with nearly all baked goods, I'm all about the burn!

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

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For a seder I like plain, since I mainly eat it with haroset and horseradish which has enough flavor to make even the box taste good. But for matzoh brei I've always thought onion was a good choice. I would be hard pressed to want to pay for artisanal matzoh, if such a thing exists.

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To me this is not even a question of what flavor of matzoh. Or brand. Most matzos suck. It is, by definition, DESIGNED TO SUCK. It is a bread of AFFLICTION.

That being said, for me to tolerate it, unaltered (such as transformed into Matzo Brei or into a kugel) I like mine crisped up in the toaster with some char on it. Because we're talking about white flour with no intrinsic flavor characteristics. So I like whole wheat and whole grain, because it handles toasting better.

Edited by Jason Perlow (log)

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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To me this is not even a question of what flavor of matzoh. Or brand. Most matzos suck. It is, by definition, DESIGNED TO SUCK. It is a bread of AFFLICTION.

That being said, for me to tolerate it, unaltered (such as transformed into Matzo Brei or into a kugel) I like mine crisped up in the toaster with some char on it. Because we're talking about white flour with no intrinsic flavor characteristics. So I like whole wheat and whole grain, because it handles toasting better.

I'm going to toast the living daylights out of my next matzoh brei.

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Yehuda brand, from Israel. For the types found in our local supermarkets, it is my favorite plain because it tends to be more well-done. So at least you have the flavor of burnt cardboard rather than just plain cardboard :smile: .

Snacking on leftover charoset, it is nice on whole wheat matzoh.

"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

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My picky six year old son, whose main food groups are currently hard boiled eggs (just the whites, cut with an egg slicer, dipped in Hawai'ian red salt), pepperoni pizza with the pepperoni removed and eaten separately, macaroni and cheese, greasy bacon and egg sandwiches from a certain deli near my wife's workplace, pancakes, chocolate milk, rice, and candy, really likes shmura matzoh. I do too.

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So, I made matzo brei with toasted whole wheat Streits' matzot...

attachicon.gifphoto.JPG

Feh.

That looks more like an omelet with matzo than matzo brei. The matzo pieces are too big and too regular in shape, and don't seem to be well-coated with the egg. I have strong opinions about using WW matzo - I'm a staunch advocate of plain matzo, and the idea of toasting the matzo is alien to me. Never heard of doing that until I read this thread. Was the toasting an experiment, or have you tried it before? What specifically made it "Feh?" .... Shel

 ... Shel


 

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I'd never toasted any matzo before until Perlow mentioned it above. The matzo pieces were certainly not regular in shape although they may look that way.

I'll try again with regular matzo soon.

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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BTW... just posted an update to Rachel's Passover Roll recipe. Like Matzo Brei, this is something GOOD you can do with Matzot. http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/the-joy-of-pesadich-rolls/

Edited by Jason Perlow (log)

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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My grandmother used to like dampening the matzo with water and then toasting it in the toaster oven until crisp. It wasn't a bad technique.

Your grandmother had a toaster oven?

Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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I could see where a little water on the outside might make salt adhere, which would go a long way towards making the stuff edible. Then when you toast it, you'd get rid of the water and crisp it up.

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

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So I used plain matzoh and toasted it. It does crisp up. I learned two things: it toasts very quickly (in other words some went directly from the toaster into the garbage) and never to put the raggedy side of broken matzoh down in the toaster because it gets stuck and things get ugly. I did not attempt to wet the matzoh before toasting, as that seems likely to make an even worse mess.

There was a slight improvement over untoasted matzoh in the final product, but matzoh brei is going to have that wonderful slightly rubbery slightly cardboardy texture no matter what. That's what makes it good. Once or twice a year.

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