Corn Fritters

By David J. Stewart

       This is a tasty, classic recipe (especially in the south)...

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cus self-rising cornmeal mix

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup milk

• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

• 1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained

• Vegetable oil, for frying (I prefer corn oil)

Directions:

Heat frying oil under medium flame (325 degrees). In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal mix, flour, sugar, and salt. In a small bowl, combine milk and eggs. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture, stirring well. Stir in butter and corn.

Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a Dutch oven, or use a deep-fryer. Drop by tablespoons into hot oil. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, or until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy!
 

Deep Frying Foods

The helpful cooking tool pictured below is called a Bamboo Skimmer or Strainer (it's sometimes referred to as a “spider”). I got mine from Amazon.com and it is great for scooping food out of a deep-dryer (or I use metal tongs). It's best to use a deep-fry or candy thermometer (which you place into the hot oil to measure). Oil temperature is important. Too low and you'll have greasy food; too high and you'll have burned food.

Never put a lid on your pot, because it may cause the oil to bubble up and out. Deep-frying doesn't require a lid. Also, if the food is frozen, be very careful when adding to hot oil. The ice is water and may cause the oil to splatter on you. It's best to allow frozen foods to thaw at least partially before deep-frying.

A Dutch oven is a thick pot (either all metal or coated on the inside), which is perfect for deep-frying on your stove-top. With a deep-fry thermometer you can make some of your favorite foods.

I always use corn oil. Although there is much speculation concerning the safety of Canola oil, I've never used it simply because there's no such thing as a Canola plant. Some people claim that there is, but it's not true. Researchers naturally modified the rapeseed plant in the 1970's in Canada, which they termed the Canola plant (but it's still basically a rapeseed plant). Rapeseed oil was used for many decades as a popular industrial lubricant (machine oil). The fact that “Canola” means “CANadian Oil, Low Acid) is reason enough for me not to touch the stuff or use it. It's unsettling. I'll take Corn oil any day. There no debate over “corn oil.”

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