Easy Crispy Onion Strings - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

Why are my crispy onions not crispy? ›

For onion crisps, you need to deep fry in plenty of oil, as the comments suggest. You should take care that your onion slices of pieces are the same size. Deep fry until golden, then remove from oil and drain well. You should be able to crisp onions in a few minutes.

Don't skip the frying thermometer though—it's important to make sure you're frying at the right temperature so your onion rings come out crispy, crunchy, and delicious. If the oil isn't hot enough, your onion rings can turn out soggy; too hot, and the oil can start to smoke.

Cornstarch provides a textured surface around the onion ring which allows it to grip and hold on to the batter so that it doesn't slide right off. If also prevents gluten from developing, which yields crispier results.

Reheat in the air fryer or oven. Air fryer onion rings: Instead of frying in oil, spray the breaded onion rings well with some cooking spray and place them in a single layer in the air fryer (you will have to work in batches). Air fry at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes until nice and crisp on the outside.

It was as she explained to me, to cook off the bitterness. I think all it did was soften them quickly before the sugars started to caramelize. As far as I know, there is no way to “plump” onions. But indeed sautéing onions in water gets them soft and clear with less shrinkage compared to sautéing in a fat.

This means frying gently, stirring often until they are soft enough to squish easily between you fingers but are still not the slightest bit brown. It will take you about 10 minutes to reach this point. Cook until golden or brown. If you want golden onions then turn up the heat a little, but not beyond medium.

Soaking the onions helps dilute their sulfur content, taking away that pungent, raw bite and leaving you with a pleasant, milder onion that still has some snap to it. Cuisine At Home also recommends maintaining ultimate crispiness by double-dipping the onions in buttermilk and seasoned flour.

To soften them up, you can add a little hot water to them while they are cooking. Once they are soft, if you want to let them cook longer for a caramelized taste, you turn the heat up a little more until they are golden brown and remove them.

Tips For The Perfect Rings

I like to use a sweet onion such as Vidalia onions, Walla Wallas, or Maui onions. If you can't find these varieties, use a standard yellow onion. Fried onions are best when served immediately after being cooked. However, they can be refrigerated and reheated.

Make sure the batter is cold. I find that making sure the batter is ice-cold helps make it stick to the onion rings while frying. Once the rings hit the hot oil the contrast of cold from the batter tends to keep them stuck to the onion ring – and makes them crisp.

Why does my breading fall off after frying? ›

You don't start dry

The first step to breading chicken is crucial: Make sure the chicken is completely dry before starting the dredging process. Using a paper towel, pat the meat dry on all sides. Excess moisture will cause the flour to get soggy, meaning it will not adhere properly to the chicken.

Step 1: Pat the chicken dry

It sounds counterintuitive, but a dry surface will help the flour adhere evenly to the chicken. Just as important as the first patting down of the chicken's surface, the final pat down of your meat after covering it with breading helps every piece of crunchy coating adhere.

Breaded rings are dredged in a dry mixture of flour and seasonings. Add a liquid — like water, beer, or even eggs — to that same blend, and you create a batter. Battered rings are coated in this goopy concoction before going into the fryer.

If the oil isn't hot enough, the dough will absorb the oil, creating soggy onion rings that may fall apart. Also, for the best onion rings ever, be sure not to overcrowd the frying vessel: Give your onion rings room to move around.

The oil should stay around 365 degrees — if the oil gets too cool, the onion rings will come out greasy and less crisp.

You need to cook them longer, higher temp before simmering or slow cook for alot longer. I sauté the very finely sliced onions on a very low heat for at least 20mins before anything else goes in the pan.

Sprinkle corn flour on the slices and toss them. Heat oil in a deep pan till medium hot but not smoking hot. Reduce the flame to medium. Add few onion slices at one time and deep fry until crisp.