The basic batter only needs a fairly brief beating or whisking in order to combine the ingredients. If you beat the mixture too much, this tends to develop the gluten in the flour and results in the batter becoming tough when it is cooked. The exception is any yeast-raised batter, which does need to be beaten heartily to develop gluten.

** Asian Recipes **

The batter that are used to make pancakes, waffles and such dishes are much the same. It is the exact proportions of all the ingredients that vary slightly.

Pancakes, crepes, baked batter puddings and Yorkshire pudding are all made with a basic pouring batter. To make crepes, which are slightly lighter than pancakes, the batter is thinned with a few tablespoons of extra liquid.

Fritters and battered foods such as fish, shellfish and vegetables are made with coating batter. This uses the same amount of flour, salt and egg as pouring batter, but only half of the liquid. Whisked egg whites may be folded into a coating batter, and sugar added for sweet fritters. The type of liquid used in batters will influence the result. Water makes a light batter, milk helps to make it smoother and causes it to brown faster, while beer adds lightness and flavor.

** Asian Recipes **