One of my favorite things to serve alongside hamburgers and hot dogs is crispy onion rings! Satisfy your onion ring craving by making them at home.

Making onion rings at home is easier than you may think. Once you learn the method, it is a breeze from then on out.

This process is simple. You start by slicing the onions, making the batter, dipping the rings, and deep frying until golden and crisp. You will need a little patience to work in batches.

Serve onion rings with your favorite sauces. Excellent choices are fry sauce, ketchup, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, honey mustard, and blue cheese dressing. Then be prepared for them to disappear as quickly as you serve them.

Some components go into a perfect onion ring, from a great dredge to a precise fry.

Onion Types

Typically onion rings are made with yellow, sweet, or white onions. White onions are more pungent than the other two varieties.

Slicing an Onion

Wash and dry the onion. Cut off the onion’s stem end, not the root, and peel back its outer peel.

With the peeled onion on its side, slice off a thin sliver from the side. Then place the onion on the cutting board with the sliver cut side down. This will stabilize the onion’s position so it will not roll during slicing.

Curl your fingers inward as you grip the onion to protect your fingertips. Slice the onion to your desired thickness. Separate the onion slices into individual rings. Small rings can be battered and fried or saved in a baggie for other recipes.

Buttermilk

Have you ever wondered why you soak onion rings in buttermilk before being fried? It may appear to be an odd procedure, but it serves a crucial purpose in making the perfect crispy and tasty food.

The lactic acid in buttermilk helps to tenderize the onions, making them softer and more flavorful. The goal is to create onion rings with a crispy exterior while maintaining a soft and tender interior. Buttermilk’s acidity also helps to neutralize some of the pungent flavors of the onions, creating a more balanced taste. In addition, buttermilk soaking can improve the nutritional value of the dish. It is a good source of calcium and other nutrients.

What if you do not like buttermilk? It is not the only option. Use milk, which also contains lactic acid and can help to tenderize the onions. However, milk does not have the same tangy flavor as buttermilk, so it may not add as much depth of flavor to the final dish. Other options for soaking onion rings include beer and vinegar. Both of these liquids contain acids that can help to tenderize the onions. However, they may also impart flavors to the dish, which may not be everyone’s liking.

Variations

Onion rings can be made using a breading or battering technique. It is amazing how many ways there are to mix things up and add a unique twist to onion rings. Some options include:

• To create different textures, experiment with different types of flour, breadcrumbs,  cornmeal, crushed chips or cereal, or coconut in the batter or coating.
• Add herbs or spices to the buttermilk soak or the batter for added flavor. To kick up the heat, consider hot sauce, cayenne pepper, chili powder, hot paprika, hot spice blend, etc.
• Serve the onion rings with flavorful dipping sauces, such as BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, garlic aioli, or honey mustard.

Oil

When cooking onion rings, using a neutral oil with a high smoking point is best. Use an oil with a smoke point of at least 350°F. Due to its high smoke point, vegetable oil is a great all-purpose oil for deep frying; if you want a different option, canola and peanut oil work well.

Batter Problems

When there is too little batter, the onion is exposed to the oil. The onion sugars caramelize and burn while tissues dry out, turning papery and tough.

If the onion ring has too much batter, it will retain too much moisture, and as soon as it is removed from the oil, the batter will begin to turn soggy.

The “split shell” occurs when the batter crust spontaneously splits in half. Oil rushes into the gap, rendering the onion leathery and burnt.

Keep Warm

Keep fried onion rings warm by laying them in one layer on a baking sheet in the oven at 200°F while you fry the rest. Keep the onion rings separate from each other. Do not pile them on each other, or they will get soggy.

Once you make homemade onion rings, you will wonder why you do not do it more often! It takes just as long to make them from scratch as it does to heat your oven and bake the frozen ones.

Crunchy Onion Rings

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 large sweet or yellow onions, washed, peeled, sliced into ¼ to 1/2-inch-thick ringed slices, rings separated

2 cups buttermilk, or 1 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1 cup milk

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

3-4 cups flavorless frying oil

Instructions:

Wash and dry the onions. Peel the onions and slice them crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2-inch-thick slices. Separate each slice into individual rings and then remove the thin papery membrane covering the inside of each ring.

In a large bowl or large zippered baggie, stir together the buttermilk (or yogurt and milk) with

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.

Stir the onions into the buttermilk mixture and make sure every ring is completely coated in buttermilk. Let sit for 15 to 60 minutes.

In a separate shallow bowl or dish (large enough to dredge the onion rings), whisk together the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper; set aside.

Add 3 to 4 cups of oil to a large (5- to 6-quart), thick-bottomed pot or skillet. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot by 3/4 to 1 inch.

Heat the oil to 375°F. Use a good candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer (to measure the heat of the oil. You may need to tilt the pan in order to cover the thermometer’s sensor completely and get an accurate reading.

Be very careful whenever handling hot oil. Have the pan’s lid close by.

Test the oil by dropping a small pinch of flour into the hot oil. If the flour sizzles the oil is ready. If it burns, remove the pot from the heat and let the oil cool down a little.

Remove onion rings one at a time out of the buttermilk mixture, drain lightly,  and dredge them in the flour mixture to coat.

If the coating seems a bit thin or if you want extra crunchy onion rings, dip the onion rings again in the buttermilk mixture and dredge them again in the flour. This double coating will make the onion rings extra crunchy.

Use tongs to place the rings one by one into the hot oil. Fry for a minute on each side or until golden brown.

When you add the onion rings to the pot, the oil temperature will naturally lower. Adjust the heat so that the temperature of the oil in the pan stays between 350°F and 390°F.

Place the fried onion rings on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Keep the fried onion rings warm in a 225°F oven while you fry the rest of the rings.

Add more oil if needed between batches. Let the oil heat back up to 375°F before starting a new batch.

Serve warm shortly after frying for best taste and texture.

Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator

Sources:

• gillsonions.com
• www.tastingtable.com