Batter
Batter is a pourable mixture of flour and liquid used to coat food before cooking. It forms a layer that sets during frying, baking, or other cooking.
Wheat flour: A milled powder made from wheat grains, containing starch and usually gluten-forming proteins. Its starch and proteins form the structure of many food coatings.
Deep frying: Cooking food by immersing it in hot oil or fat. Hot oil rapidly sets batter around coated food.
Fish and chips: A dish of battered, fried fish served with chips, especially associated with British cuisine. Its crisp fish coating is a classic use of savory batter.
Breadcrumb: A small piece of dried or fresh bread used to coat, bind, or top food. Breadcrumbs create a granular coating instead of batter's continuous layer.
Starch: A carbohydrate made of glucose units that plants store as an energy reserve. It absorbs water and helps a cooked coating set.
Maillard reaction: A set of reactions between amino compounds and reducing sugars that produces browned flavors during heating. It contributes color and roasted flavor to a cooked batter crust.
Corn dog: A sausage coated in cornmeal batter, skewered, and deep-fried. The thick cornmeal batter forms its distinctive outer layer.
Egg wash: Beaten egg, sometimes mixed with water or milk, brushed onto food before cooking. Egg wash is a thin adhesive or glaze, not a flour-based coating.
Gluten: A network of proteins formed when wheat flour is hydrated and worked. Gluten can give a batter coating strength, though excess development may make it tough.
Gelatinization: The swelling and structural change of starch granules when heated with water. Starch gelatinization helps the coating firm as it cooks.