# Failed: deep fried onion ring for the first time



## kenny1999 (Dec 2, 2016)

Failed, 

I don't know what I've done wrong

Did I use wrong flour?


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## jennyema (Dec 2, 2016)

You'll have to tell us EXACTLY what you did.  Ingredients, recipe, oil temp, cooking vessel, time etc.


The picture doesn't help much.


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## Roll_Bones (Dec 2, 2016)

Looks like you breaded them?
I have had much better luck with a batter.  Like beer batter.

3/4 cup AP flour.
1/4 cup corn starch.
1/2 tsp baking powder.
3/4 cup beer.

Allow beer to come to room temp. Open the beer first.
Mix all together with a whisk until smooth.
Allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.

Dip onion sliced rings into batter and deep fry until golden brown.


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## CakePoet (Dec 2, 2016)

The oil was most likely mot hot enough.


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## kenny1999 (Dec 13, 2016)

jennyema said:


> You'll have to tell us EXACTLY what you did.  Ingredients, recipe, oil temp, cooking vessel, time etc.
> 
> 
> The picture doesn't help much.





Ingredient I used

1.Flour
2.Eggs
3.Bread crumbs
4.Oil


Steps I performed

Mix the cut onion well with flour and then stirred eggs and then bread crumbs, after all done, put into the hot oil for few minutes


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## kenny1999 (Dec 13, 2016)

Roll_Bones said:


> Looks like you breaded them?
> I have had much better luck with a batter.  Like beer batter.
> 
> 3/4 cup AP flour.
> ...




Can I use other flour, instead of AP flour? Is it very improtant?

I've got lots of flour ready but I don't know if they are AP. I don't want to waste them


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## kenny1999 (Dec 13, 2016)

Roll_Bones said:


> Looks like you breaded them?
> I have had much better luck with a batter.  Like beer batter.
> 
> 3/4 cup AP flour.
> ...





Is there anyway to do it without baking powder and corn starch??
because I want to avoid using ingredients that cannot be used up in short time, I want to avoid storage because I don't often cook.


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## dragnlaw (Dec 13, 2016)

Are you worried things will go stale? or do you just not have enough space to store. Neither Corn Starch nor Baking Powder will go stale before you are likely to use them again.  You could also buy them in very small quantities at Bulk Barn or some such place.


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## Rocklobster (Dec 13, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> I don't often cook.



That could be a reason things don't work out. Keep cooking..you will get better results as you progress...like anything else, you have to work at it...


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## medtran49 (Dec 13, 2016)

I agree with CakePoet, oil was probably not hot enough.  Did you use a thermometer or just guess?  I've been cooking for a *LONG* time, know my stove and pans, and I can guess for simple small food items that I've made multiple times, but that comes with lots of experience.  I still use a thermometer for larger pieces or things that are new to me.


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## kenny1999 (Dec 13, 2016)

Failed again for the 3rd time of deep frying onion rings

It's the third 3rd time ever I tried to deep fry onion rings. Still failed. I feel so frustrated.

Ingredients: Flour, Eggs, Milk, Bread crumbers, cooking oil

I followed exactly this tutorials
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33cAqNLcYjc&t=18s

Steps highlight
1. eggs mixed with some flour, milk, salt and used as the "sticking agent"

2. mix the cut onion rings with the sticking agent and then with flour and then again with the sticking agent.

3. mix it with the bread crumbers and then put into oil for few minutes 




 

 

 


In fact, I've decided to give it up and never deep fried again


Reasons and problems of deep frying I've encountered

1. Look easy but practically VERY messy dealing with the flour, eggs mixture etc, no matter how careful and sophisticated you are.

2. The smell of burning oil during deep frying is very unpleasant and I believe it's very unhealthy to health. I've turned on my kitchen ventilator to the maximum but it still took long time for the smell to go

3. The product is still very oily even after I've already used the paper tissue to filter the oil

4. It's really a big waste of oil. If you re-use the oil it has to be used again in short time or it will be oxidized. Re-used oil is also bad to health and smell even worse

5. Unhealthy no matter what.


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## kenny1999 (Dec 13, 2016)

Rocklobster said:


> That could be a reason things don't work out. Keep cooking..you will get better results as you progress...like anything else, you have to work at it...



