Beer Battered Onion Rings

Do you prefer to dine out, or eat at home?

There was a time when I loved to go out a few times a week, but frankly compared to the San Francisco Bay Area, there are precious few restaurants worth the trip to town here, which is about 13 miles away.

I actually enjoy staying home, here in the (usually) peaceful countryside,

cooking something delicious.

Last night was no exception ~ and I had a craving.

No, not the blue cheese bacon burger...

I was craving ONION RINGS!

The craving doesn't happen often, maybe two times a year ~

and yesterday was one of those days.

I would have been happy just to have had onion rings for dinner, but my conscience wouldn't let me ~ hence the sirloin burger (made from the local organically raised & hormone-free beef .)

In an attempt to ease guilt with this not-so-healthy meal, I included a handful of fresh blackberries from the vines, and red cabbage to include some antioxidants. :) hahaha

Since everyone knows how to make their favorite burger, we'll skip that and head right to my favorite ~ The Onion Rings.

They couldn't be simpler to make, and this batter produces a crispy, crunching coating that shatters when you bite into it ~ a bit more substantial than tempura batter.

The other plus is that it's so easy to stir up, and is fantastic for almost anything fried ~ fish, shrimp, veggies, etc.

Here is all you'll need to make the batter ~

Equal parts cold beer and flour (I use 8 to 10 ounces of beer to 1 level cup all-purpose flour), about 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch or two of salt. After you whisk it you can determine if you need another splash of beer to thin the batter a bit. It's better to start out thick, you can always thin it out, but you cannot go wrong with this recipe. Additional beer can be stirred in at any time if the batter begins to become too thick.

Onion Rings

Tip: Something I learned from a soul food restaurant cook; use chopsticks to handle the rings. Not your GOOD chopsticks. I just use the ones my local Sushi restaurant provides when I order to go. Use one for the rings in the batter, and one for the rings in the oil.


For such a small amount of frying I just use a little portable deep fryer (Fry Daddy in this case), and I always use canola oil for the beer batter preparation.


Preheat oven to 275-degrees (F)

Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet with a shallow rim. (Quarter-sheet pan is perfect.)

I slice the onions fairly thick (about 1/2 -inch to 3/4-inch), separate into rings. I slice the onions first, then whisk up the batter (put it in the fridge to keep it cold if there is any delay in using it, but it's best used within 20 to 30 minutes.)


Heat the oil, dip a couple of rings into the batter, submerging completely, lift and drain one at a time to allow the excess batter to run off. Carefully place them one at a time into the hot oil; don't crowd. Allow them to cook for a few moments, then turn them over with the other chopstick , you can turn them over and over to assure even frying. When they appear golden, and cooked to your liking, lift from the oil by placing the chopstick through the onion ring and allowing any excess oil to drain back into the pot, then place on the rack in the pan & place in the oven to hold until all are fried.

Sprinkle with salt if you like ~ I don't add extra.

You can eat them immediately, but the trick to crispy onion rings is to allow them to stay in the 275* oven for an additional 10 to 20 minutes to further crisp the coating.
(Watch them to make sure they don't begin to over bake, since ovens vary.)

Ummm ~ are they EVER good! :)

If you make them, I hope you like them as much as I do.

But back to the original question~

Do prefer to stay in, or go out to eat?

Do you have a favorite meal? Care to share?

I'd love to hear your opinions. :)