* Item: Washington Quality Batters and Breaders

* What you get: Enough to coat 3 to 6 pounds of vegetables or seafood

* Cost: About $1.89

* Preparation time: Just minutes to mix and bread, three to five minutes per item to fry

* Review: Washington brand muffin mixes have been staples in many pantries for years. Now the Ellicott City-based company has added four seafood and one vegetable batter to its line. The tempura batter is easy to mix (just add cold water) and offers a great alternative for vegetables. It fries a nice golden-brown, the crispy crust hiding a sweet morsel of squash, onions, shrimp or whatever else you choose to fry. The Maryland Style Fry Mix has that distinctive taste we all know and love. I fried some soft-shell crabs and some shrimp in it and got rave reviews from my husband. The Cajun breading mix is equally tasty - and authentic. Anyone who favors real Cajun heat will want to keep a box on hand. Mixed with some bread crumbs and a little Parmesan cheese, the seafood batters also made a great topping for baked and broiled fish fillets.

Pub Date: 9/02/98