I have to be up front here. I am not a fan of onion rings, or onions for that matter. But my wife likes them and saw a recipe she liked on an episode of the Barefoot Contessa. This recipe differs from other onion ring recipes in that it includes buttermilk and cornmeal. Below you will find my notes from this recipe. For the full recipe, visit the Food Network website.
1. We used Spanish Onion as Ina suggested. When in season, Vidalia onions would make a great choice.
2. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use regular milk with a little bit of lemon juice in it to bump up the acidity. Really try to use buttermilk, it’s tang will add another level of flavor to these rings.
3. The cornmeal is there to provide an extra crunch. I love Bob’s Red Mill
4. As Ina says, don’t overcrowd them when frying. You don’t want them to stick together. Also you don’t want to lower the temperature of the oil too much by adding too many “cold” rings.
My wife absolutely loved these rings. The crispiness provided by the cornmeal really made these the best she ever had.
Recipe Grade: A
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