Toad in hole

[acorn]

Help! I just cant make a decent toad in the hole. Ive tried different types of pans with differing depths. Ive made my own batter and bought shop packets. Ive tried cooking the sausages first and leaving them raw. Ive heated the oil until its almost set fire to the kitchen!! Ive left the batter to stand, put it in the fridge and even made it and poured it straight away. I can just about make yorkshires ok but my TITH just doesnt rise. Help!! Oh i cook by gas if thats any help too!!

[dotjhawkes]

Buy a frozen one from Iceland, they are ace.

[nickmo]

AB's most popular meal!! http://thefoody.com/meat/toadinthehole.html has a bog standard easy recipe. You should ideally cook the sausages first - this won't stop the batter from cooking but will make a much better Toad. Make sure you let the batter have a rest before cooking as well as this allows all the proteins in the mix to get ready for a good cooking.

Ypu may have cool spots in the oven which does affect the cooking. The commercial test for checking this is cook a victoria sponge and check the rising in different levels of the oven.

Couple of other links to see for recipes: http://www.yorkshirerecipes.co.uk/freeyorkshiretoadintheholerecipe.htm uses meat from the sausage so no skins - fry this first, put in hot tin, cover with batter and bake. Or see: http://www.uktvfood.co.uk/index.cfm?uktv=recipes.recipe&iID=534543 for Sophie Grigson version with herbs in the batter and an onion and cider gravy.

Try doing individual dishes as well which again will show if there are cool spots. Make them in small pie cases and chop up the sausgaes. Do this and you can entertain your vegetarian pals using meat free sausage, cookes at the same time of course, or do a couple with herbs in the batter for variety, and of course 'over make' the quantity, freeze the extras and save on the making the next time.

[Coobeastie]

putting some mustard & horseraddish on the sausages before pouring on the batter mix is really tasty.

[mindimplode]

nickmo's answer is pretty thourough but I would also stress the need to put a lot of air through the mixture first. A damn good whisking!!!

[acorn]

Thanks for the information. Ive never thought of the individual ones - im going to try that this weekend. And if its a disaster - theres always take away!!

[nickmo]

Hi acorn.- post back and let us know how they all go! If it all goes wrong, serve them up as Frog in the Mud.

[tubeway]

individual ones are called popovers - according to Mrs Beeton

[acorn]

Ok just came on to say your all welcome over at my place for pillow sized toad in the hole!! For the first time in - oooo - lots of years (!) the toad actually stayed in the hole and the hole rose up all around - so much so that the ones at the back of the individual tin overflowed onto the bottom of the oven!! Crunchy tops too!! I cant believe it - neither can the kids!! They were a bit greasy on the bottoms - but then so was my last date - he he he!!

Nickmo - many many thanks! Now all ive got to do is the washing up!!

[loggy01]

I always use chipolata sausages which I slightly brown first in a roasting tin, I then add a little more oil (olive oil). I have tried various batter mixes and my own but swear by Tesco's batter mix (2 pack). Then add to the sausages and cook. If I am short of time I sometimes resort to serving chipolatas with Aunt Bessie's yorkshire puddings!!!!

[fairyfairy]

Make sure the tin you use is very hot when you put the batter in. Cook the sausages first (and of course onions), Heat a metal tin in the oven on gas mark 7 for about 10 minutes (don't know electric). Take out and put on the gas ring and add oil, when the oil is very hot - ALMOST smoking, add the sausages and onions and pour the batter fairly quickly, leave on the gas for a couple of minutes to cook the bottom of the toad, then put in the oven and turn it up to 8, It should rise fairly quickly, then you can turn it down to about 5 or 6 after approx 15 minutes to set the batter and finish cooking. Hope this helps.

[fairyfairy]

Oh, I forgot, put it as high in the oven as you can get it.

[nickmo]

Acorn - glad to know it all worked out!! You'll be the TOIT-meister I suppose now! As for cleaning up after - you have family for that, oui chef?

Have to ask - did it get together with gravy, onions and all the trimmings, or was that asking too much? Tip above re the hot bottom - and why have your children got greasy bottoms, by the way, that isn't the sort of thing I want to read in a food thread - is certainly worthwhile and that should help in drying the base of the tin so getting a bit better result through the batter as a whole.

If the batter ended up too dark, adjust the heat slightly to compensate, but you may find that the mix will slightly vary the next time you do this, so have a few goes and then go for the gourmet sausage versions - with fruit, spices, different meats (lamb, beef, pork etc) and so on.

Get to cook the batter in rings, not in a tray, (looks dead posh) or fluted dishes. Happy cooking - and what sort of oven have you got that can take a pillow sized tin!! Scary stuff.

[acorn]

Served them up with creamy mashed potato, thick rich gravy (ahhhhhh!!) no onion but sleek green beans, sliced carrots just cooked and a rich rice pudding (homemade) for afters! Delicious!!

Oh, and it wasnt my kids with greasy bots - it was a date i had - he worked in and under cars.

And your right - my miniscule oven isnt the correct sze for pillow sized anything - am still picking cold bits of the inside! lol!!