I falafel about this.
January 25, 2020 4:25 PM Subscribe
Can I bake falafel in one slab?
My husband loves falafel to pack in his lunches. We bake instead of fry, but shaping the little falafel patties is not a chore any of us enjoy.
He generally breaks the patties up when he makes his falafel burritos, so the aesthetics aren't important.
Do you think we could just pat the falafel out evenly on the sheet pan, bake for a while and then maybe cut the slab into large chunks to flip over for even browning? I'm guessing the only down side of the approach would be fewer crispy edges.... but given that these are spending most of the week sitting in a plastic container in the fridge, I think crispy edges are a moot point.
My husband loves falafel to pack in his lunches. We bake instead of fry, but shaping the little falafel patties is not a chore any of us enjoy.
He generally breaks the patties up when he makes his falafel burritos, so the aesthetics aren't important.
Do you think we could just pat the falafel out evenly on the sheet pan, bake for a while and then maybe cut the slab into large chunks to flip over for even browning? I'm guessing the only down side of the approach would be fewer crispy edges.... but given that these are spending most of the week sitting in a plastic container in the fridge, I think crispy edges are a moot point.
You can, for sure. I’m making veggie burger-sized chickpea cakes right now that are basically falafel.
posted by something something at 4:52 PM on January 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by something something at 4:52 PM on January 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yes, I think this will work ok, if aesthetics and crispy edges aren’t an issue. Please try it and report back!
posted by oxisos at 4:54 PM on January 25, 2020
posted by oxisos at 4:54 PM on January 25, 2020
I'd worry less about crispiness and more about losing the flavor changes that come with it when the edges brown. But even still, I think a thin layer on a sheet pan would be fine. Doing it in a loaf pan or something might have a noticeable bad effect.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:00 PM on January 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:00 PM on January 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Get a scoop of the right size--one-third cup? Forming will be easy.
posted by tmdonahue at 5:05 PM on January 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by tmdonahue at 5:05 PM on January 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Yes. I often bake falafels into flattish pucks with approximately the area of the inside of a burrito, and then use them to fill burritos. They have a nice amount of surface area for crunchiness, although I suppose less than individual falafel orbs.
I also partially hollow out an eggplant and stuff it with falafel. This is delicious. As a single person I would cook one of these suckers (really two, because you stuff both halves of the eggplant) and saw off slices and eat them.
posted by unstrungharp at 5:24 PM on January 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
I also partially hollow out an eggplant and stuff it with falafel. This is delicious. As a single person I would cook one of these suckers (really two, because you stuff both halves of the eggplant) and saw off slices and eat them.
posted by unstrungharp at 5:24 PM on January 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
I think you are going to get crumbling if you do this (bake in one big sheet.) Falafel's soft insides don't have a lot of structural integrity, and if you flip in chunks I just can't see them not crumbling. But since you are putting it in a burrito this might not matter -- you might even like the irregular texture that results from having it crumble while baking.
If you don't want crumbling, I think a better solution is going to be to shape the mixture into large torpedo-shaped patties, one per burrito. There will still be some shaping and individual flipping, but much less than traditional shaped patties.
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:53 PM on January 25, 2020
If you don't want crumbling, I think a better solution is going to be to shape the mixture into large torpedo-shaped patties, one per burrito. There will still be some shaping and individual flipping, but much less than traditional shaped patties.
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:53 PM on January 25, 2020
I would just use an ice cream scoop instead and maybe squish them down a bit with a lightly oiled spatula (so they cook faster and more evenly). For me the loss of the crispy outsides would be a no-go.
posted by sexyrobot at 6:07 PM on January 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by sexyrobot at 6:07 PM on January 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Given the ultimate destination, I'd make a slab and cut it with a knife into burrito units, wiggling the knife or going back in with a spatula or something so there's a seam of space in between each to get a little crispy edge.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:13 PM on January 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 6:13 PM on January 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I make falafels for work using a waffle iron. Healthy, lots of crisp edges, no shaping required, and very quick to make.
posted by sid at 7:04 PM on January 25, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by sid at 7:04 PM on January 25, 2020 [10 favorites]
Enthusiastically seconding making falafel in a waffle iron.
posted by silentbicycle at 7:24 PM on January 25, 2020
posted by silentbicycle at 7:24 PM on January 25, 2020
Three thoughts:
1. Restaurants use a tool called a disher to produce balls of uniform size.
2. I've made falafel as a slab and that works fine. For me, what the slab lacks is not crispy bits but the soft interior. I had to roll the slab down so thin that it cooked quite uniformly through.
3. I've never made falafel in a waffle iron, but now that I've heard of it, it's clear to me that this is the best option.
posted by meaty shoe puppet at 11:17 PM on January 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
1. Restaurants use a tool called a disher to produce balls of uniform size.
2. I've made falafel as a slab and that works fine. For me, what the slab lacks is not crispy bits but the soft interior. I had to roll the slab down so thin that it cooked quite uniformly through.
3. I've never made falafel in a waffle iron, but now that I've heard of it, it's clear to me that this is the best option.
posted by meaty shoe puppet at 11:17 PM on January 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Yes. Everyone loves a fa-waffle.
posted by bartleby at 11:49 PM on January 25, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by bartleby at 11:49 PM on January 25, 2020 [6 favorites]
Making falafel in a waffle iron sounds like an excellent idea. Otherwise you could also use an aleb falafel or falafel mould. I've seen professionals using these devices for quick and easy falafel shaping directly into the hot oil (or, in your case, onto the baking sheet). However, I can't say about this specific item as it's just the first one I saw on Amazon.
posted by tavegyl at 4:00 AM on January 26, 2020
posted by tavegyl at 4:00 AM on January 26, 2020
Response by poster: Oh wow. For the waffle iron users in the crowd, can I use a Belgian waffle iron? Cause that’s what we own and I can’t see owning two waffle irons. Is clean up any issue? Our waffle iron doesn’t have removable plates.
posted by hilaryjade at 4:39 AM on January 26, 2020
posted by hilaryjade at 4:39 AM on January 26, 2020
Make sure you oil your waffle iron well and get it nice and hot before you put the mix in. A Belgian waffle iron should work just fine.
posted by sid at 5:13 AM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by sid at 5:13 AM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Fewaffle is great.
You could also try baking in a mini-muffin baking tin.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 1:09 PM on January 26, 2020
You could also try baking in a mini-muffin baking tin.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 1:09 PM on January 26, 2020
A trick for cleaning non-removable waffle irons: when you're done with a waffling session, wet a washcloth or pad of paper towels, close them in the iron, and then unplug it. It'll steam itself for a bit and then when it cools off you should be able to wipe it clean.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:57 PM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 2:57 PM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Why cut to flip? I would just use 2 pans put on on top of the other and flip in one go then cut to size after everything is done.
posted by koolkat at 2:35 AM on January 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by koolkat at 2:35 AM on January 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Update! As my husband and I were chatting about this he mentioned that we could try cooking it in the panini press. This is partly because 2 out 4 pets in our home are terrified of the waffle iron beeping noise.
Panini press set to high took about 8 minutes to cook about 3 falafel roughly shaped with a large serving spoon and a spatula. Lots of brown edges, no frighted dogs or cats. And the panini press has removable plates.
posted by hilaryjade at 8:11 PM on March 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
Panini press set to high took about 8 minutes to cook about 3 falafel roughly shaped with a large serving spoon and a spatula. Lots of brown edges, no frighted dogs or cats. And the panini press has removable plates.
posted by hilaryjade at 8:11 PM on March 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by jocelmeow at 4:49 PM on January 25, 2020