Make lumps a thing of the past with our guide to the perfect batter!

Make your batter better with these simple tricks and tips!

Making batter is a very straightforward and easy process when done correctly. I’ve chosen to make a standard versatile savoury batter as an example. However, a batter can mean any cooking mixture that can be spooned or poured.

You may have heard the term batter used for cake and pudding mixes, However this article is more specific to savoury batter used for fish, yorkshire puddings and dishes like Toad in the Hole.

This recipe uses 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 beaten egg and a small minced onion.

All the dry ingredients and the onion should be placed in a bowl. To keep the batter airy and light the flour needs to be sifted.

Unsifted flour is bound to cause lumps when the liquid is added. If you want to make a completely lump-free batter, I recommend sifting the flour before use, even if it is pre-sifted flour. You can sift the flour quite easily through any kitchen sieve.

Sometimes it is easier to use an electric whisk or mixer for your batter, be sure that if you are doing this and adding other ingredients (such as fresh herbs) that they are added at the end of mixing to prevent them from being broken up by the mixer.

All the wet ingredients should be mixed together in a seperate bowl and then added at once to the dry mix for the smoothest possible batter.

It is very important to make sure that it is the wet ingredients that are added to the dry rather than vice versa, this will help to prevent lumps.

Now you have combined all the ingredients you should carefully fold them together until they are well mixed. You can also leave the batter to rest before use as recommended by some recipes. Some also claim you will get a better rise by mixing for a specific length of time.

Barry Johnson is a well known writer, foodie and self confessed glutton! If you would like more inIf you would likemation on making batter and especially Toad in the Hole, and Yorkshire Pud recipes visit his website www.toad-in-the-hole-recipes.com