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Popover weirdness

post #1 of 7
8/25/11 at 12:50pm
Thread Starter 

I've made popovers the same way for a few years now with pretty good success. But this morning it did something different.

 

Preheat the oven and pans to 450.

 

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon melted butter.

 

Mix all together, oil the hot popover pan, pour in the batter filling each cup no more than 3/4 full, and into the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temp down to 350 for another 10 15 minutes. Some consider that overfilling, but it has worked well in the past with the pans I use.

 

Today, all seemed normal, but I had some leftover batter. That was a bit odd. But when I removed the popovers I found out why.

 

The batter and flashed into steam and set, creating an air pocket in the bottom of the pan. I've had small versions of that in the past, but today, each popover did it significantly.  Even though there was less batter per popover, they cooked up a bit doughy because there was so much less contact with the pan to transfer the heat.

 

My thoughts are two. One, an over heated pan. But I've not noticed my oven baking off temp and the look, feel and smoke (I'm using cast iron muffin pan and they smoke at that temp) were all as normal.

 

I might have overbeat the batter. Now, I've been using a food processor to mix this batter though I don't remember where I got that tip. 30 seconds in the FP gives it enough work to hold the rising steam and really pop.  I used my immersion blender this time. 

 

What are your thoughts on these popovers.

 

This is the pan for reference. Works great, releases easily, pops really well with the heat it holds.

http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Cast-Iron-Muffin/dp/B000PZZ0UU

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post #2 of 7
8/25/11 at 6:48pm

Weirdness.  Maybe your oven needs to be recalibrated?  Measurement error?  Old eggs, new eggs?  Old milk, new milk?

 

Popovers is one of those things I never understood.  Out of a whole pan at least one and sometimes half would never turn out for me.

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post #3 of 7
8/25/11 at 7:07pm

Maybe you caught the oven while it the element was on, so your pan was hotter. Batter warmer then usual?

 

Only other thing I could think off was that you had more air in the mix from the immerison blender.

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post #4 of 7
8/26/11 at 10:10am

You sometimes get that inverted mushroom if you use a high heat oil and there is water in the butter.

Stumper? Best thing is not to over think it and make another batch.

Myself, I've never use mechanical aid to mix.

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post #5 of 7
9/12/11 at 8:10am
Thread Starter 

I hand mixed this morning's popovers. They popped better than the last batch but not as well as other batches. And the pan wasn't as hot as usual so maybe my oven temp is off in the last weeks. Have to check the oven temps via thermometer some more.

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post #6 of 7
9/12/11 at 9:26am

Phil,

The regulators for temp and recovery are still very primitive. You would think this would be an easy task with a chip.

My son tells me there is just not enough money in it.

With the popularity of specialty flours in the retail venue, the normal or regular flour has really deteriorated. It is really sludge.

Pop overs are like choux paste to me. The simplest but the most difficult task to perform.

I still fail sometimes after 40 yrs. LOL

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post #7 of 7
10/11/11 at 9:44am
Thread Starter 

My lower element warped and went warty all of a sudden then failed utterly. So that explains lots of what I've been experiencing.

 

$48 for a new one and it's performing like a champ again now.  Haven't put a batch of popovers in it yet to test, but the rest of my baking is suddenly easier. I expect the element was the culprit.

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