Onion Rings

By Trix

Ingredients

• Equipment
• 5 quarts heavy-bottomed Dutch oven
• Tongs
• Candy thermometer
• Paper towels
• Cookie sheets
• Onion Rings
• 2 cups buttermilk (1 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1 cup milk can be used as alternative)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large yellow onions
• 1 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 3 cups of grape seed oil (canola oil or peanut oil also work)

Details

Adapted from foodnetwork.ca

Preparation

Step 1

Onion Rings
Peel onions and slice into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick rings. Separate rings.
Combine buttermilk with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Mix well.
Add onions to the buttermilk mixture and coat thoroughly letting sit at least 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
Add oil to Dutch oven pan (Make sure that the pan is absolutely dry inside before you add the oil. Any water droplets in the pan will cause the oil to splatter violently as it heats up).
The oil should create a layer anywhere from ¾ -inch to 1-inch thick. Use more oil if necessary.
Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit using a candy thermometer to measure the heat of the oil. (Tip: You may need to tilt the pan in order to cover the thermometer's sensor completely. A good old fashioned metal-encased thermometer works best).
Note: You can test to see if the oil is ready by moistening a little bit of the flour and dropping it in the pan. If it sizzles and fries, it's ready. If it burns, take the pan off the heat and let the oil cool down a bit.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Working in batches, lift some onion rings out of the buttermilk and coat them in flour mixture.
Using tongs, place them one by one in the hot oil.
Fry for a minute on each side, until golden brown. Do not crowd them.
Place finished onion rings on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Keep the complete onion rings warm in oven while you fry the rest.
Between batches, you may need to add more oil. Let the temp get back up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit before starting the next batch.
Serve hot with a side of garlic aioli or desired dipping sauce.