On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 224

grated cheese for a savory one. The butter
supposedlyhelpsthesoufflémixslideupthe
sideasitexpands,whiletheparticlesgivethe
mix something to cling to as it climbs.
Contradictory claims, and not true! Soufflés
made in unbuttered or uncrumbed dishes rise
just as high. The butter simply makes the
soufflésurfaceeasiertodetachfromthedish,
and sugar, breadcrumbs, and cheese make a
nice crunchy, brown crust for the otherwise
softinterior.
Onceputinitsdish,areasonablystiff
soufflémixcanbeheldforseveralhoursin
therefrigeratorbeforethefoamdeteriorates.
Itwillkeepindefinitelyinthefreezer.
Cooking Soufflés Baking soufflés is not a
perilous enterprise. Put a room-temperature
soufflé mix in a hot oven and it will rise.
Don’tworryaboutopeningtheovendoor.The
mixcan’tfallunlessitactuallybeginstocool
down,andevenifthatdidhappen,itwillrise


againwhenitheatsupagain.
Mostsoufflésareplaceddirectlyonarack
orbakingsheetintheoven,butsmall
individualsoufflésareoftenlightenoughthat
theycanbeblastedhalfwayoutoftheirdish
bythesteamgeneratedattheoven-hotdish
bottom,sothedishendsuphalfempty.A
bakingpanfilledwithwater,orindividualfoil

cupsofwateronabakingsheet,willmoderate
thebottomtemperatureandkeepasmall
souffléinitsdish.
Asoufflé’sappearanceandconsistencyare
stronglyaffectedbytheoventemperature.At
temperaturesabove400ºF/200ºC,themix
risesthefastest,andthesurfacecanbrown
whiletheinteriorisstillmoistandcreamy.At
325to350ºF/160to180ºC,therisingismore
modest,andsurfacebrowningcoincideswith
afirmingoftheinterior.Aslowovenmay
coagulatethesurfacessograduallythatthe
expandingmixspillsoutofitsdishrather
thanrisingvertically.Donenesscanbe