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Exciting Breakthrough in Lefse-Making

3/22/2016

Here's Kimm Anderson and Kate Kompas, St. Cloud Times, telling our story on 3/22/16.

Making lefse is a big project. Well, not as big as scraping the linoleum backing off an old kitchen floor, but it does take 2 days, 2 or more people, and in the end, a full-body massage to recover. It’s no wonder many people make it only once a year.
So, when Kate Kompas, St. Cloud Times, said they were coming to do a

story about “The Original Lefse Cuddler,” and asked, “Would it be an inconvenience for you to make some (lefse) to demonstrate how it works for me and a photographer?” I might have considered her crazy.
“I’d be happy to,” I replied, as mild panic ensued. But I’m a busy mom with active kids. How am I going to whip-up a 5 pound batch of lefse on Thursday? But after a few deep breaths, I had a revelation: Who says it needs to be 5 pounds and how can I make the process easier?
I walked over to my old Red Wing crock and grabbed 2 potatoes. That’s right, just 2. Then I dug-out my standard recipe, a calculator, a pen and some paper:
If 5 pounds of potatoes require 2 cups of flour, how much flour will 9.5 ounces of potatoes need?

Thanks to Mr. Joesting’s 7th-grade algebra class, the conversions came easy. My new 2-Potato lefse recipe was complete and I put it to the test.
First, I peeled the potatoes and boiled them. Well, that was quick. Ricing was easy - both of the potatoes fit into the ricer and took just one push.

Here's the entire batch! Makes 9 pieces.

I folded-in 1 T. of butter, a little sugar and even less salt. Then, just for fun, I popped it all into the freezer and probed the temperature every 10 minutes. Just 30 minutes later, the mixture had reached the required 40-degrees F. temperature.
Whoa! This was a game-changer!
Because of the small batch size, I had reduced the standard 13 hours of preparation, cooking and cooling into just 47 minutes (17 minutes of work, 30 minutes in the freezer.) Maybe everyday-lefse is within reach?!

Where's my lefse griddle? It doesn't even matter. I love this set-up!

With the stovetop on medium-high and a griddle pan on-top, I cooked the first side in under 30 seconds and the second side in under 20 seconds. A quick cooking time means that the dots appear sooner - which means I can get it off the heat faster - and enjoy more tender lefse.

Exactly 1 hour and 8 minutes from the time I peeled the first potato, I was putting the final lefse round into The Original Lefse Cuddler to cool and tenderize.

Oh, how did it taste? It was the best I have ever made. "Hey, Kate! Come and get it!"

Get the Recipe

Get the Cuddler

Read the Times Article

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One Lefse-Making Tradition You Should Break

3/2/2016

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Gunnar's favorite way: Brown sugar, butter - and a little more brown sugar!

Since I can remember, November has been “Lefse Month.” As natural and predictable as Minnesota birds migrating to a warmer climate, it’s when I start looking for my beloved lefse-making equipment. In fact, once we pick the date, there isn’t a weather forecast, diet or enticing invitation that will keep me from this annual family tradition.

Like a well-oiled machine, my family quickly settles into those familiar tasks: Peeling, boiling, ricing, rolling, cooking and cooling. In the end, with tired bodies and flour-dusted faces, we are blessed with bountiful stacks of beautiful lefse.

But with each lefse season comes this same personal challenge: How can we do it easier?

“If you have always done it that way,
it is probably wrong.”

- Charles Kettering
American inventor, engineer, businessman
and the holder of 186 patents

So, last year, I got serious about finding an answer. I scrutinized the entire process, beginning with the end: Cooling. How lefse cools is directly related to how tender the lefse becomes - and how well it freezes - so it felt like the right place to start.

After reading hundreds of lefse recipes in search of the best cooling methods, a long-standing tradition became clear: “Take the lefse off the grill and place between layers of towels.” Sounds easy enough, right?

Well, once you’ve tried to balance an ultra-thin, perfectly cooked, hot piece of lefse on a long, narrow stick - while peeling through multiple towel-layers with only your non-dominant hand (under the watchful glare of the person who just rolled it) - you will completely agree that cooling lefse with towel-layers is both frustrating and clumsy!

So, I measured, stitched and tested until I created a contraption so effective, yet simple and fun-to-use. Made-up of 3 connected towel-layers, it cuddles the lefse stack from top-to-bottom, keeping the steam inside, while magically tenderizing the lefse. Meanwhile, the long handle - which runs across the entire opening - prevents the towel-layers from drooping. This creates wide-open, easy access for incoming lefse to remain damage-free. Finally, there is a better way!

Now you, too, can break-free from the towel-layering tradition in exchange for a much more enjoyable and improved cooling process, thanks to The Original Lefse Cuddler.

And since making lefse just got a whole lot easier, my family is about to break another tradition: We’ll be making more for Easter. :) CLICK HERE for my fool-proof recipe.

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Get the RECIPES

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Exciting Breakthrough in Lefse-Making

One Lefse-Making Tradition You Should Break

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Exciting Breakthrough in Lefse-Making

One Lefse-Making Tradition You Should Break

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