Cooking For Engineers

[Dilbert]

the recipe makes two ramekins - so you should not need to adjust either time or temp in baking.

for a smaller batch, just half everything - I suspect one yolk, two whites - that might produce a little extra.

[quarkz]

Hi I just tried yesterday. Unfortunately, it was a failure. The top was burnt and it didn't raise evenly, instead it is like a mountain. So any idea what happened?

I guess maybe it has to do with uneven mixing of the chocolate mixture and the egg white. My temperature was 190deg c and I wonder if it is too high.

Thanks!

[Dilbert]

the 190'C temp is right - so burnt on the top could be

- the actual oven temp is hotter than 190'C as set by the control
- baked too close to the top - use middle or lower shelf
- a natural consequence of the volcano effect.

the volcano effect often comes if it bakes too fast - the outside sets up before the center has expanded and as the center continues to bake it "erupts"

use a separate thermometer to check the oven temp - that's the easy part.

the ramekin / baking container can also play a role - to thin / too heat conductive and the outsides bakes quicker.

you can also use a water bath / "bain marie" to help with that problem.

un-even mixing might have contributed - the chocolate portion will be denser than just egg white - which might show up as small portions of the non-chocolate mix separating.

[quarkz]

Well, tried it again and this time, I beat much longer till stiff peak and mix more evenly.

Within 5 mins inside the oven, it has raised by 2-3cm! But it keeps on rising and gets a bit "unstable". The souffle rises until it is very near the oven and gets burnt.

Guess it's because I half the ingredient and it's 1 yolk to 2 egg white. Is there too much egg white? I still have the mixture left. Will it work if I now use a lower temp (150 instead 190deg C) and maybe longer time?

Thanks!

[Michael Chu]

[Dilbert]

>> The souffle rises until it is very near the oven and gets burnt.

what kind of oven are you using? a "standard" 60-75 cm wide floor oven or a counter top type toaster oven?

[quarkz]

I'm not too sure what you mean, but mine is a small oven about 50cm wide with the heating element at the top and bottom. I think it raises too much and hence it get too close to the heating element.

[Dilbert]

>>what you mean
it is physically a small dish - so if it is getting "close" to an element I suspect you are using something like:

http://www.amazon.com/Ovens-Toasters-Small-Appliances/b?ie=UTF8&node=289933

vs something like this:

http://www.us-appliance.com/gegasfrestan.html

using a small counter top oven will present some challenges for dishes like souffle. it's a small volume, many watts, heats very fast and often overshoots the set temperature.

your intuition to modify the baking temperature is probably a good start - it will require some experimenting.

[Joe]

Was wondering if I were to refrigerate the completed batter and then bake them tomorrow if the would end up very dense or if they would back like normal...


thanks,

Joe

[Dilbert]

>>refrigerater batter for later

very unlike to be satisfactory - a souffle is beaten egg whites - they need to be baked right away.

[Foodie99]

Just made this soufleé. It was delicious! I made some homemade raspberry sauce to put on top and it came out very well. I also used three egg whites instead of two. Fantastic!

[Guest]

Michael wrote in his recipe:

"The best part of making soufflés is that they can be prepared to this point beforehand and refrigerated for up to three days. On the day you plan to serve the soufflés, take them out of the refrigerator about two hours before you plan to serve them so they can warm up a little. If you don't take them out of the fridge early, then bake them for an extra minute or two."

The above statement was right after pouring the batter into the ramekins.

[CookEngineer]

Well, I tried putting granulated sugar to the sides of the ramekins, but after baking it becomes half burnt - half melted (tastes bad), especially the sugar that gets up sticking to the souffle side.

I changed it to a little flour (or only butter) and the result was both tasty and practical (it could still rise).

Secondly I have asked an expert, and told me that the perfect souffle should be just baked on the outside (1cm), leaving the inside in liquid form. I personally cant make both the souffle to rise to 1.5x - 2x its height and both have it liquid inside, as baking it for more will turn most of it solid.

At least the taste -even when not fully risen- is excellent.

[Willaliburd]

I've made this recipe several times and its fantastic. Have a public holiday today so gonna make some more.

Thanks for a great recipe!

[jangofett]

I've been cooking for a while now, I dont believe that having a gas oven will affect it. I have a gas oven and I used it to make this recipe, so in this case it works perfectly fine for me. Hope I helped.

-Jango-