You know what they say about great minds…
"They" say great minds think alike. I can't vouch for his greatness, but George Duran of Food Network's Ham on the Street spent the first segment of the "Guilty Pleasures" episode discussing the wonders of deep-fried goods. He takes 5 already-guilty pleasures and fries them to a deep and golden goodness. Obviously, this isn't a novel gastric breakthrough – deep-fried twinkies and such have been cropping up more and more at county fairs. I could do more research on this phenomenon, but why pull the curtain on the machinery? Let's let wonders remain wonders.
Anyway, the five items George deep-fries:
- Hot dog and bun
- Mac and cheese
- Brownie
- Oreo cookies
- Cheesecake
Simply amazing. George seems to be a man after my own stomach. I've actually had deep-fried Snickers (at the fair) and deep-fried Oreos (in Vegas), so I feel well-qualified to comment here. The deep-fried desserts are actually not as much of a stretch as you'd think – the batter lends a funnel cake-like flavor and texture to the proceedings.
Deep-fried hot dogs and deep-fried mac n' cheese, however, seem like riskier propositions. The random diners George convinced to sample the goods seemed to like the desserts fine but, like me, were a bit skeptical of the deep-friend dogs and mnc. However, the deep-fried hot dog seemed to go over well, but the ball of mac and cheese was less well-received.
I may have to corral me a deep-fryer and perform some experiments myself. Who said television isn't inspiring?
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Damn you man! Why must you post about the exact same episode we just watched! I was going to post his Twinkie Tiramisu as a recipe because it looked really tasty and very manly.
But Deep-Fried Twinkies — they are worth it. We had them on the boardwalk in Santa Cruz and they’re just as good as they sound.
Among the other things that are delicious (or would be delicious) deep-fried:
pickles (they’re great)
hostess cupcakes
brussels sprouts (we’ve done these, and they turn out awesome)
jalapeno slices (I’ve seen them marketed as “bottlecaps”)
and this weekend I determined that deep-fried apple rings would be as good as a mini pie in your mouth. YUM
ps where was that kid putting all that whipped cream???
Deep-fried pickles? ugh. You’ve crossed the line, mon frere. Actually, I’m just not a fan of pickles to begin with, but hey, they’re all yours. My little sister used to drink pickle juice straight outta the jar, so… it just goes to show some people have disgusting tastes. Also, deep-fried brussel sprouts? Come on, man. Jalapeno slices I’ve had, and apple rings would be pretty awes. Good call.
You dis on the Brussels Sprouts? For shame, as these little badboys are nothin but pure taste sensation. Roll them in a little batter, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese right after pulling them out of the fry-o-later and you’ve got yourself a great hors-D. And pickles are widespread around these parts — when you go to Boston you can get them at the Boston Beer Company right near Fenway. Delicious. I will have to write soon about Vlassic’s hawt new pickles — the Tabasco infused dill. hoooooo doggy.
And I didn’t even get to mention one of my all-time favorite frieds — Rhode Island Style Calamari.
The trouble with deep-fried pickles is that they are mouth-scaldingly hot inside due to the high water content. When we deep-fried the Brussels sprouts we did not batter them (though that would be great!)–all we did was add salt to the finished product. The mini leaves on the outside start getting transparent & crispy like the thinnest chips ever…so tasty.
I want to batter them as battering > all other forms of frying
Yeah, deep frying without batter is akin to eating burgers without a glazed donut bun.
Hear, hear!