Deep-fried foods can be more diverse than you think.
Although deep-frying foods isn’t the healthiest way of cooking things, it can be one of the tastiest. When most people think of deep-frying, they typically think of french fries and breaded meats, but there are plenty of other foods that can be deep-fried. Texas culinary arts students should take some time to experiment with deep-frying a number of different foods. A trip to the State Fair of Texas will probably give you plenty of ideas as to what can be fried. The State Fair of Texas is notorious for frying everything from sticks of butter to Oreo cookies. You can try your hand at deep-frying any of these unusual foods at home:
Insects
While not normally eaten in the U.S., insects are culinary delicacies in certain parts of the world. You can boil them, bake them or even deep-fry them. Common insects for eating include, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, silk worms, meal worms, scorpions and spiders, but there are several other types of insects that can be eaten like mayflies, beetles, and even cockroaches. Most people are turned off by the look of cooked insects, but you can hide insects’ unsightly appearance by dipping them in breading or batter before you deep-fry them.
Beer
Yes, you can deep-fry beer. Deep-fried beer is made by making ravioli-type pouches out of pretzel dough and then filling the pouches with beer. While a little labor intensive, you’ll likely not find a better way to “eat” beer. You get a shot of beer with every breaded bite, and you can use more beer to wash it down. Any kind of beer will do, so stop by your local brewery and pick up a six pack before heading over to the grocery store for your pretzel dough ingredients.
Lasagna
Deep-fried lasagna is exactly what it sounds like: sections of delicious lasagna that are dipped in breading and deep-fried to perfection. Because you have to prepare, bake and then deep-fry this dish, it can take some time before you get to eat anything. The baking portion of the cooking process will probably take the most time. However, all you need to do is deep-fry sections of lasagna for a few minutes or until the breading is fully cooked and a little crispy. Make sure you cut the sections of lasagna small, as the breading will add to the overall size of the piece. You can always serve a few pieces at a time.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
The sandwich that your mother used to send you to school with can be made a whole lot better by deep-frying it. All you have to do is dip the sandwich in some breading and let it cook for a few minutes. The peanut butter melts, so have a few napkins handy when you bite into it. If you want, you can add bananas, bacon or jalapenos (or all three) to the sandwich to switch things up. A denser, thicker bread typically works better for deep frying, so get some thick-cut Texas toast before trying this recipe.
