Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Folks,

So we've used up the matzoh ball soup leftover from Pesach. The last couple of years, I've had a problem with my matzoh balls, though: they shrink and become dense after cooking. They puff up like anything while being boiled, but once they cool to around 120F, they shrink and become dense again. Heating them back up doesn't help.

I don't remember this happening before, and I don't think I've changed the recipe any. My balls were never giant and fluffy, but I don't remember needing a knife to cut them before.

Ideas?

It's been awhile since I've had direct experience with Jewish balls, but I believe the texture is directly related to how one handles them.

Dump the matzoh in all at once and they will be dense. Add it a bit at a time and they will be light. That's all I remember and I really don't know what would cause them to go from light to dense. I just wanted to write about balls.

I know that Giada advises with gentile meatballs to mix all the add in ingredients first and then to add the meat so as to avoid over mixing the end product. Since doing that I never have any issues. However since I've no experience with matzoh this may be less than helpful.

Stumped Fuzzy...I haven't made them in years, but I remember using a tip from my mother and using seltzer instead of water. Apparently the carbonation helped to keep them fluffy. On the other hand, there is always a controversy over which are best....fluffy or dense, so somwhere there is an audience for the final version of yours.

Fuzzy, most balls shrink in the cold!

Balls said the queen, if I had them I'd be king

To troubleshoot this accurately, it would better if we could see the recipe.
Meanwhile, I'm going to ask the obvious:
Do you keep the lid on the pot the entire cooking time?
Do you handle them gently while forming?
Do you chill a few hours before cooking?
Do you drop them into a wide, deep pot of boiling water so they're not crowded?

http://www.fuzzychef.org/archives/Parve ... -2009.html



No.



I roll them with my hands. Not sure if that's "gently" or not.



I hold them at room temp for a while before cooking. Note that room temp in my apartment is around 65F.



Yes.

I have never had that happen. I've had a couple instances where I over mixed and got dense balls, but none that started fluffy and then got dense.

I mix my egg, schmaltz, salt and seltzer first, and then add the matzo meal. I mix gently, refrigerate one hour, form into balls and boil gently with the lid firmly on, no peeking.

--Lisa