I'm not very good at frying things and that was borne out by my failed
effort at making falafel last night. Ugh! What a mess. I had 3
recipes that all said to use canned garbanzos. This morning I found one
that said to never use canned chickpeas. Sigh. The falafels were much
too soft on the inside and I just could not maintain the correct
stovetop temperature on my electric cooktop to keep the oil temp
correct. Either it was too hot and they burned or too cool and they
were falling apart from absorbing too much oil. Maybe one third looked
all right but were too soft in the middle.

That is one of the things I hate about electric cooktop is that it is
much too difficult to maintain a steady temperature with that on & off
thing it does. Easy to clean and plenty hot (halogen) overall but just
not steady like a gas burner. I do have a deep fryer but use it so
infrequently that I use it even more infrequently... if that makes any
sense. It takes a lot of oil that just goes to waste. Can oil be
strained and then frozen for reuse? Seems unlikely. So maybe I just
need to give up the idea of doing decent stovetop falafels. Unless
anyone has an idea for me. But I have a feeling they must really be
deep fried in a proper unit to be done right. Yes?

Does anyone here have induction yet? If so, can you get a really steady
flow of energy with an induction hob or range? Steady enough to keep
oil at a steady temperature that is.

Emma

"Emma Thackery" > wrote in message
...
>
> I'm not very good at frying things and that was borne out by my failed
> effort at making falafel last night. Ugh! What a mess. I had 3
> recipes that all said to use canned garbanzos. This morning I found one
> that said to never use canned chickpeas. Sigh. The falafels were much
> too soft on the inside and I just could not maintain the correct
> stovetop temperature on my electric cooktop to keep the oil temp
> correct. Either it was too hot and they burned or too cool and they
> were falling apart from absorbing too much oil. Maybe one third looked
> all right but were too soft in the middle.


Next time, bake them. Turn the oven up as high as it'll go. Wipe a thin film
of oil onto a sheet of HEAVY DUTY aluminum foil placed on a baking sheet.
Bake 5 minutes, flip them over, bake 5 minutes more, and test one. Add a
little more time if necessary. It might be a slightly smoky process, so use
the fan if you have one.

Emma Thackery wrote:
> I'm not very good at frying things and that was borne out by my failed
> effort at making falafel last night. Ugh! What a mess. I had 3
> recipes that all said to use canned garbanzos. This morning I found one
> that said to never use canned chickpeas. Sigh. The falafels were much
> too soft on the inside and I just could not maintain the correct
> stovetop temperature on my electric cooktop to keep the oil temp
> correct. Either it was too hot and they burned or too cool and they
> were falling apart from absorbing too much oil. Maybe one third looked
> all right but were too soft in the middle.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Moshe's Falafel

Recipe By :New York Cookbook-Molly O'Neill
Serving Size : 7 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Beans
Ethnic

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound dried chick peas -- soaked overnight
3 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 large onion -- finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley -- chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda, disolved in 1/2 cup water
vegetable oil for deep frying

- To serve as a sandwich: Place 4 falafel balls in the pocket of one
pita. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the sesame sauce and 1 tablespoon hot
sauce (to taste) over the falafel. Add some of the lettuce and tomato, a
drizzle more of the two sauces, and top with a pickle. Continue
assembling the remaining falafe
To serve as hors d'oeuv Make a dipping sauce of 2 parts sesame
sauce and 1 part hot sauce. Place a bowl of the sauce in the center of a
platter lined with lettuce leaves. Fry and drain the falafel, skewer
each with a toothpick, arrange around the dipping sauce and serve.

In a food processor or blender, grind the soaked chick peas. Add the
garlic, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, and baking soda mixture.
Process until smooth. 2. In a large, wide pot, heat oil to a depth of 3
inches until very hot, but not smoking. With a 1 1/2-inch ice cream
scoop, form the falafel mixture into balls the size of golf balls, using
a flat knife or spatula to smooth out the scoop. Carefully slide the
falafel into the oil. Continue shaping falafel and adding them to the
oil, but do not crowd the pot. Cook the falafel until golden brown,
about 3 minutes. Turn and continue to cook until golden brown all over,
about 3 minutes more. Remove the falafel from the pot with a slotted
spoon and drain on paper towels or paper bags. Keep warm while
continuing to fry the falafel until all the mixture is used.
- Sesame Sauce: 1 c. tahini paste 1 clove garlic, crushed juice of 1
lemon 1/4 c. cold water 1/4 tsp. salt dash of black pepper Combine all
ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to
serve. Makes 1 1/2 cups
- Hot Sauce 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce 1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes 1/4
tsp. salt dash of black pepper Combine all the ingredients in a
non-reactive small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring
occasionally, until the mixture reduces slightly and thickly coats the
back of a spoon, 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to
cool to room temperature. Serve. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Emma Thackery wrote:

> I'm not very good at frying things and that was borne out by my failed
> effort at making falafel last night. Ugh! What a mess. I had 3
> recipes that all said to use canned garbanzos. This morning I found one
> that said to never use canned chickpeas. Sigh. The falafels were much
> too soft on the inside and I just could not maintain the correct
> stovetop temperature on my electric cooktop to keep the oil temp
> correct. Either it was too hot and they burned or too cool and they
> were falling apart from absorbing too much oil. Maybe one third looked
> all right but were too soft in the middle.

