Friday, March 22, 2013

Sinkers or Floaters? A Rhetorical Matzoh Ball Question!

Families around the globe have long debated the "sinkers of floaters?" matzoh ball question.
Do you prefer the light and airy "floaters" or the dense and chewy "sinkers".
Although my family is comprised of people from both camps, I maintain that it is a non-issue.
The only reason sinkers exist is because somebody somewhere couldn't seem to get the hang of the light, airiness, and her family just figured they'd make the best of a tough (pun intended) situation.



I've seen many matzoh ball recipes online, but NONE of them contain my foolproof "light and fluffy" ingredients. So after years of wondering if anybody else makes my recipe, I've just decided to share it here and find out.

Now keep in mind that Pesach presents its own special challenges, because nearly ALL of the ingredients I use are somewhat compromised/different in Kosher L'Pesach form. I suggest you try my recipe first with optimal non-pesach ingredients, though you can see from the photo above that they come out just great on Pesach as well.

The following recipe makes about 15-20 small matzoh balls, depending on how small you roll them. REMEMBER THAT THEY DOUBLE IN SIZE AS THEY BOIL!! I never make less than a quadruple batch of these. They freeze beautifully when drained (ask me about Press 'n Seal).

FLOATERS - What else?

  • 2 Tablespoons margarine (yes, I know... the Pesach stuff is nasty)
  • 2 eggs (the only ingredient that stays the same year 'round)
  • 1 heaping "knife tip" baking powder (oh, please... just go with on this one...that's how the recipe came to me - it's about a heaping 1/2 tsp...) (Pesach stuff isn't as potent I find, so be more generous, since this is the secret to the "no fail fluff")
  • Quick sprinkle of salt (Pesach salt is much saltier!!) Just a touch... remember you will be cooking this in salted water and then adding it to a flavorful (hopefully) soup.
  • 1/2 cup matzoh meal (the Pesach stuff I get seems to be whole wheat, which makes my matzoh balls (above) look browner than I'd like. Year round they they are much paler.


Mix the eggs and margarine well. Sprinkle on baking powder and salt and mix again. Slowly mix in matzoh meal. Refrigerate until firm. Roll into balls and drop into large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for 30 minutes. Drain.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for finally clarifying the floater/sinker issue! Mine have always been floaters, light fluffy and delic (I use the matzo ball mixes and have never had an issue).

I was taught by my grandmother and then mother that to get the fluffy balls I just needed to make sure the water was really boiling. Maybe after pesach i will go crazy and try making matza balls from scratch

Anonymous said...

Margarine is incredibly unhealthy, Pesach or no Pesach.

Anonymous said...

Margarine is truly bad for you..

efrex said...

The only matzah ball that I've disliked is the one that's not in my soup RIGHT NOW, thankyouverymuch. Light & fluffy, or dense and textured, it don't matter one bit to me.

Most versions online that I've seen are pretty similar to yours, with the occasional splash of seltzer/ginger ale thrown in (only needed if your baking powder is really ancient).

Anonymous: if you don't like margarine, then throw in some schmaltz instead (how we got the idea that this was inherently more unhealthy than other fats I still have no idea).

BLD said...

Only use KAJ Matzoh fro your Matzah Balls or else!

YW said...

Any thoughts on how to spell Kneidel- knaidel?