Heavy Fritters - help!

[jfrater]

Hi all,

I have tried to make potato fritters twice now (at home in NZ we call them mock whitebait fritters as the grated potato resembles whitebait).

This is my recipe:

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

seasoning to taste

1 egg

I use that basic recipe with enough milk to form a fairly thick batter. I then add two grated potatoes (rinsed in acidulated water and squeezed out in a towel).

The final mixture is thick enough that it will fall off the spoon.

When I cook them at a medium heat until golden in a bit of oil, they are always very heavy and gluggy.

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong or what I can do to make these light as air? I was wondering about maybe whipping the egg white until stiff and folding it in.

Also, the baking powder doesn't seem to make the fritters rise much.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jamie

[Swisskaese]

Are these suppose to be like beignets or are they more like potato pancakes?

The reason I am asking is because I did a google search and all of the "Mock Whitebait" and Mock Whitebait recipes only have potato and egg and they are cooked like potato pancakes.

Actual Whitefish Fritters use the ingredients you wrote above.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[jfrater]

Hiya,

The ones you found on the net with only a small amount of flour sound more like hash browns to me - the fritters I had growing up were not like hash browns.

I am not sure what beignets are, but fritters are usually a batter with something added to it and them shallow fried till golden. You can make banana ones too.

So basically, the question is: how do I make the lightest and fluffiest fritter batter?

[JAZ]

This is my recipe:

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

seasoning to taste

1 egg

I use that basic recipe with enough milk to form a fairly thick batter.  I then add two grated potatoes (rinsed in acidulated water and squeezed out in a towel).

The final mixture is thick enough that it will fall off the spoon.

When I cook them at a medium heat until golden in a bit of oil, they are always very heavy and gluggy.

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong or what I can do to make these light as air?  I was wondering about maybe whipping the egg white until stiff and folding it in.

Also, the baking powder doesn't seem to make the fritters rise much.

←

Your recipe as written calls for baking soda, but then you talk about baking powder. They do vastly different things. Baking powder is a leavener, but baking soda is not on its own -- it needs an acidic ingredient to act as a leavener. So if your batter recipe really calls for baking soda, you need buttermilk or something acidic in it.

[Mike Hunt]

Hiya,

The ones you found on the net with only a small amount of flour sound more like hash browns to me - the fritters I had growing up were not like hash browns.

I am not sure what beignets are, but fritters are usually a batter with something added to it and them shallow fried till golden.  You can make banana ones too.

So basically, the question is: how do I make the lightest and fluffiest fritter batter?

←

Not really sure if this is the correct route, however, I'd dump the egg in favour of chilled sparkling mineral water.

This has worked for me on anything I've deepfried.

[Swisskaese]

This is a beignet.

This is what I think of as a fritter. I would be more apt to use mashed potato instead of grated, but it sounds interesting.

Edited May 23, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[mrbigjas]

this is interesting, the lack of responses.

i would definitely try whipping the egg white. between that and the baking powder, things would be bound to lighten up.

but i've never made potato fritters, only corn, zucchini, apple, and so forth. potatoes can be weird when mixed into doughs or batters in my experience.

[jfrater]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I did mean Baking Powder, not soda.

I think I will try them next time with the whipped egg white. Also, it might be that the potatoes in combination with the batter are just not the best thing to put together.

[fou de Bassan]

I second whipping the egg white. You might try boiling the potatoes first then putting them through a ricer. This would give you a fluffy, dry potato. Mix the batter ingredients then fold in the egg white. This is how I make fritters but I've never used potato before.

[whisks]

i never put eggs in my fritter batter - just self raising flour, a bit of cornflour and water (sparkling, if you like). you mix it to your desired consistency, thick or thin, dip the item to be frittered in, then deep fry. this works for both sweet and savoury fritters.

[jfrater]

Good news! Someone from New Zealand (my home country and the origin of mock whitebait fritters) read this thread and emailed me the recipe!! Here it is:

2 & 1/2 tablespoons of flour,

1 egg,

2 tablespoons milk,

3 tablespoons grated cheese.

1 med sized potato - grated ...

1 tsp of the magic Edmond's Baking Powder.

Salt & Pepper

Beat egg, add flour, milk, cheese and seasonings Add potato and baking powder.

What I realise now that I have seen it, is that the reason the fritters were light as a kid, is that the flour and egg is really just binding the potato - it isn't a batter. Now I can make mock whitebait fritters just like Mummy made them!