Why was my falafel awful?

[Addie]

I'll have no choice about doing it in batches as it happens Addie, since I only have a mini blender!

If you have a food processor, small or large, you could use that. I am fortunate in that I have both.

 

[KatyCooks]

If you have a food processor, small or large, you could use that. I am fortunate in that I have both.

Nope, no food processor either - I am very deprived!

 

[Addie]

Nope, no food processor either - I am very deprived!

Oh dear. My heart goes out to you. Over the years, if it plugged in, I just had to have it. Now that I live alone, I don't use most of the equipment I have. I have given a lot of it to my oldest son. He cooks for himself and loves it. Along with all the toys I have given him. Right now he has his eye on my mixer and food saver. Unfortunately, I still use them both. But I am thinking of giving him my mandolin. I never use it any more. Too much bother to drag out. I can do it faster with a knife. He can also have my deep fryer. I have two frying pans that don't get used very much. And the deep fryer, never.

 

[KatyCooks]

Oh dear. My heart goes out to you. Over the years, if it plugged in, I just had to have it. Now that I live alone, I don't use most of the equipment I have. I have given a lot of it to my oldest son. He cooks for himself and loves it. Along with all the toys I have given him. Right now he has his eye on my mixer and food saver. Unfortunately, I still use them both. But I am thinking of giving him my mandolin. I never use it any more. Too much bother to drag out. I can do it faster with a knife. He can also have my deep fryer. I have two frying pans that don't get used very much. And the deep fryer, never.

I have a mandolin which I use every so often. It's quite useful if you need really thin slices (but that is not all that often really). I have no deep fat fryer (and wouldn't use it much if I did). I have about 10 frying pans though!

I have a pressure cooker which I have only used about 3 times since I got it as a present last Christmas, but I plan to use it more, along with my slow cooker. I must say, I do rather like kitchen gadgets!

 

[KatyCooks]

By the way, and just to get back on track for the thread - I have noticed people using the term "raw" chickpeas. Can I assume that this is the same as "dried"? (Which is what I have).

 

[KatyCooks]

Tomorrow I will be making the beetroot-coloured, pickled turnips.

Obviously that will need at least 2 weeks to "mature" before I can have my final try at falafel. So cunningly, I have planned a meal for tomorrow that also involves root vegetables - Roast chicken legs with roasted beetroot, carrot and potato, served with a very interesting looking poppy seed sauce.

 

[KatyCooks]

Well, I made a jar of pickled turnips as planned. It certainly looks pretty! Let's hope it tastes nice in a couple of weeks.

 

[CharlieD]

Wow, 10 frying pans, even I have less. What kind of pans do you have? As far as kitchen toys, I love them and sugest to everybody to have as many as possible.

 

[KatyCooks]

What can I say? Some gals collect shoes, I apparently collect frying pans! All sorts, shallow, deep, non-stick, not non-stick, omelette, griddle - you can never have enough frying pans!

One of my favourite "toys" is one of the simplest though - a potato ricer. It makes marvellous fluffy mashed potato with none of that annoying mashing required!

What's yours CharlieD?

 

[CharlieD]

Hard to say, I have two food processors, I have a stand up mixer, I have semi Comercial meat grinder, I have 9 frying pans and a whole bunch of pots. I have a deep fryer that I've stop using because I bought a pot with a basket insert for deep frying. I have 2 juicers I have 20 or 25 knives. Now multiply some of that stuff by 2 or 3 because I keep kosher I have separate stUff for dairy and meat sides of the kitchen plus I have a separate Passover kitchen, don't ask. I've spend thousands on my kitchen toys. I guess if I had to choose I'd say that I love my stand up kitchen aid mixer the most.

 

[Addie]

Hard to say, I have two food processors, I have a stand up mixer, I have semi Comercial meat grinder, I have 9 frying pans and a whole bunch of pots. I have a deep fryer that I've stop using because I bought a pot with a basket insert for deep frying. I have 2 juicers I have 20 or 25 knives. Now multiply some of that stuff by 2 or 3 because I keep kosher I have separate stUff for dairy and meat sides of the kitchen plus I have a separate Passover kitchen, don't ask. I've spend thousands on my kitchen toys. I guess if I had to choose I'd say that I love my stand up kitchen aid mixer the most.

When I lived in Chelsea, the next town over, 95% of the residents were Jewish. Keeping a Kosher home gets to be very expensive. Two of everything.

