So here it is. The recipe for perfect onion rings.
Ingredients
3-5 yellow onions
3-4 c. buttermilk
2-3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. Panko breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Canola oil
The Method
Slice onions to desired thickness and separate into rings
Soak onions in buttermilk for 15-30 minutes
Combine flour (about 2-3 cups), paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and baking powder in a large bowl
Remove onions from buttermilk. Place onions in flour and toss to coat
Place coated onions back in buttermilk and then re-dip in flour
Remove rings from flour and dredge in Panko breadcrumbs
Place onions on a sheet tray, cover loosely with foil and refrigerate for 3 hours
Heat oil in fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep fry onion rings in batches for about 3 minutes per batch. Remove to cooling rack to drain. Add additional salt and try not to eat them all as they come out for the fryer.
Food for Thought
Slice onions to whatever thickness you prefer. Some like bigger, fleshier slices. I like medium to thin slices overall but a variety is good.
Can't find Panko bread crumbs? Winco has them in the bulk foods section. They are a Japanese product specially manufactured for super crunchiness.
Curious about the 3-hour rest after the double-dip and dredge? Do not skip this step - just do it! It makes a huge difference as it allows the various ingredients to meld. The finished product of this process is a ring with no separation of the onion and the batter like you get with lousy frozen rings. Besides, with this technique, you can do all of the heavy lifting, as well as the clean up, way before mealtime.
For an excellent accoutrement, try bleu cheese sauce consisting of about 1 1/2c. whole milk, 1/3 c. crumbled bleu cheese, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. minced garlic over low-medium heat and whisk occasionally until a smooth consistency is achieved. You may wish to drink it with a big straw but it is best on the onion rings. Enjoy.
These sound so good. I'll have to get Mitch to make them, and I'm sure he'll agree to cause he loves onion rings and recipes that call for buttermilk!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! These sound great. I love onion rings, only I am weird, I love the flavor of onion but not the taste. So when I get a good onion ring, I pull out the onion and eat the ring, and these sound like they will be great.
ReplyDeleteThese do look good. I am the worst at battering things because the dry flour gets all wet with me sticking my wet hands into the dry stuff. Food Network magazine had a good tip to have a dry hand and a wet hand, and your wet hand never dips into the wet stuff. I will have to try that. Now I've got to go look up
ReplyDeleteaccoutrement!
I meant dry stuff. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteOkay Brad, we tried these tonight and they were awesome. I was a little worried about them when I put them back in the flower for their second coating and it was a big blob of onion (I probably did that part wrong), but they turned out great. They also went great with my Really Good Fry Sauce.
ReplyDeleteGlad that worked out well for you. Fry sauce is great on anything! We could never get fry sauce in PA so we have a similar recipe from when we lived there and had to make our own. Fry sauce is pretty much just a West thing. I have not tried it with the addition of A1. Will have to try it next time I want to make a vat of it.
ReplyDelete