How to fry onion rings
Shallow-fry onion rings in oil at 375°F (190°C) for about 1–1½ min per side, until golden brown. Treat the time as a starting point: piece size, batch size and your pot all change it, so watch the color and the oil thermometer rather than the clock.
- Oil temperature
- 375°F (190°C)
- Method
- Shallow fry
- Starting time
- 1–1½ min per sideBattered rings fried in 1 inch of oil in batches; bring oil back to 375°F between batches.
- Done when
- golden brown
Numbers from Taste of Home: Crispy Fried Onion Rings. Celsius values are rounded.
Getting it right
- Use a wide, heavy skillet with enough oil to come partway up the food, and keep it well below the rim.
- Heat the oil to 375°F (190°C); a clip or instant-read thermometer takes the guessing out of it.
- Pat the food dry before any coating. Water on the surface spits in hot oil and steams the crust soft.
- Lay it in away from you, leaving space between pieces.
- Leave it alone until the underside is set and golden, then turn once with long tongs.
- Drain on a rack rather than paper so the underside stays crisp.
Why the temperature matters: oil that is too cool lets the coating soak up fat before it sets, so the outside goes heavy and pale. Oil that is too hot browns the outside before the middle is ready. The thermometer is how you hold the window between the two.
Proper crunchy onion rings