Perfectly Crispy Latkes - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

Why are my latkes not crispy? ›

Your Latkes Aren't Crisp Enough

You might also be crowding your latkes when you cook them — you want to use a large pan and make sure your latkes don't touch when they're cooking (otherwise they'll steam instead of crisping up). Additionally, your oil might not be hot enough.

Vegetable oil or canola oil is usually best, because of its high smoking point. Latkes were traditionally made with schmaltz, or chicken fat, so if you have access to it, you should certainly add it in, because it does contribute to the flavor.

Latkes are easily one of our favorite holiday foods, but considering they are traditionally fried in lots of oil, they're not necessarily the healthiest! So I took it upon myself to turn these beloved potato pancakes into a healthier, baked version that are vegan and gluten free.

A latke has three main elements: potato, onion, and a binder. The potato part is easy. Don't get anything fancy—russet potatoes are all you need. Russets, often called Idaho potatoes, brown the best and produce tender interiors, thanks to their high starch content.

Tradition says so. Latkes are usually served at dinnertime along with a meaty main, like brisket. Mixing milk and meat at the same meal is a no-no for those who keep kosher, so sour cream would be out as a latke condiment leaving the underdog apple sauce victorious. If you're on the fence, try it yourself.

Potatoes are typically 80 percent water and 20 percent solids or starch so to avoid soggy latkes, take the potato-onion mixture a handful at a time and literally squeeze the water out.

The potato pancake is much simpler, with nothing but raw grated potatoes, egg, and all-purpose flour. The latke, on the other hand, adds baking powder, matzo meal, and even a splash of milk, according to Cooktoria. Surprisingly, the potato pancake has a longer preparation time due to the simplicity of its batter.

Generally, olive oil, avocado oil, and canola oil are healthful for cooking with. Sunflower oil may be good for shallow frying. Oil reaches its smoking point once it starts to smoke and break down. Once it passes the smoking point, it releases free radicals that can cause damage to cells in the body.

When comparing hash browns to latkes and potato pancakes, hash browns require the fewest ingredients. Latke recipes include a binder like egg. They may sometimes have seasoning like onion plus matzo meal, baking powder, and sometimes milk.

A latke (Yiddish: לאַטקע latke; sometimes romanized latka, lit. "pancake") is a type of potato pancake or fritter in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine that is traditionally prepared to celebrate Hanukkah. Latkes can be made with ingredients other than potatoes such as cheese, onion, carrot, and zucchini.

What is the difference between rosti and latkes? ›

Latkes are very similar to the rösti, but also incorporate egg and flour into the pancakes, and are pan-fried in canola oil instead of clarified butter. How do I get my rösti super crispy? Frying in clarified butter is what gives the rösti its beautifully crip exterior while the interior remains buttery.

Why latkes? The simple answer is that they're meant to remind Jews of the miracle of the oil associated with Hanukkah.

If they're falling apart while you're shaping them, they either need a little more flour to hold them together (QueenSashy recommends saving the potato starch that gathers at the bottom of the liquid you squeeze out of the grated potatoes and mixing that back into the potato mix) or they're too wet and need to be wrung ...

This sure sounds a lot like potatoes that have been stored too long, in too cold of an environment before cooking. When potatoes are held below 41°F for too long a period, the starches convert to sugar and it changes the cooking chemistry.

Batter consistency: if the batter is too thick, it might not spread thinly enough in the pan, resulting in a thicker pancake that is less likely to crisp up. Cooking oil: insufficient oil in the pan can hinder the pancake from achieving the desired crispiness.

If roasted potatoes lack their crunchy sheen, overcrowding is usually the culprit. Just as overcrowding bacon or mushrooms in a saucepan causes disappointingly mushy results, placing potatoes too close to each other on a baking sheet will prevent them from crisping while they roast.

To prepare crunchy biscuits, reduce the amount of ingredients that tend to retain moisture, such as 00 type flour, eggs or brown sugar. Prefer white granulated sugar or corn syrup instead, for drier biscuits.