Batter (cooking) facts for kids
Batter is a special kind of dough that is thin enough to be poured. It's used for making yummy foods like pancakes, light cakes, and as a crispy coating for fried foods. The word batter comes from the French word battre, which means to beat. This is because you often need to beat or whisk batter really well when you make it!
How is Batter Made?
Most batters are made by mixing dry flour with liquids. These liquids can be water, milk, or eggs. Sometimes, grains are soaked in water and then ground up to make batter.
To make batter light and fluffy, people often add a leavening agent. This could be something like baking powder. It creates tiny bubbles that make the batter airy when it cooks. Some batters are also naturally fermented, which helps them get fluffy and adds flavour. You can even use carbonated water or other bubbly liquids like beer to make batter airy.
The thickness of batter can be different. Some batters are quite thick, like a heavy cream, and stick to a spoon. Others are very thin and can be poured easily. When you cook batter, you usually fry it, bake it, or steam it. This cooks the ingredients and makes the batter solid.
Batters can be sweet or savoury. People often add sugar or salt, and sometimes both! You can also add other tasty things like herbs, spices, fruits, or vegetables to the mix.
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Crêpe batter
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Batter with a batter spoon
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Close-up view of angel food cake batter
What is Beer Batter?
Beer is a popular ingredient in batters, especially for foods that are going to be fried. A simple beer batter can be made with just flour, beer, and a little salt. The bubbles in the beer help make the batter light and airy. The type of beer used can also add a nice colour or flavour to the batter.
Beer batter is very popular in many countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Some common foods that are fried with beer batter include fish, chips, and onion rings.
Batter in Different Cuisines
Batters are used in many different types of cooking around the world, and they have many names! For example, Tempura in Japan, pakoda and dosa in India, and spoonbread in the USA are all types of batters.
When batter is used for fried foods, it forms a crispy shell around the food. This shell helps to keep the food from burning and locks in its flavour and juices. The best batter for fried foods is thick enough to stick to the food, but not so thick that it feels heavy.
Batters can get thicker over time because of something called gluten developing. To keep batter from getting too thick, some cooks use ice water when mixing it. Also, alcohol (like in beer) can help, as it doesn't mix with the flour to make gluten. It's also a good idea to make batter right before you plan to use it!
See also
In Spanish: Rebozado para niños