This is a common error, so don't feel bad (how could it not be
with all those erroneous recipes out there?). Don't use canned or
cooked chickpeas. Use dried that have been soaked but not cooked.
After cooking they'll have the proper texture.

It'll work. Don't give up yet.

--
Reg

In article > ,
says...
> Emma Thackery wrote:
>
> > I'm not very good at frying things and that was borne out by my failed
> > effort at making falafel last night. Ugh! What a mess. I had 3
> > recipes that all said to use canned garbanzos. This morning I found one
> > that said to never use canned chickpeas. Sigh. The falafels were much
> > too soft on the inside and I just could not maintain the correct
> > stovetop temperature on my electric cooktop to keep the oil temp
> > correct. Either it was too hot and they burned or too cool and they
> > were falling apart from absorbing too much oil. Maybe one third looked
> > all right but were too soft in the middle.
>
> This is a common error, so don't feel bad (how could it not be
> with all those erroneous recipes out there?). Don't use canned or
> cooked chickpeas. Use dried that have been soaked but not cooked.
> After cooking they'll have the proper texture.
>
> It'll work. Don't give up yet.
>
>

LOL. I made the same error once. When I put the felafel into the oil
they just disintegrated. It was pizza delivery that night for dinner!

--
Peter Aitken

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Feb 2007 13:19:42 -0600, Emma Thackery wrote:
>
> > So maybe I just
> > need to give up the idea of doing decent stovetop falafels. Unless
> > anyone has an idea for me. But I have a feeling they must really be
> > deep fried in a proper unit to be done right. Yes?
>
> Just buy the pre-mixed boxes of falafel mix. Near East or
> Fantasic Foods brands. I don't think your problem has much to do
> with the oil temp as I've heard many complaints about falafel
> recipes.

Well that is nice to know about the oil. The mixes I've seen have wheat
in them unfortunately (celiac here) so I'll give the dried chickpeas a
try. Thanks.

Emma

In article >,
"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote:

> Next time, bake them. Turn the oven up as high as it'll go. Wipe a thin film
> of oil onto a sheet of HEAVY DUTY aluminum foil placed on a baking sheet.
> Bake 5 minutes, flip them over, bake 5 minutes more, and test one. Add a
> little more time if necessary. It might be a slightly smoky process, so use
> the fan if you have one.

I'll definitely try that--- with a new recipe using the dried chickpeas
too. I like that idea... thank you very much.

Emma

In article >,
Goomba38 > wrote:

> Moshe's Falafel

Thank you!

In article > ,
Reg > wrote:
>
> This is a common error, so don't feel bad (how could it not be
> with all those erroneous recipes out there?). Don't use canned or
> cooked chickpeas. Use dried that have been soaked but not cooked.
> After cooking they'll have the proper texture.
>
> It'll work. Don't give up yet.

Thank you very much! Now I feel like trying again. Fortunately, I
had large salads and some left-overs. My husband didn't say anything
bad and ate a few of them stoically. The sauce was great.... lol.

Emma

"Emma Thackery" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote:
>
>> Next time, bake them. Turn the oven up as high as it'll go. Wipe a thin
>> film
>> of oil onto a sheet of HEAVY DUTY aluminum foil placed on a baking sheet.
>> Bake 5 minutes, flip them over, bake 5 minutes more, and test one. Add a
>> little more time if necessary. It might be a slightly smoky process, so
>> use
>> the fan if you have one.
>
> I'll definitely try that--- with a new recipe using the dried chickpeas
> too. I like that idea... thank you very much.
>
> Emma

You're welcome. And, do a google search for some info on oven-frying fish &
chicken breasts. Works fine for them, too.

In article >,
Emma Thackery > wrote:

> I'm not very good at frying things and that was borne out by my failed
> effort at making falafel last night. Ugh! What a mess. I had 3
> recipes that all said to use canned garbanzos.

In my experience, canned doesn't work. We use a mix, either from a box
or (cheaper) from the bulk bins. We always deep fry them. No special
equipment. Just a sauce pan on the stovetop, with enough oil to cover.
Don't overload the pan.

In article
>,
Dan Abel > wrote:

> In article >,
> Emma Thackery > wrote:
>
> > I'm not very good at frying things and that was borne out by my failed
> > effort at making falafel last night. Ugh! What a mess. I had 3
> > recipes that all said to use canned garbanzos.
>
> In my experience, canned doesn't work. We use a mix, either from a box
> or (cheaper) from the bulk bins. We always deep fry them. No special
> equipment. Just a sauce pan on the stovetop, with enough oil to cover.
> Don't overload the pan.

Thanks