Unfortunately I've decided to give up deep frying. Fortunately, I will keep up learning cooking and discovering new recipes

I've posted a reply about my 3rd failure of deep frying onion rings tonight, but I can';t see it show up


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## jennyema (Dec 13, 2016)

What was the temperature of your oil?






What kind of pot or pan did you use?


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## kenny1999 (Dec 13, 2016)

jennyema said:


> What was the temperature of your oil?
> 
> 
> 
> ...





I did not measure the exact temperature because different tutorials suggest different temperatures, some said 140 d.c. some said 180 d.c. Some never mentioned. 

However, I kept the fire low once the oil was heated up


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## medtran49 (Dec 13, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> I did not measure the exact temperature because different tutorials suggest different temperatures, some said 140 d.c. some said 180 d.c. Some never mentioned.
> 
> However, I kept the fire low once the oil was heated up


 
*AND THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!  *Myself, CakePoet, and now Jennyema have all mentioned the oil.  You can't just heat it up, turn the fire to low and hope for the best.  

Oily food - too low of a temp.  

Coating falling off - again, too low oil temp, though other issues could also be the cause.  

Not browning - too low of a temp.  

If you are going to reuse the oil, no more than once or twice more, filter in between and STORE IN THE FRIDGE.  We've kept it for weeks that way.  

There is always going to be a smell when you deep fry.  That doesn't mean the oil is "burning."  It's just a fact of life.  If you use a thermometer, you won't burn it anyway.  

Deep frying, if done correctly, is no more unhealthy than pan frying.  It's just when you don't fry at high enough temps and reuse the oil too often.  

You *NEED* to use a thermometer and check it for correct temp the entire time you are frying (i.e. leave the thermometer in the pan).  You don't have enough experience to deep fry without one.  You can't just hope for the best, especially when starting out.  All that will do is cause poor results and frustration.  

BTW, onion rings should be fried at 365-375 F (185-190 C).


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 13, 2016)

I agre with MedTran, CakePoet and Jennyema.  You must use a thermometer when deep frying.


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## Dawgluver (Dec 13, 2016)

I'll pile on here.  A thermometer is essential.


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## Roll_Bones (Dec 13, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> Can I use other flour, instead of AP flour? Is it very improtant?
> 
> I've got lots of flour ready but I don't know if they are AP. I don't want to waste them



AP flour is all purpose flour.



kenny1999 said:


> Is there anyway to do it without baking powder and corn starch??
> because I want to avoid using ingredients that cannot be used up in short time, I want to avoid storage because I don't often cook.



No, those two ingredients are quite important. Both ingredients can be purchased in small containers.

Use a batter, don't bread onion rings.  



Dawgluver said:


> I'll pile on here.  A thermometer is essential.



Unless you use a fryer that has its own temperature control.
I also don't use a thermometer when I make other fried foods.  I always just drop one piece in at first to see.


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## blissful (Dec 13, 2016)

Do you see in your picture where the onion ring, is open, has separated, letting in the oil into the onion flesh, breaking up the crust? The onion ring itself has two layers, one of flesh and one a skin. The skin shrinks at a different rate than the flesh, pushing/pulling it apart. Freezing them, removing the skin off each ring, will help.

There is a good recipe and tutorial about onions and the science of onion rings on serious eats: The Food Lab's Foolproof Onion Rings Recipe | Serious Eats

Whether you batter them, or bread them, the heat of the oil needs to be 350-375 degrees F. Why not give it a try? If you try any of these methods, let us know how it went for you. Loved your pictures.

My personal preference on oil for frying. I use it once, then put it in a jar, when I need to fry again, I pour off the clear oil and leave any brown bits in the jar and dispose of them. I can do this 2-3 times, and then I toss the old oil. If the oil has been overheated (400 degrees F+) then it needs to be tossed as well. Oil does keep better refrigerated than at room temperature. If I ever fry hot peppers, or jalapenos, I don't reuse the oil, because the hot peppers flavor the oil and make it hot flavored.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 13, 2016)

Roll_Bones said:


> Unless you use a fryer that has its own temperature control.
> I also don't use a thermometer when I make other fried foods.  I always just drop one piece in at first to see.



