Crispy calamari or onion rings?

Question

Anyway to duplicate the "fast food" onion rings at home? I tried batters or just dry flour coatings, etc., some recipes even call for eggs, but I always found that leads to soft or rubbery coatings. I have been expermenting and still far away from what I want. The "Burger King" onion ring is what I am trying to do.... any tips or recipies ?

Answer 1

Have you tried a corn meal coating?

3 plates
1. Flour to dust the onion rings (this helps the egg stick better)
2. Egg wash - beat a few eggs in a bowl to dunk the sliced onions
3. Corn meal with seasoned salt - garlic powder... whatever you like.

First, lightly coat some dry onion rings with flour. Dip into the egg wash and finally coat with the corn meal mixture.

Deep fry 375F until golden brown.
If the onion isn't cooking enough, for the next batch, lower to 350F and fry longer.

Answer 2

Trying to duplicate BK onion rings is setting your sites *awfully* low. You can do better than that.

Peel and slice your onion, and separate it into rings. Put the rings in icewater for a half hour, then remove them and put them, separated, on paper towels to dry.

Add together a cup of flour (preferably bread flour), 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. I sometimes add a little paprika as well.

In another bowl, beat an egg *yolk*, then slowly add 2/3 cup of milk and a tablespoon of oil, until it's thoroughly mixed, then slowly add the flour mix until it smooth.

You've got one full bowl and one empty one at this point. Clean the empty one, and whip the white of that egg until you get nice peaks, then fold that into the batter.

Dip those onion rings into the batter, and let the excess dry off. Fry several at a time in 375F oil, assuming you have a heavy duty french fryer, or you're french frying in a cast iron skillet. If you are using something like a "Fry Daddy" or frying in a thin skillet, you can't expect to get nice onion rings, because the temperature will drop too much. If the temperature is too low, you'll end up with really greasy rings - although that's one of the characteristics of BK rings, as I recall, the other one being a tastelessness that requires a hot sauce to make them palatable.

Make sure the rings are done before you pull them out of the oil. Drain them on paper towels or newspaper.

If you get too much smoke at 375F, you're using the wrong oil. Switch to peanut oil, and you'll be OK.

Answer 3

Eggs are best left out of batter for frying - esp. the yolk - because it has a high fat content which acts as a magnet & draws in oil when deep frying.

The thing about Burger King onion rings is that they are made from minced & extruded onions as I recall. Therefore, they have a greater wet surface area for the coating to cling to.

The best you can do at home is to cut the onion rings thin & then roll them in flour or cornstarch, dip them in buttermilk & then dip them in flour mixed w/ fine bread crumbs or batter. If you use flour/breadcrumbs - allow the onion rings to "dry out" a bit on a wire rack before frying.

Some people prefer to use beer or sparkling water instead of plain water in their batters. Some like to replace a bit of the wheat flour w/ rice flour for a crispier coating.

Answer 4

Try a tempura type batter. Mix youir dry ingredients (flour, salt, pepper, garlic and a touch of sugar.) Then add ICE COLD WATER and mix until you get a batter type consistancy. Must be done ice cold, so have your oil up to temp. Dredge the onion rings (squash, green tomatoes, etc) and fry until they float and are golden brown. They will be perfect !