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How to Make Latkes with Leslie Jonath
By Meredith Arthur, Eric Slatkin, and Blake Smith
Leslie Jonath, writer-editor at Chronicle Books and annual latke-party-thrower, has learned all she knows from her mother and grandmother. She shares some Jonath family secrets (controversy alert: food processor! wringing water!). Her latke recipe is adapted from Marlene Sorosky’s version in Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays.
I agree with her that you cannot just use a tiny smidge and expect them to taste good, but I find that to be an ungodly amount of oil. I usually use enough canola to half-coat the bottom of a good nonstick pan and it's more than enough. Also way easier to work with.
I'm with ericbop. A friend and I cooked at the Beard House's latke cookoff about 10 years ago and won the people's choice award with our "towel-wringer latkes." I alternately grate 2 potatoes and 1 onion in the cuisinart, layering them. Drain. Pour off the water. Keep the potato starch and add eggs to it. In addition, I get the potato and onion mixture as dry as possible. Spread a clean bath...+READ
I'm with ericbop. A friend and I cooked at the Beard House's latke cookoff about 10 years ago and won the people's choice award with our "towel-wringer latkes." I alternately grate 2 potatoes and 1 onion in the cuisinart, layering them. Drain. Pour off the water. Keep the potato starch and add eggs to it. In addition, I get the potato and onion mixture as dry as possible. Spread a clean bath towel on the counter, pad it with a bunch of paper towels, layer about 1" thick of the potatoes, more paper towels, roll the whole thing up in a long tube. step on one end of the tube and twist the towel from the other end. Pull up, twist down some more. Repeat with many batches. Mix the dry mixture with eggs, salt, pepper, etc. Keep them small. Fry in peanut oil. Don't pat them down--allow spiky things to stick out. So you get really crunchy spikes and a tiny creamy center. Yum. I suppose they aren't traditional, whaddya expect of a schicksa. But pretty darn good. They DO NOT warm up well. The spiky parts get soggy.-COLLAPSE
ericbop is right. Squeeze out the water and add back the starch. It makes a difference. Instead of potato starch, I use matza meal. I've also learned to use more oil than I normally would in the frying pan, otherwise the middle of the latke might not get completely cooked. The oil also adds a beautiful golden color. I actually make them all in the morning, and put them on paper towels to drain...+READ
ericbop is right. Squeeze out the water and add back the starch. It makes a difference. Instead of potato starch, I use matza meal. I've also learned to use more oil than I normally would in the frying pan, otherwise the middle of the latke might not get completely cooked. The oil also adds a beautiful golden color. I actually make them all in the morning, and put them on paper towels to drain and place them on cookies sheets and stick them in the refrigerator. Then, when the company comes in the evening, all I have to do is heat them up at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. That way, more oil comes out and they are crispier. YUM. They are an incredible amount of work but really delicious.-COLLAPSE
You can have your crisp latke and eat it too:
-Sqeeze out as much water as you can - there will still be enough moisture left for a steamy, creamy inside, but the more water you squeeze out, the crispier the outside will be
-Leslie is 100% right - the potato starch is essential for an awesome latke, but the way to get it is how my wife's grandma taught her: once you've squeezed out all the...+READ
You can have your crisp latke and eat it too:
-Sqeeze out as much water as you can - there will still be enough moisture left for a steamy, creamy inside, but the more water you squeeze out, the crispier the outside will be
-Leslie is 100% right - the potato starch is essential for an awesome latke, but the way to get it is how my wife's grandma taught her: once you've squeezed out all the water into a bowl, the starch will settle to the bottom. pour out the liquid, and then add the starch back to your latke batter!-COLLAPSE
I don't know why some people are saying there are no onions or salt in this... you can see it in the fast forward part. The reason they don't show every single step of the recipe is that this is not an instructional video for making latkes. It's only about certain tricks you can use while making them.
Just about every recipe I've seen contradicts at least one of the assertions in this video. Surprise, surprise. Ask ten Jews how to make traditional latkes and we'll give you at least eleven answers.
