stick with what you know…

…and I know my salty foods!

With a stream of failed attempts of cooking (xlb & cookies) lately, I needed to boost my cooking confidence. I’d failed at making onion rings a first time (baking and using panko breadcrumbs just didn’t work for me), but I thought the second time would have to succeed.

To start off, bf raves, and I mean RAVES, about A&W’s Onion Rings—not the US’ version but the Canadian version. (Don’t understand? Well, I didn’t either until I tried Canadian A&W onion rings….then US’s version. US’s definitely doesn’t compare! You may just have to try for yourself!)

I took this photo 2010 at an A&W in a food court in Vancouver.

As bf and his friends grew up on those onion rings, he has been trying to find a place that replicates them in the States. Failing to find a competitor (and he tries onion rings at pretty much every restaurant possible), here’s my first attempt at A&W’s onion rings, which I adapted from: allrecipes.com

1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk, or as needed
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
Seasoning Salt (to taste) — McCormick’s Steak Seasoning (Trying Lawry’s next batch)
1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

1. Heat the oil in a pot to 365 degrees F (candy thermometer )
2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up.
4. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs.
5. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.

6. Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown.

7. Remove to paper towels to drain.
8. Season generously with seasoning salt, and serve.

success!

and the bf approves!

here’s the side by side comparison of textures:
<–A&W | Mine–>

pretty close! now, we want to try a third attempt using Lawry’s seasoning salt to see if it changes the flavor of the onion ring, but this one was perfectly crunchy and flavorful already (:

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