How long does a souffle stay up?
I recently made a chocolate souffle for the first time and it came out pretty much like I was expecting: slightly gooey middle, a crust on top, fluffy, risen to a little less than double.
But after 10-15 minutes they started deflating, until around an hour later they were back to the size when I put them in the oven. They became a dense mush. Is this supposed to happen?
Some reports say that proper souffles only deflate a little, while others say deflating is supposed to happen. Which one is true?
Best Answer
A soufflé is simply a hot air balloon. It stays up as long as there is hot air trapped inside it. Your 10-15 minutes sound reasonable, although it is a gradual process and starts as soon as they are out of the oven.
There are tons of kitchen lore about non-falling soufflés. These are either wishful thinking, or marketing trickery. The laws of physics cause a soufflé to fall quickly.
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Quick Answer about "How long does a souffle stay up?"
They can easily be refrigerated for two to three hours. Souffles made with heavier ingredients should be baked as soon as possible.How do you keep a souffle from deflating?
Those souffles that collapse when a pin drops are too dry. Souffles become dry when they bake for too long. In order to make sure your souffle is cooked enough, but not too much, jiggle the dish just a bit a few minutes before it's supposed to be done baking.How do you keep a souffle up?
Also, some tips from Better Homes and Gardens: use a collar, beat your egg whites to a stiff peak but remember to GENTLY fold them in, and don't open the oven door for at least 20-25 minutes to prevent cold air from collapsing the rising souffle. And yes, even properly cooked souffles do deflate somewhat.Is a souffle supposed to fall?
The myth about them falling when there is a loud noise or a slight bump is entirely false. Souffl\xe9s will inevitably collapse, not because of being bumped, but because the air that is whipped into the egg whites, which has been heated by the oven, cools, so the souffl\xe9 falls. That's why they are best served immediately.How long can you leave a souffle before cooking?
Weeknight Tip: Did you know that you can make a souffl\xe9 ahead of time and bake them off when you're ready? This is a great party tip \u2014 make them the day before, cover and refrigerate them and take them to room temperature before you bake them off. They can be refrigerated for up 2 to 3 days.The Science Behind Souffles - Kitchen Conundrums with Thomas Joseph
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Answer 2
Your experience of 15 minutes is longer than my experience with chocolate soufflés, good job! Keep in mind that the hot air bubbles that inflate the soufflé have different permeability and structural strength depending on the type of soufflé. Savory cheese soufflés tend to stay "inflated" longer because the béchamel and cheese mixture forms bubbles that are both less permeable (they let less air out) and are structurally stronger (the cooled cheese keeps more of its shape than the cooled sugar-egg-and-flour mixture of the sweet ones).
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