Saturday, March 21, 2009

Easy Onion Rings

I rarely fry anything. It makes too much of a mess. But once in a while, I get in the mood!

I don't have a deep fryer. I use a regular 3-quart pot and fill it about halfway up, then I use a thermometer to make sure I'm at the deep-fry temperature. Having your oil at the correct temp and making sure you have enough in the pot is key to successful frying.

So here is the recipe:

Onion cut into rings (Sweet onions like vidalias or mayans are best)
Complete Pancake Mix
Seltzer
any spice you like--I use just a bit of onion powder.

Mix the onion powder (or whatever) in with the pancake mix. Add seltzer until you have a nice consistency--not too thin, not too thick. Just a little thinner than actual pancake batter.

Dip the onions, then fry them a few at a time. Never overload your oil! You want to keep it at a steady temp, and too many goodies will bring it down. That will result in mushy onion rings. They cook up fast enough, so don't worry if you only do 2 or 3 at a time.

Drain on paper towels and add salt, as you go along.

Keep an eye on the temp, and either let the oil sit a minute to gain or remove from the burner for a few moments to let it cool again.

When you are all done, enjoy! But put a few in the freezer for the future. I flash-froze about 8 of them and put them in a bag. Today, I took them out and reheated them at 350 degrees in the toaster oven. They were great!

BTW, seltzer makes them 'puff' a little, so they come out just like diner onion rings.

PS...I strain and decant my oil into a canning jar and use it again. Twice is about my limit, but I think you can use it a few times with success.

4 comments:

Clare said...

Thanks for comment. I always like meeting people with the name Clare. You are right though - not to many spell it the way we do.
My mouth is watering for these onion rings - I am thinking I am going to have to make some soon. I don't fry things often either - but have been thinking about getting a deep fat fryer for when I do.

Susan @ Blackberry Creek said...

I love fried onion rings--but, alas, my cause havoc with my acid reflux.

Kim said...

Thanks for visiting! Love onion fries! The yarn I make can range from very sturdy (and not so soft) to softer than eiderdown. I gotta admit, I love the soft ones... but the sturdy ones have their place. Our squirrels are knockers too, or at least a couple are... thou the troop changes occasionally. The fat greyears are in ascendency now...

BittersweetPunkin said...

Oh my...those sound yummy! I'm on a diet...I am sooooo determined to lose the weight that I have been holding onto since my kids were born...Kailei is going to be 16 soon so I think I've waited long enough...lol