“Onion rings in the car cushions do not improve with time.” –Erma Bombeck
How To Make Onion Rings
I love onion rings. A cheeseburger and onion rings on the side is as good a meal as a man could ask for. And it’s even better when homemade.
You can cook a cheeseburger ion many ways, and for the most part, it all has to do with the ingredients you use to flavor the meat. The same applies to cooking onion rings. The secret to onion rings lies in two factors:
- The onions you choose
- The batter you dip them in
The frying technique is crucial too. The ultimate onion ring is always deep fried.
Onion Ring Making–Ingredients
How to Make Onion Rings
You’ll need:
- 4 of the sweetest Vadalia onions you can find. They should be medium sized, or large enough to make 10 to 12 rings per onion.
- A mixture of Ritz Crackers and Progressive Bread Crumbs (one sleeve Ritz to 1/2 cup Progressive bread crumbs).
- 1 egg well beaten (if you’re cholesterol conscious just use the egg white).
- 1 cup water (or better still, your favorite beer). If neither beer nor water suits you, buttermilk is a popular substitute.
- 1/2 cup flour or cornstarch
- 1/2 cup of melted butter
- 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda (makes the rings nice and puffy)
You’ll also need a double boiler pan that safely holds approximately 10 to 12 battered covered onion rings and 4 cups of high quality cooking oil, like peanut oil.
Make sure there is enough oil so that your onion rings are completely covered as they fry.
Making Onion Rings Step by Step
- Peel the onions and wash them.
- Slice the onions in round cuts about 1/4 inch thick. The onions should be medium to large size to produce approximately 10 to 12 circles.
- In a large bowl, crush sleeve of Ritz crackers and add 1/2 cup of Progressive bread crumbs. The bread crumbs should already be flavored with spices, but taste the mixture to see if you prefer more. You can add a bit of cayenne pepper or a touch of basil if you like.
- Beat the egg and add water (or chosen liquid), baking soda, butter and flour. Add mixture to bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. At this point you should be looking at a batter that somewhat resembles a pancake mix. If it’s too thick, add a bit more liquid until you get it right.
- Lay out sheets of paper towels to hold the onion rings as you dip them. You might want to place a layer of wax paper over the paper towels so the rings don’t lose any of the delicious batter.
- Dip your onion circles into the batter and place on paper/wax towels.
- Take six to eight at a time and place them in the double boiler, which should have oil bubbling away at 360°.
- Let the rings cook to a golden brown (watch them). This isn’t the time to step away from the stove. Each batch should take less than three minutes, and midway into frying each ring should be turned.
- As you take the rings out of the pan, place them back on the paper towels/wax paper and cover with another layer of paper towels to keep them warm.
- Try one or two to make sure they are cooked to perfection.
Serve with your burgers or hot dogs and enjoy. The recipe above will serve six people. Double the recipe if you are serving more or have people with hearty appetites.
How to Make Baked Onion Rings Instead of Deep Fried Onion Rings
Oven baked onion rings for healthy minds.
For those who are health conscious either because they want to be or have to be, an alternative to pan fried onion rings is oven baked. You can follow the above recipe and instead of deep frying the rings, place them on an oiled cookie sheet and put them in an oven set at 450°F. Bake for about 12 minutes, turning rings after six minutes.
To make sure your onion rings are crispy when you oven bake, try this batter.
Rather than using Ritz crackers and bread crumbs, try using crushed potato chips, saltine crackers and buttermilk as the liquid:
- Four cups of crushed potato chips
- 30 saltine crackers
- One cup buttermilk
- (Add the other ingredients from above pan fried recipe).
Many people prefer baking onion rings as opposed to frying because it’s a healthier alternative. If done right, oven fried onion rings are almost as tasty as deep fried onion rings. Many oven baked onion ring fans say if they are baked the right way, it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference.
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