Onion rings

Buttermilk-battered and extra-crispy

Hello!

Last week’s poll showed that a vast majority of people wanted a savory recipe. I’ve been wanting to experiment with onion rings, and although they’re usually associated as a side to summertime foods, I like the idea of them better in this colder weather where you want to eat richer food—and deep frying is much more fun when you aren’t sweating in summer heat.

I tried many versions— cornmeal crusted, gluten-free Panko crusted, batter with egg/batter without egg. I showed two versions in the photo above to illustrate something interesting: both versions were first marinated in seasoned buttermilk for 30 minutes, however version one was tossed in seasoned flour, battered, then fried whereas version two skipped the flour dredge. Version one had a thicker, more even coating, but I wasn’t happy with how soft they were. Skipping the flour dredge and coating them directly in batter resulted in a coating that was a little thinner, however, they were far more crispy—and they stayed crispy for at least an hour after they came out of the hot oil.

I had to retry the experiment because I was convinced the extra flour dredge would be superior—a good lesson in how bias can lead you astray and to experiment before coming to a conclusion!

Note: I rarely have buttermilk on hand, but always have yogurt. You can substitute plain or Greek yogurt thinned with a little water to buttermilk consistency.

Note: I find it helpful to use an instant-read thermometer when heating the oil; it’s important to be accurate with this step.