Random Tater Pic(s) of the Day #166

Not really potatoes, but still fun. These fried cinnamon apple rings come courtesy of Virgin Radio Toronto, via Marni on the Facebook.

The recipe: BATTER FRIED APPLE RINGS 1 c flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 2 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 c. milk 1 egg 4 lg. apples Sugar and cinnamon Sift dry ingredients. Add milk and egg, beating well. Peel and core apples. Slice into 1/4 inch rings. Dip rings in batter and fry in 1/2 inch hot shortening until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Enjoy.

French Fry Diary 427: Alexia Multi Grain Onion Rings

This kinda goes against the grain, doesn't it? But I'm open-minded. When I saw these Multi Grain Onion Rings from Alexia, whose other products, especially their onion rings, are great... I picked them right up. I can do healthy, and bonus, no transfats.

The package promises crispy golden onions with hearty grain breading. The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag was that they looked different from the regular Alexia o-rings, darker color breading with specks, almost weirdly polka-dotted. Still, I was down and popped them in the oven. There were no deep fryer directions, and honestly I'm pretty sure if they were deep fried, I think that breading would burn. So baking it was.

Now I have to say they are good, well, maybe just okay. The onions are very good, they are those great Spanish onions that Alexia always uses. But the breading is very bland, and despite the baking directions, they did overlook a bit. If you like your rings very crunchy, these might be for you.

I dipped them in BBQ sauce, and the second batch I did a shake and bake deal with what was left in the bag and some BBQ seasoning. They were a little better. They definitely need something extra, and watch your cook time, but definitely worth a try.

French Fry Diary 374: Funyuns Onion Flavored Rings

I don't really like Funyuns, but I thought I did. When it comes to onion flavored snacks, Funyuns is the granddaddy of the onion flavored snacks. It would seem that it would also be the best, but I say no. What's funny is I've reviewed other onion flavored snacks, like those from Burger King and 7-Eleven, expecting them not to be as good as Funyuns, but it's not true.

First things first, it should noted that the only reason I'm writing this review is product placement and possible subliminal advertising. I had been watching "Breaking Bad," and prodded by the character Jesse Pinkman's predilection for Funyuns, I decided I needed to get some too. See, it does work.

It is also worth mentioning that Funyuns Onion Flavored Rings are just a lot of corn meal, vegetable oil, lots of chemicals, and just a touch of onion extract. Not much of an onion ring at all, is it? And they are very crunchy, which is the problem I have with them - I think they're too crunchy. But maybe that's just me, I do seem to be in the minority on this, so what do I know? I don't like these things, remember?

French Fry Diary 17: Funky Fries

Several years back, the fine folks at Ore-Ida sought to add a bit of pizzazz to the art and style of French fries. They had already had great success with adding color to the Heinz (who owns them) ketchups with new green and purple varieties. Working on the assumption that kids like their foods in fun colors, they made a similar jump with the favorite fried food – unfortunately it was disastrous.

Funky Fries made the scene in 2002 with five varieties, each with a different color, style and/or taste. They were as follows with my assessments of each:

Cinna-Stiks – While baking these cinnamon-covered crisper-style potatoes smelled wonderful (well, for those of us that are not allergic to cinnamon that is), and were rather tasty if overly sweet. Much like some of Jelly Belly’s most delicious flavors (like Buttered Popcorn and Bubble Gum) this was a flavor combination that just did not go well in this form. Too sweet and not edible unless in small portions, in the end these were more dessert than dinner.

Cocoa Crispers – Much like the ones above, while baking these chocolate French fries would fill your entire house with intoxicating smell of brownies. And as much as the thought of chocolate French fries sounds addictively delicious –and still might be if done right- these things tasted as bad as they smelled good. These crisper-style dark brown fries were one of those food items that would go into your mouth with a fork or fingers and come out in your napkin. Bleah.

Crunchy Rings – These were fun. I wouldn’t mind if these were revived. Imagine a tater tots with a hole drilled from the top through to the bottom. The Crunchy Rings were exactly what they sounded like they were and were quite tasty. In some cases I would prefer these over regular tater tots if cooked to the right golden brown-ness.

Kool Blue – Blue French fries. Wow. This was one that came directly from the market research folks who thought kids liked to eat and play with colorful food, and was probably designed for use with the various colored ketchups. These bluish-green crsipers tasted like regular fries, but come one, they’re blue, and as any potato person will tell you: a blue potato chip or French fry has usually gone bad. Don’t eat it. What were they thinking?

Sour Cream & Jive – Even though I’m not a sour cream guy, I still have to wonder why this didn’t work. It works for potato chips, and I know folks dip their fries in sour cream, so what happened? I have a theory about these crispers, it’s the same deal as the Cinna-Stiks and the Cocoa Crispers – this flavor combination feels unnatural in this form. And if the potato chip theory really held water, why aren’t there BBQ fries or vinegar fries? Sometimes you need the dip on the outside, not the inside.

For reasons that may seem fairly obvious, they didn’t last long. Even with some heavy marketing, the venture failed and kids were not charmed, nor were adults. I think Ore-Ida would like very much to forget these ever existed. Maybe someday it will be time for these bizarro French fries, but not yet... or ever...


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