The Fellowship Of The Rings

My very first job was working as a prep cook in a family-style restaurant, and one of my responsibilities was to make homemade onion rings. 

At least once a week, I would peel and slice thirty pounds of onions in one go, make a variety of liquid and powdery baths for them, dip them to and fro, carefully layer them into big metal pans, and pop them into the freezer. 

My boss, Mr. David, would often come and watch me as I made the rings. A stickler for precision in the kitchen, he watched over my work like a hawk but also joked around and kept me company during my long task. 

He was a nice man, but maybe a little bit of a dork. You know the kind of person who stands on one side of you, and then reaches around behind your back and taps you on the OTHER shoulder? And then acts like he didn't do it? And then, when you play along and act just a tiny bit surprised (because after all, he is the boss), he bursts out laughing as if this was the most clever joke ever devised? Yeah, he was one of those.

Now that I think about it, Mr. David was definitely a dork. But still, he knew a few things about good food. 

For one thing, he was a firm believer in cooking from scratch and taught me a very valuable life lesson, which is this: If you want something done right, you better do it yourself. 

So when I experience a mad craving for onion rings, there's only one solution: bust out a recipe and make up a batch of freshies. And that's just what I did tonight.

Three little onions seem like quite a pittance after the heaping mounds of rings I used to cut, but it was plenty for a family meal. 

I got everything sliced, measured poured and ready, then called in a team of daughters to do the heavy lifting.

In their capable hands, each little ring was dragged through the flour and baking power mixture...

bathed in the milk and egg...

and set on this wire rack until the milky drips subsided.

Then, off they each went to the bowl of bread crumbs..

And onto a plate where they waited for a turn in the frying pan. Aren't they so cute?

Honestly, this was such a fun and fast process. As my daughters moved the rings along, I supported their efforts by adding more milk or bread crumbs as needed, and then I manned the skillet during the cooking process.

All in all, it took us less than a half hour to whip up this batch of delicious. And even less time to eat it.

Satisfaction. The kind that comes from rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done the right way.

I think my old onion-ring-making buddy, Mr. David, would be proud.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk, or as needed
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• seasoned salt to taste
• 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
4. Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

 Source Allrecipes.com