Crispy Onion Rings

Have you gone to a restaurant and had their onion rings and thought they're out of this world??  Yet when you go home and try to make them but have no idea how they make it so yummy. You buy those frozen onion rings and they just have that frozen taste to them.  Even going to those fast food places just have that frozen taste about them.  You can honestly pull out the onion from the batter.  There is just something not that great.  I have experimented with different things to getting that wonderful crispy onion rings that you can make at home.


Ingredients

• 1 Onion
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cups of bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
• 4 cups peanut oil

Utensils  

• Measuring cup
• Teaspoon
• Tablespoon
• 3 bowls
• wire rack 
• Foil
• plate
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Whisk
• Pot
• fork

 Part 1: Prep

• Grab your onion and peel off the outer skin.  Wash your onion.
• Place your cutting board and knife on a clean counter.
• Slice the ends off your onion.  
• Cut your onion in nice thick slices {{about 1/4 inch thick}}
• Place your onion slices in a water bowl to let them soak in some water
• Crush your crackers into crumbs {{Unless you using bread crumbs}}
• Place the oil into your pot.  Heat till it reaches 350 degrees

Part 2: Combing

• Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, garlic in to a bowl
• Drain the onions and dust each one in the flour mixture
• Combine the egg, milk and seasoning salt and into the flour mixture creating the batter
• Set up your wire rack with the foil underneath.

Part 3: Cooking

• Coat your dusted onion rings into the batter and place them on the rack to allow drain the excess batter
• Coat them in the crumbs
• Slowly place each onion ring into the oil and let it fry till they are golden brown. 
• Place them on a paper towel to soak any excess oil.
• Repeat till all your onion rings are completed. 

**Helpful Hints**The cracker crumbs gave my onion rings an extra crunch.  Of course you can play with the seasoning.  I know not everyone has a fryer or a thermometer to tell you how hot your oil is in your pot.  Best thing is to drop a little batter and see it bubble up. Then you know it's ready.  Make sure that you are either working alone or having someone monitor the pot.  You don't want to be careless with hot oil around...

One thing about cooking is have fun....experiment with spices and you'll create a flavor you'll love

~Irenia Guajardo~