You Suck at Cooking: Onion Rings (Episode 124)

„Before we get into the recipe, let’s talk safety. A hot pot full of oil is super dangerous. You can deep fry safely but you have to know what you’re doing. The first time I tried it, I was dipping my meat thermometer in the oil to keep track of the temperature. This was colossally stupid. You need a dedicated thermometer on your pot so you can watch constantly and so you won’t drop it inside. Better yet, a dedicated deep fryer is really the way to go, and you can just read the instruction manual. Long story short, if your oil temperature gets out of control a fire can start, and you can’t put it out with water, you either have to smother it or use a fire extinguisher. Also, the oil takes FOREVER to cool down, so many sure anyone in your house knows not to touch it when you’re done using it. It also takes FOREVER to heat up so it’s super tempting to turn up the temperature, which is a mistake (on my stovetop, 350 F was just below the number 4. Anyway, read this guide if you think you actually want to try deep frying, and then just order onion rings from the bar instead.

Recipe

Slice some onions and make rings
Remove tape
Yeah basically take any onion you like
Add ¾ cup of flour and ¼ cup corn starch to a bowl
Then add spices; cayenne, chilli powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, whatever. Let’s say around a tablespoon total
Add around a cup of soda water, more or less, depending on how buck wild you’ve gone with the spices. One description I read about the thickness is that it should be like thick paint.

Heat 3 or so inches of peanut oil to 350 degrees F in a tall sturdy pot (not non stick)
Preferably on your back burner so it won’t get knocked. If your vessel has handles, make sure they are not sticking out
I see a lot of people use their fingers to put things into the oil. I don’t like this method because that’s too close for comfort. The spider strainer, in my opinion, is the best way to go. The chance of dropping something in the oil is very minimal. If you’re going to use tongs, grip tightly, and I don’t recommend silicon tipped tongs because they are slippery. You REALLY DON’T WANT TO CAUSE AN OIIL SPLASH
So use your spider strainer to lower an undoh ring into the oil
After a minute or a minute and a half, flip it, then take it out after another minute. Just trust your eyes in terms of how cooked you want it
I highly recommend setting a timer each time you put a batch in as it’s easy to get distracted for one minute and you really have to have your head in the game for as long as you are deep frying
Place onion rings on a wire rack with paper towels underneath. If you don’t have a wire rack you can place them on paper towels on a plate or in a bowl
When you’re all done, move that oil to the back burner if it’s not already there (very, very carefully, using oven mitts), and make sure everyone knows not to touch it for a couple hours. Keep your thermometer in there so you know when it’s completely cooled
Then you can either save it or dispose of it. Here’s a helpful guide on how to dispose of the oil…long story short, it will end up in the trash, not the sink or toilet
https://ift.tt/2PYMAYH

Thanks! I hope you order onion rings from the bar.“