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I tried baking powder vs beer batter for onion rings and the difference was huge
I've been deep frying onion rings for like 15 years now. Always made them with beer batter cause thats what my dad did. They were fine but never really crispy. Last month I tried baking powder instead for the batter. Changed the whole game. The rings came out light and crunchy instead of that heavy greasy mess I was used to. I used about a teaspoon of baking powder for one cup of flour. Also added some ice cold seltzer water instead of beer for the fizz. Honestly felt dumb for not trying this sooner. Has anyone else switched up their batter ingredients and got way better results?
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avery_lopez17d ago
Well, have you ever ruined a batch of onion rings so badly they looked like something from a horror movie? Because I have. My first try with baking powder I accidentally used baking soda instead and ended up with these bitter, weirdly metallic tasting rings that my dog wouldn't even eat. So I get the appeal of sticking with what you know. But I tend to agree with you on the texture part. Beer batter always gave me a thicker, almost doughy coating that soaked up too much oil. The baking powder method with seltzer gave me a much lighter crunch, almost like tempura. I still keep a bottle of cheap beer around for when I'm feeling nostalgic though.
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evan_burns9517d ago
Hard disagree man. Beer batter gives way more flavor depth than plain baking powder. Baking powder just makes em puff up but you lose that yeasty richness. Plus the alcohol helps with browning. Different strokes I guess but I'll take my dad's recipe over that every time.
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sam_murphy3917d ago
Man you know what, I used to be team beer batter all the way. My uncle would make these onion rings with a stout and I thought you couldn't beat that flavor. But after reading this and thinking about it, I gotta admit you might be onto something. I tried the baking powder with club soda last weekend and the crunch was way better, didn't have that heavy greasy feel. Still miss the yeasty taste a little though, maybe I'll try mixing a tiny splash of beer into the seltzer next time to get the best of both worlds.
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