Fried and True: Crispy and Delicious Dishes from Appetizers to Desserts
By Rick Rodgers
Let's admit it. Deep down, everybody loves deep-fried food.
From Publishers Weekly
In this decade, the no-fun '90s, it takes guts to publish a cookbook of deep-fried dishes. Rodgers (author of Simply Shrimp and On Rice) doesn't waste time on wimpy panfrying; instead, he gives us the greasy, crunchy foods we crave. The best chapter focuses on appetizers and snacks. Saratoga Potato Chips with Caramelized Shallot Dip, Little Meatballs with Salsa Verde and Rice Crisps with Peanut-Lime Dipping Sauce are wonderful precisely because they are meant to be served in small quantities. Entrees, on the other hand, approach overkill. Rodgers provides three recipes for fried chicken as well as directions for Two-Tone Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip and Chicken Kiev. Clever ideas abound but often require a lot of work: Mozzarella Cubes on Spaghetti Sticks with Pizzaola Sauce are served on fried pieces of raw spaghetti. Deep-Fried Cornish Game Hens seem more like a gimmick than the best way to treat a bird. Amid all the recipes, the simplest dishes stand out: Classic Belgian French Fries hit the oil twice for extra crispiness and Orchard Buttermilk Doughnuts are treated to a simple glaze of apple juice and sugar.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
The secret to creating what is possibly the world's most fabulous finger food is right here in...'Fried and True: Crispy and Delicious Dishes from Appetizers to Desserts' by Rick Rodgers. -- Glamour
About the Author
Rick Rodgers is a well-known cookbook author, cooking teacher, and radio and television guest chef. He is the author of several cookbooks, and his recipes have been featured in such publications as Food & Wine and Woman's Day. He lives in New Jersey.
Christopher Hirsheimer is an executive editor at Saveur . Her photographs have appeared in many books and magazines, including Asian Noodles and Saveur Cooks Authentic American . She lives in Pennsylvania.
Great cooking the way it used to be.
OK, so all of us have steered ourselves away from fried foods & towards poached chicken breasts (skinless, of course) and steamed vegetables. How about just a little taste of good eating from the past? No one is recommending a return to deep-fried foods as an everyday meal, but the taste treats in this book are just too good to ignore!
Rodgers' chatty writing style and well-tested recipes combine to provide accurate and easy-to-follow instructions. Since working with a deep fryer is something that many us have not done in years (if EVER!), he provides detailed background info on the types of equipment available, different varieties of oil & shortenings, and many good tips to avoid excess greasiness and off-tastes in cooked foods. Appetizers, entrees, and desserts are all covered, with great photos of completed items.
Some of the recipes are incredibly simple, such as the Cornish game hens (hens, oil, lemon, salt, pepper) and can be prepared in under 15 minutes. Others are a little more involved, but well worth it (the apple fritters, with just a light dusting of powdered sugar, are fantastic). There's even a foolproof recipe for doughnuts with a cider glaze--great for weekend mornings!
I have to say it again--I'm not going to be cooking deep fried foods every day, but when I want to prepare something just a little bit special, this is a book that I will turn to time after time.
