Egg vs Batter!

For as long as we have been making our Ceres Fishcake Mix we’ve had plenty of customers ask us what is best for dipping the fishcakes into so as the breadcrumb sticks.

There are two answers: beaten eggs or a very thin batter mix. As a batter creator most people think our advice would be to use a thin batter, but let’s delve into the options. 

BATTER

Batter is widely available in fish and chip shops so it seems the most logical option but there are some pros and cons to using this thinly. On the plus side is the fact that the starch and protein in batter will stiffen and create a very firm bond, especially when frying. A breadcrumbed product should be crisp to touch and should give way under light pressure, batter will create a barrier that will give you a crunchy coating. On the negative side, batter will have a lot of water in, which means your crumb will have more available moisture to absorb. For that reason, we believe the cons outweigh the pros.

EGG

Egg will be less available in fish and chip shops but very much to hand in other establishments, like pubs, restaurants, hotels, cruise ships etc. In our view, egg is the perfect medium for panné, it has a low water content, it’s very adhesive and it will become part of your coating structure. When you use beaten egg it becomes invisible to the product, it will be light and crisp and reduce oil pickup. Understandably, you will want to use what you have to hand – at Ceres we love cheat products – but we think egg has the superior technical advantage over batter for this use. 

HINTS & TIPS

• Before beating eggs add a pinch of salt, salt breaks down the proteins in the egg so it’s easier to work with.
  
• Sieving the beaten eggs will remove the stringiness.
  
• Keep any leftovers chilled in an airtight container when not in use. Always buy superior free range eggs.