Onion Rings!!!!!!

[shijing]

I thought olive oil wasn't good to use for high heat?

That's my understanding too -- I used grapeseed oil, though, and tried again tonight. The high heat did the trick, and I not only made onion rings, but did tempura too -- will start in on it in a minute :)

 

[anart]

Just got done making my first batch, -- I need to practice a bit with making sure the batter doesn't stick to the pan, but they are REALLY good! Thanks for sharing, E :)

You're welcome. Our first batch was the same story, the oil needs to be really hot, then the batter doesn't stick to the pan.

I thought olive oil wasn't good to use for high heat?

I think it comes down to how E is defining 'really hot' - if the oil is too hot, it smokes. The oil temperature for the rings to not stick is not so hot that the oil smokes. It's about a 6.5 on the dial - but I have no idea what that translates to for temperature! Grapeseed oil is another great option.

 

[Jacques]

Just got done making my first batch, -- I need to practice a bit with making sure the batter doesn't stick to the pan, but they are REALLY good! Thanks for sharing, E :)

You're welcome. Our first batch was the same story, the oil needs to be really hot, then the batter doesn't stick to the pan.

I thought olive oil wasn't good to use for high heat?

I think it comes down to how E is defining 'really hot' - if the oil is too hot, it smokes. The oil temperature for the rings to not stick is not so hot that the oil smokes. It's about a 6.5 on the dial - but I have no idea what that translates to for temperature! Grapeseed oil is another great option.

Have a look at that article to see the smoking point for different oils. (see the table in the middle of the article)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oil

 

[Erna]

Yeah, I basically meant that the oil should be hot enough that it starts frying immediately. You know like when you used to make french fries, and you tested the oil's heat with one initially to see if the oil is hot enough, and when it starts frying immediately, you know the oil is ready. Same story with this, it must start 'singing' immediately. We had this tv chef who always used to say the food are singing and talking to each other in the pan... :P

 

[paralleloscope]

How long are you supposed to leave them in? and how to get batter to stick on the onion (more rice milk?)
Just made a test one, the batter was barely holding to the onion and it instantaneously turned black in the grapeseed oil, what could be the problem?
This is my first deep fry ever, so I am thinking that maybe the batter goes into the oil and then dip the onions?

... aye fire!!! put a towl on but every time i take it off, it brushes up again .. help!

ah saved, put the lid on , which I shoul've just done in the first place
the whole place is stinking, like it's toxic and hard to breathe, but things are under control now

 

[Erna]

[quote author=paralleloscope]
How long are you supposed to leave them in?
[/quote]

Not long, until the crust is nice and crispy (2-3 minutes or so).

[quote author=paralleloscope]
and how to get batter to stick on the onion (more rice milk?)
[/quote]

The onions must be dry, and the batter mustn't be too runny.

[quote author=paralleloscope]
Just made a test one, the batter was barely holding to the onion and it instantaneously turned black in the grapeseed oil, what could be the problem?
[/quote]

I think your oil was too hot. Sorry for the confusion about the oil being 'really hot'.

[quote author=paralleloscope]
... aye fire!!! put a towl on but every time i take it off, it brushes up again .. help!
[/quote]

Your oil was too hot, if it caught fire. When oil catches fire, put the lid on to kill the oxygen, and take it off the heat to cool down, without removing the lid!!

 

[paralleloscope]

Thanks E

got the lid on now :)

I think your oil was too hot. Sorry for the confusion about the oil being 'really hot'.

It definitly was, should have taken the insta burn test as an indicator. The confusion is all mine as I am really green in a kitchen, lesson learnt.

 

[Erna]

Don't worry, that only happens to a person once ;), then you become overly cautious with oil from then on.

 

[FireShadow]

And, believe me, it only takes once to learn NOT to put water on a grease fire!

I tried that once. I had a grease fire and I panicked. I thought "Fire - Water" and took the skillet to the shower and turned on the water - BOOM! It melted the shower curtain and blew the bathroom door out through the doorway (off its hinges into bits). The most embarrassing part was that I knew better (I was once a junior volunteer firefighter), but in the moment, I forgot all my learning.

 

[Mrs. Peel]

Have a look at that article to see the smoking point for different oils. (see the table in the middle of the article)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oil

Hmm, their chart lists olive oil and grapeseed oil both for medium heat. Although for olive oil it says "virgin" and "refined" and I use "extra virgin" so I guess maybe that's the difference?

I just read somewhere that rapeseed oil (sometimes called canola?) was really bad. I think somebody was asking about that in another thread.

 

[Laura]

The oil issue can be easily solved by using lard, tallow, duck fat or coconut oil, all of which do well at high temperatures.

We do a lot of frying nowadays in our cast iron wok. It's not huge, so you can only do a few pieces at a time, but it makes a "deep fat frying" situation. We strain the oil and save it and use it for blinis. We have jar on the counter for bacon fat and one for "triple concentrated duck fat" (that's what the label says on the jar!)

 

[RedFox]

Had a go at cooking the onion rings myself. Changed the recipe slightly as I'm no longer using rice milk, and don't have any other substitute.
So the batter I used I made with water, stirred in salt and backing powder, then added buckwheat flour until it was thick enough to almost stand the spoon up in (there was a lot of resistance when stirring). Dunking the onions in this meant the batter stuck to it a lot better.

Cooked them in about a centimeter of olive oil in the pan (not enough to cover them, flipped them over half way through).

Here is my results (they where lovely!)

So I had a go yesterday cooking battered carrots and chicken nuggets! Cooked these in about 5mm of coconut oil...flipped half way.

 

[Erna]

They look great, Redfox. Now if you just put a serviette or two underneath it, the serviette soaks up a lot of the oil.

 

[RedFox]

They look great, Redfox. Now if you just put a serviette or two underneath it, the serviette soaks up a lot of the oil.

I guess its a matter of taste, but I prefer not to let the oil go to waste like that (I wipe up the oil with the food!) :P But that's just me.

 

[Ollie]

They look great, Redfox. Now if you just put a serviette or two underneath it, the serviette soaks up a lot of the oil.

I guess its a matter of taste, but I prefer not to let the oil go to waste like that (I wipe up the oil with the food!) :P But that's just me.

I agree with your practice RedFox, that's what I do too. :)