# Bruce's Blooming Onion! or I'll take culinary disasters for $100, Alex.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 25, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219 "2003-06-25T03:56:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/21 "2003-06-25T21:27:39Z")
hee hee hee hee pliers …heee
dont forget to put 911 on speed dial 😃
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### Author:  [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/22 "2003-06-25T21:44:51Z")
If you dont have a real fryer, I suggest a huge dutch oven Heavy, hard to knock over, and tough.
Remember also that while having more oil may seem wasteful, it’s better for the flavor, temperature control, cooking time, and almost everything. And you can always reuse oil if you are careful (though I HATE washing things that have had hot oil in them). Of course, if you’re just going to set the oil on fire again, less is better. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/23 "2003-06-25T23:36:21Z")
Well, kind of.
Things went much better this time. I just kept dropping little bits of onion in the pot until they started frying. Then I picked up the onion, dripping with batter, with 2 spoons and slowly lowered it. No explosions, no flying oil. I left it in for a few minutes and then just drained it out and dumped it on a plate. The only bad part is that none of the batter stayed on, so I’m basically dipping a fried onion in **Ken’s Creamy Tomato Bacon dressing**. Hell, I suspect matches would taste good dipped in this stuff.
Thanks for the advice again. Now what’s that flaming cherries dish? 😃
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### Author:  [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/24 "2003-06-25T23:47:45Z")
**Bruce\_Daddy** , you need to invest in a [Fry Daddy](http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/601-7154255-1024908?asin=B000063SML) once you [win the jackpot](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=193395). 😉
PS
> [@](#):
>
> and the only thermometer I have is anal.
:eek:
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### Author:  [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/25 "2003-06-25T23:59:31Z")
I don’t know if there’s such a thing as an oil thermometer, but I use a _candy_ thermometer when I deep fat fry. It comes with a clip so that you can fasten it to the side of the pot. Allow yourself plenty of time, use a larger pot than you think you’ll need and don’t wear long sleeves that can fall into the oil.
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### Author:  [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/26 "2003-06-26T00:06:22Z")
Congratulations **Bruce\_Daddy**!!! Kudos on you fried Onion adventure. Sorry it didnt turn out quite the way you expected but at least no repeats of the freaked out cat episode.
Try this next time. Prepare the onion ring batter and set aside. Cut the onion the bloomin way, make sure its pretty dry then dredge it in flour. Basically toss flour into the thing until its kinda coated on every exposed surface. Get the oil hot just like the way you perfectly did it before 🙂 then when the oil is hot enuf, dip the onion into the prepared batter, lift it out, let the excess batter drip into the bowl and carefully transfer into the oil. This may help the batter stick to it better. Good luck.
You might want to go to [www.foodtv.com](http://www.foodtv.com) and get some easy recipes for beer batter onion rings. yuummmy.
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### Author:  [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/27 "2003-06-26T02:38:19Z")
[Pssst…](http://www.ivillage.com/food/recipefinder/recipe/0,13485,425846,00.html) 😉
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### Author:  [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/28 "2003-06-26T03:23:10Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Amanita \*
> \*\*:eek: For gods sake, don’t mess with cooking anything that involves hot oil if you’ve even had a few beers, let alone if you’re drunk. I’ve personally known at least two people who started house fires in this manner. (Granted, I may meet more than the statistical norm of people who’ve set their houses on fire given my years in AA, but still.) \*\*
Damn, I’d starve!
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### Author:  [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2003, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/29 "2003-06-26T09:56:58Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by El Marko \*
> … fill the pot with water until the onion is entirely submerged. Mark the water level if you can or just remember about where it is. **Empty the pot and then put the oil in** …
[sup]BOLDING ADDED[/sup]
**DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!**
If you are going to use **El Marko** ’s method, BE SURE TO WIPE OUT THE POT UNTIL IT IS COMPLETELY DRY.
Residual moisture, especially a thin coating of it on the sides and bottom of the pan, can cause what is known as “bumping.” Oil will trap a film of water on the sides of the wet pan. It will reside there (not mixing with the oil at all) until the pot’s wall temperature finally reaches water’s vaporization point. At that point, it will tend to liberate ALL AT ONCE.
This will cause a massive bubble or upwelling of vapor pressure from the bottom of the pan, CAUSING THE OIL TO GUSH UP AND OVER THE SIDES OF THE PAN IN ONE HUGE GOUT.
If you think your last stove fire was spectacular, wait until double the amount of very hot oil hits the element all at once. The results can be devastating.
Just a before-bed warning from a fellow cooking enthusiast.
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### Author:  [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/30 "2003-06-26T14:10:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Zenster \*
> \*\*[sup]BOLDING ADDED[/sup]
>
> **DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!**
>
> If you think your last stove fire was spectacular, wait until double the amount of very hot oil hits the element all at once. The results can be devastating.
> \*\*
This is going to be a fun weekend. 😃
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### Author:  [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruces-blooming-onion-or-ill-take-culinary-disasters-for-100-alex/184219/31 "2003-06-26T15:40:22Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \*
> \*\*Say what now? Is that an infamous story I’ve missed or a personal experience? \*\*
It’s a personal experience. Not as violently funny as yours by any means, just one of those that you remember with a grimace years later.
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