Do: beer in your batter

Beer is a great base for batter. The bubbles, alcohol and foam make everything you make with this batter (or dip into it) even tastier. How does that work? We’ll explain.

Bubbles make it airy

Beer contains carbonation, which makes your batter airier than when you make it with water. Here’s how it works: gas dissolves at lower temperatures. So when you put beer batter in a hot (deep-frying) pan, those bubbles remain intact for longer. The beer foam makes it take a little longer for them to burst, giving the batter a deliciously light and crispy texture.

Quick protective layer

Once exposed to heat, the small amount of alcohol in the batter evaporates very quickly – much faster than with water. That heat then settles into the batter. When you deep-fry, the heat is therefore in the coating, rather than in, for example, the fish. The fish can slowly cook through at a lower temperature. When you work with beer batter, the chance of something becoming overcooked is therefore quite small. You regularly have that struggle with regular batter.

Subtle twist of flavor

Beer gives your batter a slightly different flavor. A little bitter, sweet or just fruity: it depends on which type of beer you use. Never use too much beer, to make sure the flavor doesn’t become overpowering.

Needed: just four ingredients

You make beer batter with flour, beer, egg and salt. You don’t need anything else. What’s more, it’s ready in no time. You can dip countless foods into it and deep-fry them briefly. Would you rather make pancakes with it? Then check out Jamie Oliver’s recipe for beer pancakes.