onion rings

Ooo. Onion rings. I love how we can take a veggie and make it junk food. Fried okra, french fries, fried green tomatoes.

It’s okay to eat an onion ring…or five…or eight.

Just don’t make a habit of it.

Public service announcement.

It took me 35 years to buy a deep fryer. I thought if I had one – one of two things would happen:

a. I would blow up

b. I would never use it for fear of “A.” happening.

What did I decide to do?

I only use it for:

a. the Superbowl or other big sporting event (aka junk food “Thanksgiving”)

b. monthly treat of fried food

c. serious cravings

d. Vidalia onions on sale

e. the hell of it

Now, to be honest- I had the worst time with all my battered veggies sticking to the basket and coming out naked. Eww. Naked fried anything is gross.

Things need batter.

The best way to prevent your food” going all nudist on you” is to do this:

1) dry,wet,dry- Dip your _____ into plain flour, then into the wet batter, DRAIN EXCESS, and then dip in dry once more. I like bread crumbs.

2)This may be common knowledge- I didn’t know it though. That’s why I’m blabbing about it.

3) you can bake these rings. They come out almost as good.

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Onion rings

Slice sweet onions in 1/2″ sections (rings)

Dip into plain flour and then dip into a mixture of:

1 c flour

1/2-3/4 c fresh beer (more or less to make a batter similar to thick pancake batter)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp baking powder

Dip each slice and drain over a rack with some wax paper underneath to make clean up easier

After they drain, dip once more in bread crumbs OR Panko crumbs OR more flour.

(Bread or Panko crumbs are my favorite.)

Fry at 375F for 3-4 minutes or until crisp.

OR bake on a lightly greased baking sheet at 375 for 8-12 minutes flipping over halfway through.

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Guess what I have been doing in my spare nap time?

Practicing flowers.

That sounds like it wouldn’t make sense. Practicing flowers.

Weird.

Anyway… they are fun with royal icing, because I can save them once they harden. And, you know how I like to be cheap thrifty. Now, I can make plain ol cupcakes and instantly make em all fancy-pants. Woo-hoo.