Cook Corn Dogs in a Deep Fryer
Corn dog is breakfast food (sausage, fried dough – it’s all there!) And the best breakfast foods are those that can be prepared quickly and easily, even without caffeine. Frozen root dogs are almost like that . They heat up quickly in the microwave and are delicious in the oven, but the former makes the dough elastic and the latter takes too long to be quick and easy. I thought my little fryer was the perfect and elegant solution to my puzzle, but – for the first time in my life – I was wrong.
Right. After many months, I finally found frozen food – and a dog – that doesn’t work very well in a deep fryer. The frozen corn dogs that are thrown directly into the tiny convection oven are too frozen, at least in the middle, and the dough is too greasy. When faced with the hot, rushing wind of a deep fryer, the dough is too quickly fried on its own fat and the dog portion never gets a chance to warm up properly.
Have you ever nibbled on something that looks hot and delicious just to be given away by the interior? If you’re from the Hot Pocket generation, I know it does, and you know it sucks. You may also know that the dual device approach is the solution.
Historically, I’ve used both a microwave and an oven to keep frozen foods constantly hot on the inside and crispy on the outside. I also used a sous-vide circulator to prepare the annoying Hot Pocket. Both of these methods worked great, but they also added a significant amount of time. I think you understand what I’m getting at.
Frozen root dogs just aren’t suitable for a deep fat fryer. (If my first-person account isn’t enough to convince you, read the comments on this blog .) The device, however, is a great tool for completing them after a quick microwave blast. Much like the French bread pizza in my youth, corn dog cooked using this approach using multiple methods comes out constantly heated but with a good texture.
It is also a much faster cooking method than any of the recipes using a deep fryer alone. All you have to do is take your frozen corn dog, wrap it loosely in a paper towel, and microwave it at full power for a minute. While the microwave is on, preheat the deep fat fryer to 400 ℉. Then, when you hear the microwave sing a sweet song about your accomplishments, place the corn dog in the deep-fryer basket and cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on how dark you like the dough. Eat a corn dog (hopefully for breakfast) and then start your day.