I just remembered a story that my mother told me. When she was a young girl, the family next door was Orthodox Jew. On Friday, she would go in at a set time on Friday and shut off their lights and do any other chore that needed doing. Sometimes there were some chores in the kitchen that needed to be finished. The wife stood over her to make sure she put the pots and dishes where they were to go. It wasn't until years later that she understood the whole meaning of "Keeping Kosher" meant. But they wouldn't pay her until Saturday. That too was part of Keeping Kosher.

 

[CharlieD]

That is pretty much it. But the main expense actually not the pots but food itself. For example we awe paying $4.20 for a half gallon of milk. BTW this is another reason my diet is so messed up. The prices sometimes simply do not allow to have more meat or fish per meal.

 

[taxlady]

That is pretty much it. But the main expense actually not the pots but food itself. For example we awe paying $4.20 for a half gallon of milk. BTW this is another reason my diet is so messed up. The prices sometimes simply do not allow to have more meat or fish per meal.

Fruit and vegis aren't very expensive.

 

[Addie]

That is pretty much it. But the main expense actually not the pots but food itself. For example we awe paying $4.20 for a half gallon of milk. BTW this is another reason my diet is so messed up. The prices sometimes simply do not allow to have more meat or fish per meal.

Charlie, I can understand completely. There is a secret to that also. Portion control. Small portions of fish or meat and larger helpings of the veggies. Also use smaller plates. Your plate will look full even though you are serving less food. Do you eat on dinner plates? Get some luncheon plates. They are smaller. And make sure they have a wide rim on them. I use a salad plate myself. If someone came in and stole all my dinner plates, it may be years before I noticed they were gone. I use them only to put a cake on so I can frost it and send it on its way to someone else's house. Smaller glasses of milk for yourself. Pour glasses of water before everyone sits down to eat. You would be surprised to see the kids reaching for the water once the milk glass is empty. Or save the milk for dessert.

Also let your family know that you have to make changes in your diet. You would be surprised at how much they care and are willing to help you stay on your new diet.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I started a thread (http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/falafels-87808.html)
on falafel's before I found this one. This thread has me going in the right direction.
First, the debate on canned vs dried chick peas seems to be the issue. I now can take something from my childhood and actually employ it today.

My father made Cuban fritters that originated from old Key West. They are pronounced (boy - eat - toes).
I now see the direct relationship between this fritter and the falafel. It seems we have cousins here.

The Bouyitos (boy-eat-toes) were made with dried, soaked, black eyed peas that have been shelled, ground, and mixed with garlic, hot peppers and salt and pepper.
These are deep fried in spoonfuls and served with beer and hot sauce. Bar food if you will.

No baking powder was used I think. My father is gone now so I cannot ask him.
But I do know he whipped the ground up mixture into a batter with a spoon. It expanded the batter and added air. I must assume this process is the reason they help together in the hot oil.
He used an electric skillet with about 2 inches of oil.

I now am in agreement that the falafel must originate from dried chick peas soaked overnight.

Anyone interested in how you peel black eyed peas?

 

[taxlady]

I'd love to hear how one peels black eyed peas.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I'd love to hear how one peels black eyed peas.

Okay. Only because you asked!

Back in the day, before food processors were made, my father had a hand cranked corn grinder. The kind you attach to the edge of a table. It had a screw handle to tighten it down.

The grinder could be set, by adjusting the space between the two grinding wheels depending on the grind you needed. From course to fine.

He would set the wheels to the maximum open position and grind the dried black eyed peas into little pieces. I guess you could say he just cracked them.

He would put them out them in a big pot of water and let them soak while he occasionally stirred them up with his hands. Massaging them a little.
As he did this on and off, the skins would float to the top.
They would be skimmed off with a small strainer.
This would go on until they were all perfectly "off" white. Once the skin is gone, the black spot is gone to. This when you know they are all peeled/skinned.
They stayed in the water like beans for processing the next day.

 

[Addie]

That sounds like a very happy childhood memory.

 

[taxlady]

Thanks Bones

I wonder where one would find a hand cranked grinder like that nowadays. I used to have a small one for grinding spices. It was da bomb. My ex got it.

 

[Addie]

Thanks Bones

I wonder where one would find a hand cranked grinder like that nowadays. I used to have a small one for grinding spices. It was da bomb. My ex got it.

That's an easy one to answer. Amazon.com: corn grinder mill

Amazon has every thing.