That is experience talking.  New cooks...a thermometer is essential so they can gain the experience you have.


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## Dawgluver (Dec 13, 2016)

This^^^

Even having some experience, I still prefer to use my thermometer.


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## CraigC (Dec 13, 2016)

OK, horse, water, but............


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## roadfix (Dec 13, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> However, I kept the fire low once the oil was heated up



Heated up is not good enough!   Get a cheap thermometer and report back!  
And this time I want some good onion rings!

Sorry, I'm cranky tonight because I'm hungry!


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## CWS4322 (Dec 14, 2016)

Have you tried slicing the onions the day before, holding them in water overnight, patting them dry and then applying the breading?


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## blissful (Dec 14, 2016)

Yesterday I wasn't busy, so I cut up two patterson onions, 1/2 inch slices, 3 slices per onion, medium sized hard yellow onion. I took the slices apart and froze them.

Then last night, I thought I'd try to make the serious eats recipe. First I ran the onions under warm water. Peeling the thin, almost invisible skin that is on the inside of each ring, isn't easy. I just gave them a good scrape with my thumbnail, and pulled, and this almost invisible, cellophane (but thinner) part of the onion came off and I rinsed it down the drain. I drained the onion rings on a clean towel.

I turned on the stove, let it heat while I worked on the onions and the batter. The batter was flour, cornstarch, baking powder and soda, salt and instead of beer I used sparkling water/club soda. The smell of the hot oil was in the background, so I turned it down.

To test for hotness of the oil, I put in one onion ring. If it sinks to the bottom and stays there, the oil is not hot enough. If it goes under the oil and immediately pops back up to the top, the batter expanded, then it is ready. If it immediately browns, the oil is too hot, turn it down and let it cool a bit before proceeding. Use your thermometer if you aren't sure. As the onion rings go in, the oil will lose temperature so turn it up on high as you commit to cook them. After 4 minutes, turn the onion rings over and as they are lightly brown on both sides, remove them to drain on a paper towel or napkin on a plate. Salt immediately after removing from the oil.

I did this twice, once for myself and once for my son when he got home from work. As he always says, "Mom, that was REALLY GOOD", I had told him previously, he doesn't have to compliment my cooking, really. He said that on a scale of 1 to 10, this was an 11, no question the best puffed, crispiest, best tasting onion rings he's ever had. I thought it would make a good batter for the next time we made fried fish. He decided he would use this batter to make sweet sour chicken, to get the chicken battered and crisp and 'just right'.

Would I go through the trouble of freezing the onion rings in advance, then peeling the almost invisible skin from the inside of each ring? Yes. More importantly, we found out that this batter is really amazing.


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## kenny1999 (Dec 16, 2016)

CWS4322 said:


> Have you tried slicing the onions the day before, holding them in water overnight, patting them dry and then applying the breading?



no. Never done that before... it makes the breadcrumb more sticky to the onion/???


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## kenny1999 (Dec 16, 2016)

roadfix said:


> Heated up is not good enough!   Get a cheap thermometer and report back!
> And this time I want some good onion rings!
> 
> Sorry, I'm cranky tonight because I'm hungry!



IMO it was not the problem of temperature. It was that the breadcrumb fell a lot from the onion


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## msmofet (Dec 16, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> IMO it was not the problem of temperature. It was that the breadcrumb fell a lot from the onion


You came here for advice but won't listen to what people are telling you. It is *ALL* about the temperature of the oil ... end of story. The bread crumbs fell off because the oil was not hot enough.
When the oil is not hot enough the oil will be absorbed into the crumbs and fall off instead of quick frying.
People are trying to help you but you won't accept what they are saying.
Get a thermometer, use it to get the oil hot enough 350F - 375F. Try it then come back and tell us the results. Until you eliminate this variable we can't move on.


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## CraigC (Dec 16, 2016)

msmofet said:


> *You came here for advice but won't listen to what people are telling you.* It is *ALL* about the temperature of the oil ... end of story. The bread crumbs fell off because the oil was not hot enough.
> When the oil is not hot enough the oil will be absorbed into the crumbs and fall off instead of quick frying.
> People are trying to help you but you won't accept what they are saying.
> Get a thermometer, use it to get the oil hot enough 350F - 375F. Try it then come back and tell us the results. Until you eliminate this variable we can't move on.



