Ultimate Extra-Crunchy Onion Rings
By Matthew FairmanPublished on October 15, 2019
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon pepperOnion Rings
4 cups buttermilk 4 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup cornstarch 2 tablespoons Lawry's Seasoned Salt 2 tablespoons baking powder 2 teaspoons pepper ½ teaspoon table salt 2 large onions (1 pound each), peeled3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil for fryingBefore You Begin
Look for large onions (about 1 pound each) for this recipe. Be sure to use a double-bagged large paper shopping bag in step 2. Note that the onions are double-breaded, so don't discard the flour bag after the first shake. Buy refrigerated prepared horseradish, not the shelf-stable kind, which contains preservatives and additives.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in bowl; set aside.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Add buttermilk to large bowl. Combine flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt, baking powder, pepper, and salt in second large bowl. Transfer flour mixture to double-bagged large paper shopping bag. Slice onions crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds. Reserve onion slices smaller than 2 inches in diameter for another use.
- Separate remaining onion rounds into rings. Toss one-third of onion rings in buttermilk to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess buttermilk and transfer onion rings to flour mixture in bag. Repeat with remaining onion rings in 2 batches. Roll top of bag to seal and shake vigorously to coat onion rings in flour mixture. Remove onion rings from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture, and transfer to rimmed baking sheet.
- Transfer one-third of onion rings back to buttermilk and toss to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess buttermilk and transfer onion rings back to flour mixture in bag. Repeat with remaining onion rings in 2 batches. Roll top of bag to seal and shake vigorously to coat onion rings in flour mixture. Pour contents of bag onto sheet. Separate any onion rings that stick together.
- Line second rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees.
- Add one-third of onion rings to hot oil and fry, without stirring, until breading is just set, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir gently with tongs or spider skimmer and continue to fry until dark golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes longer, flipping onion rings occasionally and separating any that stick together. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 375 degrees. Transfer fried onion rings to paper towel-lined sheet and place in oven to keep warm.
- Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining onion rings in 2 batches. Serve onion rings with sauce.
for the sauce
for the onion rings
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Sauce
Onion Rings
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sauce
Onion Rings
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Sauce
Onion Rings
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For onion rings with the crunchiest, craggiest crust and fully tender, sweet onions, we double-breaded ½-inch-thick rings in a mixture of buttermilk, seasoned flour, and cornstarch. To streamline the double-breading process and avoid having to bread the onion rings in several batches, we tossed all the buttermilk-soaked onions with the flour mixture in a large paper shopping bag. A double-bag setup ensured no blowouts or leaking. To fry our ultracrunchy onion rings in as few batches as possible, we used plenty of oil and stirred gently during frying for even cooking. With the generous amounts of breading, the rings could stay in the hot oil longer, ensuring that the onions themselves were fully cooked and tender. These rings fried up incredibly crunchy and tasted even better dipped in a tangy stir-together horseradish sauce.
Before You Begin
Look for large onions (about 1 pound each) for this recipe. Be sure to use a double-bagged large paper shopping bag in step 2. Note that the onions are double-breaded, so don't discard the flour bag after the first shake. Buy refrigerated prepared horseradish, not the shelf-stable kind, which contains preservatives and additives.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in bowl; set aside.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Add buttermilk to large bowl. Combine flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt, baking powder, pepper, and salt in second large bowl. Transfer flour mixture to double-bagged large paper shopping bag. Slice onions crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds. Reserve onion slices smaller than 2 inches in diameter for another use.
- Separate remaining onion rounds into rings. Toss one-third of onion rings in buttermilk to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess buttermilk and transfer onion rings to flour mixture in bag. Repeat with remaining onion rings in 2 batches. Roll top of bag to seal and shake vigorously to coat onion rings in flour mixture. Remove onion rings from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture, and transfer to rimmed baking sheet.
- Transfer one-third of onion rings back to buttermilk and toss to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess buttermilk and transfer onion rings back to flour mixture in bag. Repeat with remaining onion rings in 2 batches. Roll top of bag to seal and shake vigorously to coat onion rings in flour mixture. Pour contents of bag onto sheet. Separate any onion rings that stick together.
- Line second rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees.
- Add one-third of onion rings to hot oil and fry, without stirring, until breading is just set, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir gently with tongs or spider skimmer and continue to fry until dark golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes longer, flipping onion rings occasionally and separating any that stick together. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 375 degrees. Transfer fried onion rings to paper towel-lined sheet and place in oven to keep warm.
- Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining onion rings in 2 batches. Serve onion rings with sauce.
for the sauce
for the onion rings
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