The Hawthornes' New Toy.

Mr. Hawthorne received a complimentary issue

of Food and Wine magazine 

and I found an article in it about

"The next chef tool to try" 

and "How to Make the Crispiest Onion Rings."

I mentioned this to Mr. Hawthorne

and he immediately took offense.

"What's the matter with my onion rings??!!??"

Nothing, really, Mr. Hawthorne,

but if there's a way to fry lighter,

more delicately, and crispier,

then I'm all for it.

And once he read the article ...

...  we ended up with this.

What is this?

It's a siphon -

a handheld device with a canister

charged with pressurized gas - nitrous oxide.

The siphon allows you to take heavy things

and make them lighter.

The article went on to offer several recipes,

including a light batter for onion rings and a bleu cheese foam,

which I'm looking forward to trying next.

Today, Mr. Hawthorne and I are making siphon-battered 

onion rings, mushrooms, and green beans.

Batter for Onion Rings, Mushrooms, and Green Beans

 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

12 ounces beer

1 tsp Kosher salt

hot paprika

Mix dry ingredients together,

add beer, and whisk until batter is smooth.

Instructions said to strain the batter.

Which I did.

 Pour into the canister of a 1-pint

iSi Gourmet Whip Plus siphon.

 

Seal the siphon and charge it with one

iSi cream N₂O cartridge.

Shake the siphon upside down to distribute the gas.

Repeat with a second cartridge.

Slice mushrooms, green beans, and onions.

Dredge the vegetables in a cup of flour,

shaking off the excess.

 Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°.

Holding the siphon upside down,

press the handle to dispense enough batter

to coat the onion rings, beans, and mushrooms.

Working in batches,

lift the coated vegetables out of the batter,

allowing any excess to drip back in.

Fry until golden brown and puffy.

Drain on paper towels.

And enjoy some of the lightest onion rings

you've ever tasted.

If you've never fried green beans,

please correct that situation.

Never fried a mushroom?

What a sheltered life!

This is fun.

I'm looking forward to see what I can do with our new toy.