AKA, really doesn't want help.


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## medtran49 (Dec 16, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> IMO it was not the problem of temperature. It was that the breadcrumb fell a lot from the onion


 
And you've been told that too low of an oil temp can cause that.  It's obvious you don't really want help since you won't take the advice that's been given to you by multiple people.


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## Addie (Dec 16, 2016)

CraigC said:


> AKA, really doesn't want help.



Ditto here. Doesn't he realize that when the low temp oil is absorbed into the coating, the coating becomes heavy with the oil and falls off due to the added weight?


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## jennyema (Dec 16, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> IMO it was not the problem of temperature. It was that the breadcrumb fell a lot from the onion




No.  Your inadequate oil temperature was the main if not the only cause of your failure.  It's why your coating fell off.

You come here asking for advice because you don't know what's going wrong with your onion rings.

People tell you that it's your oil temperature (which is pretty obvious to anyone who fries food) but then all of a sudden you know better?

You don't understand how to use oil for frying.  So you can either learn how to cook with it successfully or continue to fail ... or use a different cooking method.


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## msmofet (Dec 16, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> Failed again for the 3rd time of deep frying onion rings
> 
> It's the third 3rd time ever I tried to deep fry onion rings. Still failed. I feel so frustrated.
> 
> ...



P.S. I don't think you followed the tutorial EXACTLY because he states in the video "be sure you use a candy thermometer so you get the proper temperature of oil..." And if you go under the video and READ the recipe (which I do and I am sure others do as well, so I can copy ingredient list and method) it clearly states "Be sure to use a thermometer to get to the proper temperature."


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## kenny1999 (Dec 17, 2016)

Addie said:


> Ditto here. Doesn't he realize that when the low temp oil is absorbed into the coating, the coating becomes heavy with the oil and falls off due to the added weight?





jennyema said:


> No.  Your inadequate oil temperature was the main if not the only cause of your failure.  It's why your coating fell off.
> 
> You come here asking for advice because you don't know what's going wrong with your onion rings.
> 
> ...





The breadcrumbs did not fall during the deep frying in the oil, but it already had fallen a lot before I put those rings into the oil. Many breadcrumbs were not sticky to the onion rings at the first time. It was unrelated to the temperature of deep frying at all.


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## jennyema (Dec 18, 2016)




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## buckytom (Dec 18, 2016)

I think you are looking for a smooth coated onion ring versus a granular breading type.

If so, then you need to male a really smooth batter, a lot like tempura or flour beer batter, rather than a breadcrumb-ing.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 18, 2016)

kenny1999 said:


> Ingredient I used
> 
> 1.Flour
> 2.Eggs
> ...



Kenny, did you mix the eggs and flour with milk, like the video says to do?

Also, the video says to mix the onions with the egg-flour-milk mixture first, not just flour. Then into the flour, then into the egg mixture again, then into the breadcrumbs, then egg mixture, then breadcrumbs again. Then let them sit for 20 minutes before flying. Did you do all of that?


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## GotGarlic (Dec 18, 2016)

buckytom said:


> I think you are looking for a smooth coated onion ring versus a granular breading type.
> 
> If so, then you need to male a really smooth batter, a lot like tempura or flour beer batter, rather than a breadcrumb-ing.



The video says to process breadcrumbs in a food processor so they're really fine.


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## roadfix (Dec 18, 2016)

With all this time and money wasted you could have bought yourself a thermometer.


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## msmofet (Dec 18, 2016)

roadfix said:


> With all this time and money wasted you could have bought yourself a thermometer.



+1000%


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## rodentraiser (Dec 18, 2016)

Kenny, I've had the same problem with deep frying battered fish. In my case, I think it's not only the temp of the oil I've had problems with, but also because I don't dry the fish completely with a paper towel before I dip them in batter. Most times my fish comes out right, but every now and then I still mess it up. That's what cooking is, a series of attempts while you learn.

I also don't have a thermometer. But I will throw in some batter in the oil before adding the fish to see if the oil is hot enough. And by this time, I know what stove setting I should have the burner on and how long to leave the oil on the burner before my oil gets hot enough. It's just something you pick up, like being able to put a pinch of salt into food without having to measure it every time.


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