# Still learning about souffles. How much can I do ahead?



## karonadams (Apr 5, 2013)

Ok, I can make the base ahead. can I whip the whites and assemble the Soufflé and hold in the fridge until ready to bake? Seriously, restaurants cannot be making everything at the moment of order! Do you guys assemble the soufflés and hold in a fridge or freezer until ordered and then pop them in the oven? I ask because my family is just my husband and myself and our youngest daughter, who is in college and works. so, schedules are all over the place. this morning, I'm up and cooking, the other two still sleeping and the daughter off to work when she wakes. My bases are finished and I wonder if I can go ahead and whip my whites, fold in the bases and assemble the dishes and hold in the fridge until time to bake for them?  Whipping enough egg white for only one soufflé just seems impossible!!

Also, what do I do about soufflé left over? Can I make up more cups of soufflé, assembled, then refrigerate or freeze until alter? How well will they cook?


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

I think you can probably do everything but beating the egg whites in advance.  The egg whites will gradually deflate i think if not cooked.  Maybe (just maybe) in a sweet souffle, you might experiment by taking the amount of sugar you would use and use it to make italian meringue (with the boiled sugar syrup).  That's pretty stable and would probably hold up if you mixed it and then refrigerated it all.  But it;s just a guess.


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## karonadams (Apr 5, 2013)

Well, I am conducting a bit of an experiment. I have three small cups left of this. it is a strawberry and pineapple soufflé. I baked off most of it for breakfast. but, there are three left. These are 4 oz each. so, I have three 4 oz soufflés, completely assembled and sitting in the fridge. They have been there since around 9 AM. So, here we are at noon and I am going to bake off one. then I'll bake another at 3 PM and another at 6 PM. and I'll see how they each hold up and bake off. a nice, tasty experiment<G> I'll let you guys know how they come off. If you like, I can take some pics. Not sure where to post them but I'll be happy to share.

Next time, I'll make up a batch and freeze them and see how that goes. if it goes well, I may just start making a bunch of them in a large batch and dish them into disposable cups and freeze them. then, I can have one whenever I like!


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## jake t bud (Feb 25, 2013)

siduri said:


> I think you can probably do everything but beating the egg whites in advance. The egg whites will gradually deflate i think if not cooked. Maybe (just maybe) in a sweet souffle, you might experiment by taking the amount of sugar you would use and use it to make italian meringue (with the boiled sugar syrup). That's pretty stable and would probably hold up if you mixed it and then refrigerated it all. But it;s just a guess.


I just did that the other day. Made everything ahead except the egg whites and refrigerated. Just warm the mixture to at least room temp before folding in the egg whites.

See "what did you have for dinner thread." Will post momentarily.


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

Let us know how it works, karon. I imagine it may not have the fluffly quality, at worst, but should still taste good. (Frankly, i was never much of a fan of the fluffyness of souffles, i prefer a pudding /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

Jake, that's good to know it actually works.

I only made one cheese souffle long ago and one chocolate one, and was disappointed in them both. I would have preferred something less airy.


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## jake t bud (Feb 25, 2013)

Ok, color me ignorant and naive, but aren't souffle's supposed to be airy?


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

Yeah, Jake, that's why i don;t like them /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## karonadams (Apr 5, 2013)

Yep. I am pretty proud of them. I like that I know how to make them. but, TBH, I am thinking, I am full ENOUGH of hot air!! Why add more? The problem is, Souffles just feel like such an ACCOMPLISHMENT! So were crepes<G> But then, like a cooling soufflé, I deflate because I wonder, NOW what do I do with them?<G> Although, I DO like my Vanilla Souffle. Custards are incredibly rich but it is VERY easy to over eat in richness and calories with them. In that light, I like soufflés because, if nothing else, they take longer to eat<G> so, maybe I can eat a little less in the long run<G>


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## karonadams (Apr 5, 2013)

OK. Last night, I made more soufflé. I just cannot stop making something, once I have the technique<G> but, I wanted to see how they would do overall. So, I made up a small recipe. I made 3 6 ounce cups and one 10 ounce cup. Two small ones were made last night and the 10 and 6 ounce put in the fridge to see how they would hold, overnight.

This morning, I baked them off. Not too bad, I have to say. I did forget to put plastic over them so the tops had a small skin on them. That sealed the mixture to the cups. to avoid that causing a problem, I took a sharp tipped knife and went around the edge to cut the skin from the dish. that allowed for potential rising.

I set the pots on the counter while the oven wormed, so they only had 5-10 minutes to warm in the room temperature air. hardly long enough to come to room temp and that seemed to be fine. overnight, the mixture held its volume and did not settle. the mix level seemed to be the same, maybe slightly lower, less than a half millimeter lower this morning than last night so, nothing appreciable.

They had been stored on the top shelf of the fridge so, certainly not the coldest part. I baked them at 350 for 20 minutes. they rose nicely, though not so much as the very best soufflé I have made, so far. but, certainly high enough to be called soufflé. they grew so that they stood 25%-40% beyond the starting level. The best I ever made actually grew doubly as high as the cups but I generally average a rise that would be about half the depth of the dish above the dish. that seems pretty respectable for a soufflé, to me. so, I'm happy with it.

As for the overnight experiment, the finished product is not quite as high and floofy and impressive as one freshly made but, for all of that, it was certainly very good. and, well enough made that, barring someone I really wanted to take the time and effort to seriously impress, I would be more than happy to make these ahead and pop them in the fridge a night before for next morning breakfast. definitely a good way to go for a fast and delicious breakfast, especially on a weekend. and, it seems, a decent idea for a nice change of pace, a touch of luxury for a dreary weekday. Made the night before, wonderfully convenient and not too much extra work for a good breakfast. successful experiment, I think. worth doing again.

Next weekend, I suppose I'll go ahead and make my Apple Fritters<G>


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## douglasdunhill (Jan 10, 2009)

I have made chocolate souffles a day ahead of when needed, covered with wrap, and frozen.  When needed, I put them in the oven right out of the freezer.  While the rise is not as good as freshly made, they still look good and taste great.  Top with a dollop of whipped cream, or powdered sugar.


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

jake t bud said:


> Ok, color me ignorant and naive, but aren't souffle's supposed to be airy ?


Yes.

If anyone looks at the science of a souffle they would see that air is an intergral part of the success of a souffle .

For anyone who is interested, take a took at
[product="6283"]On Food And Cooking The Science And Lore Of The Kitchen [/product]


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