Squeezing out the water is perhaps the biggest difference. I squeeze out most but not all of the excess water. Too moist and the outside burns before the inside is cooked, unless you make them very...+READ
Just about every recipe I've seen contradicts at least one of the assertions in this video. Surprise, surprise. Ask ten Jews how to make traditional latkes and we'll give you at least eleven answers.
Squeezing out the water is perhaps the biggest difference. I squeeze out most but not all of the excess water. Too moist and the outside burns before the inside is cooked, unless you make them very thin. Having some moisture left helps to partly steam the inside giving a softer texture.
These are certainly right:
Plenty of a lighter oil at a fairly high heat.
A starchy potato is best texture-wise.
A couple of tips:
To drain off excess oil after cooking use a cookie cooling rack.
An iron pan holds the heat better.-COLLAPSE
Leslie keeps her potatoes in water after peeling them to keep them as fresh as possible for grating/Vitamin C. The potatoes are grated raw, though.
Meredith
are we supposed to boil the potatoes? i see her put them in a pot of water but the printed recipe doesnt say anything about boiling them.
I had the same initial reaction about the onions. Not enough! Wearybashful, we got a kick out of your comment.
I do a 5-1 potato-onion ratio...so the recipe my family uses calls for 5 lbs of potatoes and 1 lb of onion.
Like NancyH, we always use the smallest holes in the grater - it seems like going through the food processor twice might do the trick too, but the larger holes that were used in...+READ
I had the same initial reaction about the onions. Not enough! Wearybashful, we got a kick out of your comment.
I do a 5-1 potato-onion ratio...so the recipe my family uses calls for 5 lbs of potatoes and 1 lb of onion.
Like NancyH, we always use the smallest holes in the grater - it seems like going through the food processor twice might do the trick too, but the larger holes that were used in the square grater in the video will make it too much like hash browns.
The tips in the video about frying are right on - and these are good tips for frying almost anything.
I'll be making latkes next week, and I can't wait-COLLAPSE
To avoid splattering the oil, don't drop the food into the pot, slide it in at an angle or as close to the surface as is comfortable. You won't get the splashback that way. Use a pot with high sides [a wok is great and uses less oil] and not so much oil. With a frying pan, use as high-sided a one as you can find. Chicken fryer pans are perfect. When you turn the latkes, use 2 spatulas or a...+READ
To avoid splattering the oil, don't drop the food into the pot, slide it in at an angle or as close to the surface as is comfortable. You won't get the splashback that way. Use a pot with high sides [a wok is great and uses less oil] and not so much oil. With a frying pan, use as high-sided a one as you can find. Chicken fryer pans are perfect. When you turn the latkes, use 2 spatulas or a spatula and a long fork to balance the pancake so it doesn't plop back down into the fat. Works for other food, also.-COLLAPSE
Sorry Leslie - you are doing one thing wrong. The issue isn't with the grater (box vs. Cuisinart) - it is the size of the hole!
My mother always said that Latkes had to be made from potatoes and onions that were grated on the smallest holes on the grater. We thought that she was nuts. (And she was getting disabled with MS and using the blender for the whole job by then.) Then, one year, we told...+READ
Sorry Leslie - you are doing one thing wrong. The issue isn't with the grater (box vs. Cuisinart) - it is the size of the hole!
My mother always said that Latkes had to be made from potatoes and onions that were grated on the smallest holes on the grater. We thought that she was nuts. (And she was getting disabled with MS and using the blender for the whole job by then.) Then, one year, we told her not to exhaust herself, and we made the latkes. All she had was a crummy box grated (actually looks like the one in the video), but we tried it. We found that the smaller hole-grate makes a huge difference in the texture of the pancake, which you point out should be creamy on the inside.
Then, my old food processor died and we got a Cuisinart. The wheel with the smallest holes actually has no holes at all - it is the cheese grating wheel! We now use that for the first grate (again - you correctly point out that a pulse or two with the blade is necessary to process everything). Try it sometime - I think you'll be impressed!
We photodocumented the process last year on my blog: http://funplayingwithfood.blogspot.com/2007/12/playing-with-potato-latkes.html.-COLLAPSE
This was perfect!!!
We are cooking latkes for both of our children's classes this week, I needed a good refresher, this hit the spot!!!
