Onion Rings
There is a long list of things that I am missing as we approach almost one year of this COVID nonsense. There is of course hugging my extended family and actually being in the same room together. I miss skiing and travelling, and travel to ski destinations. All of this snow surrounding me is like mother nature taunting- ‘look at this glorious powder you can do nothing about!’. It’s a waste of winter. And not least is sitting in a crowded pub with a pint of cold beer and eating delicious fried pub food. I have therefore doubled-down on my efforts to create my favourite pub food at home. This week just in time for the big game- Onion Rings.
Even when made by a pub equipped with proper deep-fry equipment, perfect crispy onion rings are often difficult to produce. The batter can be too thick or too thin, the onions not cooked enough, too large, or that terrible phenomenon where the onion escapes its crunchy exterior leaving you with one large bite of onion and a pile of deep fried shell. The horror!
Luckily, my favourite author of the Food Lab has solved all of the pitfalls that befall so many on the quest for great deep fried rings. His method involves freezing the onions before battering them. This helps break down their structure, tenderizing them and ensuring only perfect onion rings.
Note: the onions need to be completely frozen prior to frying. You can prep these days even weeks in advance and just leave the rings in the freezer.
Onion Rings
From J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Food Lab
Serves 4 as a side/snack
2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
2 quarts frying oil (canola, vegetable, or peanut)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 cup light-flavoured beer, ice-cold
1/4 cup 80-proof vodka
kosher salt
Separate the onion rounds into individual rings. Place in a gallon-sized ziplock freezer bag, and put them in the freezer until completely frozen, at least 1 hour.
When ready to fry, remove the onion rings from the freezer bag, transfer to a bowl, and thaw under tepid running water. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel and several layers of paper towels and dry the rings thoroughly.
Preheat the oil to 375F in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed large saucepan, over medium-high heat. Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and paprika in a medium bowl and whisk together. Combine the beer and vodka in a small bowl.
Slowly add the beer mixture to the flour mixture, whisking constantly until the batter has texture of thick paint (you may not need all of the beer). The batter should leave a trail if you drip it back into the bowl off the whisk. Do not overmix; a few lumps are ok.
Dip one ring in the batter, making sure that all the surfaces are coated. Lift it out, letting the excess batter drip off, and add it to the hot oil slowly and carefully. Repeat with half of the onion rings. Fry, flipping the rings about half way through cooking, until they are deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer the rings to a bowl or tray lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with kosher salt and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining rings. Serve immediately.