Recipe: Restaurant-Style Crispy Onion Rings

Restaurant-Style Crispy Onion Rings

I like onion rings thin and crispy. I read an article by a chef that said the secret to making them crispy at home is to soak them in buttermilk. This recipe proves he was right.

At restaurants, onions can be sliced very thin on a meat slicer. By cutting the onions in half first, home cooks can get close to the same thinness with a knife, though it means sacrificing the ring shape.

2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 cup buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Separate onions into strips or rings. Mix with buttermilk in a large bowl. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. Can be prepared 1 day ahead if kept refrigerated.

Stir flour, salt, paprika and cayenne in another large bowl.

Drain onions and discard buttermilk. Add onions to flour mixture and toss to coat.

Pour oil into a heavy saucepan to a depth of 3 inches. Heat oil to 350 degrees F.

Working in small batches, shake excess flour off of onions and cook in hot oil until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to paper towels to drain.

Transfer onions to platter. Season with additional salt to taste and serve immediately.

rec.food.cooking/Ramone/1997