[if I'm lucky, the photos will appear, too...] TEMPURA BATTER 1 cup flour* cup cornstarch ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder Oil for deep-frying (I like 3 parts Wesson "Best blend" oil, 1 part peanut oil, and a good splash of sesame oil) Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add soda water gradually, stirring with a fork, first to create a paste and then until mixture is like a thick pancake batter. Heat oil for frying to 375° F - 400° F. Dip prepared veggies and meats in batter, coating completely. Shake off excess. Fry vegetables and meats, a few pieces at a time, until light brown and crispy. Do not crowd pan, or oil temperature will drop. No more than will cover ¾ of the surface of the oil. Drain on paper towels. * NOTE: I like 2 parts all-purpose flour to 1 part rice flour. You can use just about anything for tempura: eggplant, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potato, shrimp and white fish are most popular. See list. If you canÂt find "tempura flour" for your batter, use the recipe given. Almost all Asian food stores carry it. Though you can use regular white flour, "tempura flour" makes much crispier tempura. Mix per package or recipe instructions. Be sure to use very cold water. In fact, some people claim that it is best to use ice water. This is to prevent the batter from forming gluten and making tempura heavy and soggy. Mix until lumps are gone, but be careful not to over-stir. Heat oil to about 350° degrees. To check the temperature, put a drop of batter in your heated oil -- if it sinks halfway and then floats to the surface, the oil is the right temperature*. Dip ingredients in batter. Deep fry ..until they are lightly golden in color. Place the cooked tempura on paper toweling to drain briefly, then eat it while it's hot. * NOTE: Test for correct oil temperature (if you don't have a cooking thermometer): Drop in 1/4 tsp of batter. If it sinks to the bottom, oil is not hot enough. If it rises to the surface quickly and turns golden brown in about a minute, oil is just right. If it burns immediately, oil is too hot. This test can also be done with a cube of bread. VARIATIONS: 1. PANKO TEMPURA To use Japanese breadcrumbs (panko), dip items in batter, smoosh around in crumbs, then fry. 2. SANTA MARIA STYLE: Sub any good light-colored (not "lite") beer for the soda water. Add 1 Tbs Susie-Q seasoning instead of salt and sugar. Cholula brand hot sauce is optional. 3. CAJUN-CREOLE STYLE Add 1 Tbs Creole seasoning instead of salt and sugar. Suggested Vegetables and Meats for Tempura: Any of these work for any of the styles but IÂve grouped them here in what I think seems MOST appropriate. For basic and panko -- Japanese eggplant (thinly-sliced) Zucchini (thinly-sliced) Mushrooms (small "button" mushrooms or sliced, if large) Oyster mushrooms, Shitake mushrooms (stems removed) Carrots (sliced very thin, diagonally) Shrimp (butterflied) For SM-style beer batter -- Chicken (thin strips, rolled in chopped cilantro before the batter) Broccoli (small florets) Mexican/spring onions (with softest green cut off) Green beans (small) Asparagus spears Olives (green Spanish; pitted; WELL drained) For Cajun-style -- Sweet potatoes (thinly-sliced) Parsnips Bell pepper (red) Shrimp (butterflied) Onion rings (floured before dipping) Fennel SAUCES Traditional Tempura Sauce ½ cup chicken stock (or dashi soup stock) 2 Tbs soy sauce 2 Tbs mirin (sweet rice wine) or dry sherry 2 Tbs peeled and grated fresh ginger root Combine all ingredients and just heat in a small saucepan to blend. Delicate Tempura Sauce 3 Tbs soy sauce 2 Tbs orange juice 2 Tbs dry sherry or mirin (sweet rice wine) 1 Tbs finely chopped green onion 1 Tbs sugar 1 tsp sesame seed Mix all ingredients. JoeÂs Apricot-Pineapple Tempura Sauce 1 cup apricot-pineapple preserves 4 tsp rice wine vinegar 1 Tbs shallot, minced 1 Tbs light brown sugar 1 tsp garlic, minced ½ tsp minced fresh ginger ¼ tsp red pepper flakes In a saucepan, combine preserves, vinegar, shallots, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Stir, reduce the heat and simmer until thickened and the flavors are married, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. You can substitue plum preserves if you cannot find apricot-pineapple preserves. Spicy Dipping Sauce ¼ cup hot Chinese mustard 2 Tbs water 1 Tbs soy sauce 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar 1 Tbs sugar 1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro Whisk all ingredients together. Joe

For pancakes (or muffins) that are tender instead of rubbery, just mix only until the flour is no longer visible. I mix with a rubber scraper or a wooden spoon very carefully leaving lots of lumps to avoid overmixing. I want to make waffles that are crispy on the outside instead of soft. I have a new non-stick waffle iron. I have read that cornstarch added to flour does the trick or seltzer water added for the liquid. Another suggestion, using lots of butter is too unhealthy. What really works? Any ideas would be appreciated.

I can see how this could be fun to do with little kids ....easy quick and a fun morning. Never as a regular way of making pancakes. The things that bothers me are the packaging, the nutritional value and the cost. I've become "born again" on waste management and try very hard to reduce the amount of waste our home generates. There has got to be zero nutritional value in these. Fresh fruit, granola and milk in a bowl would be way quicker and a whole bunch better for your kids if the issue is a fast breakfast. The cost per pancake has to be much more than scratch and the way food prices are going up this seems frivolous. Mind you the cynic in me says those that can least afford it will buy it. So for a treat and a fun thing for little kids , once in a blue moon, sure. As a breakfast staple , no way. As a pantry item for an "all growed up" household, no way.

I'm so glad you found a cookie you like! I also think crisco in a cookie makes the best chewy cookies but it does bug me that it does!