How to Deep Fry Strawberries and Other Foods

Once upon a time, I was obsessed with deep-frying anything I could find in the refrigerator or cupboards. It had started out with deep-fried French toast, and vegetables with tempura batter. Next came ice cream, pickles, and Oreo cookies. When I decided to deep-fry my favorite food in the entire world, strawberries, I created this recipe. The outside batter gets crispy when deep-fried, and the strawberries inside are warm and soft.

I use a deep fryer that heats the oil to an exact temperature. You can use a tall pan and a thermometer, but be careful. It's a lot cheaper to buy a deep fryer than it is to rebuild your kitchen from an oil fire. They also come with little baskets and spoons that make frying things easier. You can find them in department stores priced between $20 and $200.

Deep-Fried Strawberry Shortcake Puffs

What you need:

About 1 quart fresh strawberries

1 cup flour

1 tbs. sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

3 tbs. shortening

1 cup milk

powdered sugar(optional)

melted chocolate(optional)

Heat oil to 400 degrees.

Remove the tops of the strawberries, and slice the strawberries in half. Larger strawberries should be cut into three or more pieces. Smaller strawberries could be left whole. Measure flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Cut in shortening thoroughly. Stir in milk until just blended. Coat strawberry pieces in mixture and place in hot oil a few at a time. Cook until brown on all sides. Remove from oil and let cool on paper towel.

Optional toppings: Sprinkle powdered sugar over cooked strawberries and/or drizzle with melted chocolate.

A little something extra

While you've got the oil heated why not make another simple snack? Take a can of Pillsbury biscuits(who can resist the doughboy?), some sliced pepperoni, and some brick cheese of your choice. Cut each uncooked biscuit into four small pieces. Flatten the pieces one at a time with your hands. In the middle of the piece, place a small square of cheese and couple pieces of pepperoni. Wrap the dough around the cheese and pepperoni so you have a ball. Place the balls in the heated oil. Cook until all sides are brown. Remove and cool on paper towel. You can use pizza sauce to dip them in, if you like.

Still want to deep-fry more food?

You can use the batter provided for the strawberries to deep-fry any fruit or dessert-like food. Oreos, for example, or any of your favorite cookies. Go ahead and deep fry pound cake and drizzle it with chocolate. Deep-fried peaches are amazing! Use fresh peaches and cut them into thick slices, but not too thick, because you want them to heat through while cooking.

For foods like pickles(yes, pickles) and other vegetables, use a tempura batter. You can make it from scratch or buy a mix in the grocery stores. It's also great for deep-frying boneless chicken pieces for dipping in Sweet and Sour sauce.

What about the French toast?

Deep-fried French toast is simple, and one of my family's favorite breakfast foods. Use a loaf of bread from the bakery, Italian or French. Cut the loaf into some nice, thick slices. Dip the slices into the batter, and place them in the heated oil. Only do a couple at time. Flip them over after a couple minutes to cook the other side. Then remove and place on a paper towel.

Serve them sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup. Or make a fruit sauce using fresh fruit(strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc.). Slice the fruit into a bowl and coat them with a bunch of sugar. The more sugar you use, the sweeter the fruit will be, and the thicker the juice. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator overnight. By morning, you will have a delicious topping for your French toast.

Here's my batter recipe:

½ tsp. salt

1 cup flour

cinnamon(as much or as little as you like)

nutmeg(as much or as little as you like)

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Mix the dry ingredients together first, and then the wet. Mix thoroughly. This usually makes enough for 8-10 thick slices.

Happy frying!