Getting a souffle to rise every time?
So, in the last week I have attempted several soufflés.....trying to get the hang of them.
I've tried a couple of different dishes for them and different ingredients but there doesn't seem to be a common denominator as to what causes some to rise and some not to :(
All sweet ones so far: strawberry, raspberry and banana. Using ~30g caster sugar and 2 egg yokes (sometimes add half a tbsp of cornflour and some vanilla) mixed in with mashed/chopped/blended fruit......and saving the egg whites for the obvious...I butter the dishes twice, always brushing upwards and leaving for 1-2 mins in fridge between brushes....tried with sugar coating on the butter and without.
Tried cooking at 180, 190 and 200. I watch for the golden top, rather then timing it. Always fold with a metal spoon (large one).
And still sometimes they rise, sometimes they don't....
Any top tips?
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
Dont open the oven door ?
I'd have thought the potential freshness of the egg may well make a difference - I know for a meringue you would want a less fresh egg than for poaching - I'd assume a souffle would be equally fussy ?
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
Also interested in this, the girlfriend wants me to cook her some, since I'm the cook of two :p
I'd have said don't open the oven door would be the best idea
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
I never open the door until it's golden on top (hurray for glass doors!) and according to Hestons recent program on eggs (in which he doesn't make a souffle grr), freshness of eggs doesn't matter for a souffle.....
I'm stumped........tried another last night and failed again. Just bulged up in a dome but the sides never rose with the centre :(
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
I made some (successfully) a year ago - Ramsay's chocolate recipe. I suspect most of the trick is getting the mixture properly aerated and making sure you don't overly crush it at the last stage. One trick that seemed particularly important was overheating the oven initially because it drops by about 10-20 degrees when you open the door.
I also made some that failed and ended up like sort of like cake with a melting centre - delicious, but not souffle.
This was the video I used to get a grasp of how hard to mix, etc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c4MewNvc5Y
Another top tip: one carton of eggs will make a batch of Souffle (only requires whites plus one extra) and a batch of Creme Brulee (only requires yolk) :)
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2...colate-souffl- and the recipe
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
Hmmm, after last nights little experiment, I think that the temperature of my kitchen is the problem!
I pushed the souffles further back into the oven and the back-sides of them did rise........making me think the front of the oven is cooler because my kitchen is quite cold this time of year.
I think i will add 10c to my oven temperature and push them right to the back next time.
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
Do you have an oven thermometer? They're only a fiver or so - I bought one to check out our gas oven here (student house) and amazingly the thermostat is spot on.
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
Do you have a fan oven? They are supposed to give a more even heat (although if you haven't, getting one just to make souffles would make them somewhat expensive)
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
Went shopping last night, all the cooking thermometers in my giant Asda store were sold out (curse you Heston!!)
....Also...another lesson learned.....seems the lining of the ramekins is important.....putting granulated sugar around the top seems to help a fair bit. Anything finer seems to cause me issues.
Also, seems 1 egg yolk spread out between x souffles is enough......too much yolk in the tasty bit/patissiere can make it too heavy.
Seems like quite an art......
Must say, I have never eaten so many eggs in such a small space of time.....but oh my, they are nice! :clapping:
Re: Getting a souffle to rise every time?
Butter the ramakins with soft butter and then sugar then whilst the butter is still soft then fridge them till you need to make the souffle mix.when the mix is in the ramakin give it one tap on the taple to dislodge any big air bubbles .then run you finger round the top edge of the mix to pull it away from the edge of the ramakin.deff never open the doof on a souffle as the temp drop will kill the rise ive always cooled all souffles in a over @ 180c,but some savoury ones are better cooked bain marie ie in a water bath for a better even heat