Thanks
fine, if you want to make videos, make them. But recognize that
people learn and experience things in different ways and for some,
reading works better.How hard can it be to provide a brief rundown of the impt points?
I appreciate your response, hope you will discuss it with the other folks at corporate and that a change will be noticable on line.
Saacnmama, we make videos for a couple of reasons. One, we think some subject matter works better that way. Two, people learn and experience things in different ways and for some, a video is a better way to learn & retain -- or just be entertained. When the video team makes videos, they're trying to make conceptual points, not step-by-step instructions. If there are important details involved (as...+READ
Saacnmama, we make videos for a couple of reasons. One, we think some subject matter works better that way. Two, people learn and experience things in different ways and for some, a video is a better way to learn & retain -- or just be entertained. When the video team makes videos, they're trying to make conceptual points, not step-by-step instructions. If there are important details involved (as in a recipe) we always try to include that in text.
Jane, EIC of CHOW-COLLAPSE
For the oil splatter, there are round mesh things (with handles) that you can get to put over the pan you are frying things in.
Merideth, I am glad to hear Chow has heard at least some of the comments. Now what about putting some of the video-only stuff in writing? This is not a technophobe request--my computers at home and work can handle video just fine. But my pacing is not the same as yours....+READ
For the oil splatter, there are round mesh things (with handles) that you can get to put over the pan you are frying things in.
Merideth, I am glad to hear Chow has heard at least some of the comments. Now what about putting some of the video-only stuff in writing? This is not a technophobe request--my computers at home and work can handle video just fine. But my pacing is not the same as yours. I expect many of us multitask. Having to pause and rewind the video repeatedly is a pain. Even when I am not interrupted, there are times I want to go over something again, and other times when a quick skim would be more appropriate. These tactics are so embedded in reading that we often do not notice them until the ability to use them is taken away, as it is in video (or tv)
Thanks in advance for paying attention!-COLLAPSE
We hear you, commenters! We are exporting a new version of the video that makes the onion use more explicit. It will appear here in the next couple hours. And as for the links disappearing as you mentioned, it's a technical bug and will hopefully be fixed soon.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts,
Meredith of CHOW
Like wearybashful, I was appalled at the lack of onions. Not to mention salt, etc. Even after you wrote that there was a recipe which included the missing ingredients, I had to peer over and over the whole area to find it. Nothing to indicate that those two words are a link --- This layout could use some revision! (The recipe itself accords with my family's, except for a Vitamin C tablet; they...+READ
Like wearybashful, I was appalled at the lack of onions. Not to mention salt, etc. Even after you wrote that there was a recipe which included the missing ingredients, I had to peer over and over the whole area to find it. Nothing to indicate that those two words are a link --- This layout could use some revision! (The recipe itself accords with my family's, except for a Vitamin C tablet; they didn't have such in my day, says the Jewish grandmother dinosaur.)-COLLAPSE
I have a question about oil splatter that's applicable to more than just latkas but I thought of it watching this video. Whenever I'm frying things in the same manner (a relatively deep pool of oil), I always end up with oil all over the stove, no matter how careful I'm being with putting stuff in. Is there anything I can do to minimize that?
Is there any chance the 'important tip-type' things could be written down? Surely I'm not the only Chow member who finds this whole move towards video to be a pain.
Thanks,
Jennifer
Meredith, thanks for the explanation. I can sleep peacefully now. (It is hard to figure out that link though.)
Wearybashful, If you click through to the recipe above (it's linked to the words "latke recipe" even though the color of the type is the same), you'll see that the recipe indeed includes one onion grated the same way the potatoes were. We just moved through the "recipe" part of the video to get to the important tip-type highlights. Sorry for the confusion--the Jonaths definitely believe in the...+READ
Wearybashful, If you click through to the recipe above (it's linked to the words "latke recipe" even though the color of the type is the same), you'll see that the recipe indeed includes one onion grated the same way the potatoes were. We just moved through the "recipe" part of the video to get to the important tip-type highlights. Sorry for the confusion--the Jonaths definitely believe in the onion.
Meredith, Video Producer of CHOW-COLLAPSE
Lady, for the love of God, Judah and all the Macabees, where are your onions?