The classic real battered onion ring is still as popular as ever. They sit perfectly as a side order in a fillet steak dinner or as a tasty extra in a takeaway meal.
Just like real chips, the factory produced frozen option is a very poor alternative to the freshly prepared battered and deep fried real McCoy.
According to The Food Lab, the key to a great onion ring is to prevent the browning and toughening of the onion while simultaneously adding textural contrast and flavour to the exterior.
The 4 main problems experienced with onion rings are:
- Not enough batter – and the onion burns
- Too much batter – and the onion ring is soggy
- The split shell – when the batter crust splits
- The onion ‘worm’ – when you have a long undercooked string of onion in your mouth and a hollow batter shell in your hand.
The cure for the first two is the quality of the batter, and the secret of this is a well-known and closely guarded secret in the restaurant and takeaway industry.
The cure for the other two is how you treat your onions! To get that perfect cooked onion and avoid the batter splitting, simply cut the fresh onion rings, freeze them, remove from the freezer when frozen, and then remove the thin papery membrane layer between each layer of onion.
In addition to making the membrane easier to remove, freezing also tenderizes the onion and makes it easier to bite through when cooked.
Then batter and deep fry your onion rings to perfection!
