I decided to try an interesting recipe I found online, which involves using a Bisquick/milk/egg batter and solids of choice (I went with diced ham and shredded cheese) in a muffin tin. I used a non-stick muffin tin, plus used cooking spray in the cups.
The result was tasty enough (I wasn’t nuts about the texture, DH thought it was fine), but it was very difficult to extract the finished result from the pan unmangled. The pan also required some soaking to get clean.
How did that happen, with all the no-stick precautions taken, and how do I prevent a repeat?
I suspect it was the cheese, and/or one too many eggs. While the picture sure looks like there’s shredded cheese in there, the recipe itself doesn’t call for it at all. If you try it again and really want cheese in there, I’d do the veggies, then carefully pile maybe a teaspoon of cheese as tall as possible in the center, and add that last tablespoon of batter so it surrounds the cheese. My other thought is maybe some melted butter to replace one of the eggs if you were using the Bisquick - all that protein would definitely stick, the oil in the butter might help the texture for you and help them release from the pan. With the recipe as-is, I would think the paper/foil muffin cups would stick just as badly.
I don’t trust in the concept of “non-stick” except in one place, the greatest culinary development of the 21st century: non-stick foil. That stuff is The Bomb. I always expect stuff to stick to non-stick pans, and I am never disappointed.
I didn’t actually use vegetables, just ham and cheese (it’s one of those really flexible recipes). I think the butter substitution would work nicely. I’m also considering making the batter a little thicker to begin with, since I wasn’t crazy about the finished texture.
I make something SORT of like this every week, but with eggs, cheese and sausage. No Bisquick - eggs, cheese, sausage (ok and some spice).
When I make it, I make 2 batches at once and put generous amounts of Pam in the cups. One tin would allow the muffins to pop right out, the other always left some residue. The last time I made them, the slightly-sticky pan just stopped being slightly sticky and went to full-on grabby. I tried to clean it out but it was easier just to buy a new muffin tin.
The new muffin tin, which is very heavy but not necessarily “non-stick” (I mean I dunno, it’s not Teflon or anything, it’s shiny gray metal) and the muffins pop right out.
I would say it’s either your pans suck (perhaps have the slightest of scratches?) or it’s the Bisquick.
My recipe, btw, is:
Preheat to 350.
1 roll of breakfast sausage, cooked and drained and let cool for a few mins
12 eggs, whisked
8oz sharp cheddar, shredded
1-2 tsp of Spike seasoning
Spray 12-cup muffin tin with Pam
Fill 12 muffin tins evenly
Cook 30 minutes
Dump from pan to cooling rack right away
Store in fridge up to 12 days.
I’ll have to see if DH would like this (he’s not a big scrambled egg fan, so would be happier with more of a pastry-ish item). As soon as I locate Spike seasoning, this does sound somewhat promising.
About substituting butter for an egg, about how much? Same volume (which would be about 1/4 cup)?
I still wonder if adding more Bisquick to yield a thicker batter would help or make things worse? I’m sure it would improve the texture (at least for my taste).
I’m leaning toward half the volume of an egg. 1/4 cup butter seems like a lot, maybe try 2 tablespoons and see how thick the batter is, maybe that’s all you need to do. You can always add 1 or 2 more tablespoons if it doesn’t seem right, or an extra smidge of water. I tend to take recipes as suggestions, though, so take my advise as you will!
I’ll try a recipe as written the first time, then start adjusting to suit my own preferences. I’ll try your version and see how it goes (the concept has potential, but needs some fine-tuning), might add a little extra Bisquick.
One thing I love about “Good Eats” is that he explains WHY something works the way it does, which makes it a lot easier for me to understand what the result of a change would be.
Update: I’ve stabilized on one tablespoon of butter replacing one egg, which does seem to work well. Discovered recently that letting them sit in the pan for five minutes or so before de-panning helps, too.
