Deep-Fried Pickles
Peanut oil
1 quart dill pickles
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups plain cornmeal
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more, if desired
Place enough peanut oil in a 4 to 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven to come halfway up the side of the pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to 390 to 400 degrees F.
Remove the pickles from their brine and cut lengthwise into quarters, like spears. Lay the spears on a sheet pan lined with paper towels and pat them dry.
Place the buttermilk in 1 shallow dish and mix together the cornmeal and salt in a separate dish. Dip each pickle, 1 at a time, first into the buttermilk, then into the cornmeal and then repeat. Carefully place each spear into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes. You can fry 3 to 4 pickles in the pot at a time. Adjust the heat, if necessary, in order to maintain a constant temperature of 390 to 400 degrees F. Transfer the pickles to a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan and allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating. Season with additional salt, if desired.
French Fries
•6 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into strips (about 1/3-inch thickness and width)
•ice water
•oil for deep frying
•salt
Soak potatoes in ice cold water for 1 hour at room temperature. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
Heat oil in deep fryer to about 370°.
Place potato strips in a single layer in deep fry basket; fry in hot oil for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown and tender. Drain on paper towels, keeping warm in the oven while frying remaining batches.
Serves 4 to 6.
Fried Onion Rings
•4 large white onions
•cold milk
•2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
•2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sift before measuring
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1/8 teaspoon pepper
•2 tablespoons melted shortening
•1 beaten egg
•1 2/3 cups milk
•flour
Peel onions and slice into rounds 1/4-inch thick. Separate rings; soak in milk for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, melted shortening, egg, and 1 2/3 cups milk to make the batter.
Drain onion rings; dip in batter then in flour. Fry onion rings in batches in deep fat at 360° to 370° for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Jalapeno Poppers Deep Fried
dash salt
2 Tbs water
2 eggs beaten
oil for deep frying
1 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
12 jalapeno peppers sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
Fill jalapeno pepper halves with cream cheese and press halves back together. Combine eggs, water and salt. Dip jalapeno peppers into egg mixture and into breadcrumbs. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 2 hours. Heat oil in deep fryer. Deep fry peppers in batches for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer Jalapeno Poppers Deep Fried to paper towels to drain.
KFC Style Chicken
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup flour
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1 tsp. Knorr chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (not salt)
1/4 tsp. onion powder (not salt)
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/3 tsp. Bell Seasoning or pinch ground sage
1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. Wondra flour
additional flour for separate pre-coating
5-6 cups non-hydrogenated Crisco or peanut oil
1 frying chicken, cut in pieces
Safety Warning: A special pressure fryer is the only type of pressure cooker that you can fry in safely. Read your manufacturer's instructions before frying in a pressure cooker. If you don't have your instruction manual, then prepare this chicken in a regular deep fryer.
Pour the oil into the pressure fryer or deep pan suitable for frying, and then heat over medium heat to about 360 degrees.
In a small bowl beat the egg, milk, and soy sauce, then stir in 1/2 tsp. Knorr chicken bouillon (save the other 1/2). Put the garlic cloves through a garlic press and add into the egg mixture. Add half of the parsley and 1 tablespoon Wondra flour. Stir well.
In a separate bowl, combine the 1 cup flour and the bread crumbs, and the remaining ingredients. Mix well with a fork.
Put about 1/2 cup additional flour in a separate small bowl. Use this to dip each chicken piece, prior to dipping in the milk and seasonings.
Roll each piece of chicken around until well covered, first in plain flour, then in milk mixture, then in flour/bread crumbs mixture.
Gently lower the chicken pieces into the hot oil and allow to become a golden color (add the bigger pieces first).
Pressure Fryer:
If you are using a pressure fryer, place the lid on and lock it when the chicken is a very light golden color, usually about 3 minutes. Begin timing when the lid is locked and the gauge indicates a pressure of 5-6 pounds. Bring temperature up immediately and watch carefully (don't walk away!).
Remove from heat after about 7 minutes and reduce pressure following manufacturer's directions. Remove the chicken pieces and place on layers of paper towels. Return the pan to the stove and bring temperature back up and continue until all chicken pieces are fried. If your chicken was too brown, cook the next batch for a minute or so less, and vice-versa if your chicken wasn't browned enough. Do not overload the cooker with too many pieces, as it brings the temperature down too quickly and will cause the pieces to absorb more of the cooking oil than it otherwise would.
Regular Deep Frying:
Fry the chicken at 360-375°F, placing the larger pieces in when the temperature is slightly lower (temperature will drop when pieces are added). Put the smaller pieces in when the temperature is higher, and they will be cooked more quickly. Remove when chicken is golden brown and drain on paper towels.
Cooks Tip: To flavor the oil in this method, you can thickly slice a few large onions and add to the oil before the chicken - skim these out when they are browned, before adding the chicken. It will add an additional layer of flavor to the oil!
