Tips for achieving latke perfection

Latkes are among the many traditional foods that will make an appearance on tables during Hanukkah. Yahoo! Food offers five rules for making latkes to ensure that each one is perfectly light, crispy, and delicious. Follow these tips and your friends and family will be asking for this classic holiday treat year-round.

Some recipes call for grating the onion, but the article recommends finely chopping instead. “For maximum onion flavor and truly crisp, golden-brown results, chop the onion – don’t grate it. Grating onion turns it into a watery heap, resulting in the sweetness of the onion being drained away (during the latter, most-necessary step).”

Getting rid of excess moisture is the most important step to achieving a crisp, golden crust. Using the right amount of oil helps, too. According to the article, if you use too little oil “you’ll likely end up unevenly cooking the latke, resulting in both burned and soggy bits. Don’t use too much, either, as the amount of oil helps retain the pancake shape.” The writers recommend about 1/2 inch of oil – and make sure that it’s hot enough by dropping a tiny amount of test batter into the pan. It should sizzle immediately.

The EYB Library has plenty of latke recipes both traditional and innovative. Try one of these popular options:

Latkes from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (pictured above)
Celery-root and potato latkes from Epicurious by Gourmet
Crispy potato latkes from ‘The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home’ from Serious Eats by Michael Zusman and Nick Zukin
Parsnip-potato latkes with cinnamon applesauce from Food Network Magazine
Indian-inspired latkes from The Washington Post
Sweet potato latkes with spiked applesauce from Crossroads by Tal Ronnen and Scot Jones and Serafina Magnussen