Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows

Shoestring Onion Rings

Name: Shoestring Onion Rings
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min

Prep. Time:

25 min

Baking Time:

15 min

Total Time:

40 min

Serves:

4 servings

Britt created this component recipe for Tournament of Champions Season 7. These shoestring onion rings were the standout element of her Ribeye Pepperoni Steakhouse Burger, singled out by judge Geoffrey Zakarian as his favourite part of the whole dish. Finely sliced yellow onions are soaked in milk,...

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Ingredients

Large yellow onions — 2, halved and very finely sliced
Whole milk — 240 ml / 1 cup, for soaking
All-purpose flour — 120 g / 1 cup
Cornstarch — 3 tbsp
Fine sea salt — 1½ tsp, plus extra for seasoning after frying
Smoked paprika — 1 tsp
Garlic powder — ½ tsp
Cayenne pepper — ¼ tsp, adjust to taste
Neutral oil for frying — 1.5 l / ~6 cups, vegetable or canola; to ~8 cm depth

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Instructions

PREPARE THE ONIONS
Halve the onions through the root and peel. Using a mandoline set to 1–2 mm (or as fine a knife cut as you can manage), slice into thin half-rings. Separate all layers into individual strands. The thinner and more uniform the slice, the crispier and more delicate the final result.

SOAK IN MILK
Place the onion strands in a bowl and pour over the milk, pressing down so they are submerged. Soak for at least 20 minutes. The milk softens the raw sharpness of the onion and gives the flour coating something to cling to.

MAKE THE SEASONED FLOUR
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder and cayenne in a wide shallow bowl. The cornstarch displaces some of the gluten in the flour, keeping the crust light and shattery rather than thick and doughy.

HEAT THE OIL
Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pot or Dutch oven to a depth of at least 8 cm. Heat over medium-high to 180°C / 355°F. Use a thermometer — temperature is everything. Too cool and the onions steam and go greasy; too hot and the coating burns before the onions soften.

DREDGE
Working in handfuls, lift the onion strands from the milk and let excess drip off, then toss thoroughly in the seasoned flour. Shake off any loose excess — clumps of dry flour will burn and turn bitter in the oil.

FRY IN BATCHES
Carefully lower a handful into the hot oil. Fry for 2–3 minutes per batch until deeply golden and crisp. Do not crowd the pot: overcrowding drops the oil temperature and causes the onions to steam rather than fry, losing the crunch entirely.

DRAIN AND SEASON
Remove with a spider or slotted spoon onto a wire rack set over a tray — not paper towels, which trap steam and soften the coating. Season immediately with a pinch of extra salt while still hot. Serve at once; these go soft within minutes.