# Fries or Rings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 5, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989 "2012-11-05T18:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/21 "2012-11-05T19:39:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, that’s part of the OP, isn’t it? Your ideal fry vs. your ideal onion ring. Then **bup** has it down. Even the ideal onion ring pales after a few, whereas I could eat fries for weeks, non-stop. Mmmmmm…The Hat’s fries. Or cheese fries. Or chili-cheese fries. Or pastrami chili-cheese fries. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/22 "2012-11-05T19:45:26Z")
I love onions, but am tired of onion rings after just one or two. Fries, easily. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/23 "2012-11-05T19:50:21Z")
Tempura onion rings beat fries hands down. As do the other tempura things that you get with a tempura order. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/24 "2012-11-05T19:51:52Z")
Rings but that’s only if you get enough. Often when you substitute rings for fries you get a lot less- like maybe four rings vs. a plate full of fries. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/25 "2012-11-05T19:57:46Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Rings but that’s only if you get enough. Often when you substitute rings for fries you get a lot less- like maybe four rings vs. a plate full of fries. Too true, and that’s even after an up-charge! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/26 "2012-11-05T20:04:23Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Rings but that’s only if you get enough. Often when you substitute rings for fries you get a lot less- like maybe four rings vs. a plate full of fries. The only thing good about the good ol’ days was a $2 basket of rings or fries that was enormous. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/27 "2012-11-05T20:11:40Z")
I love them both. Sometimes, I will order one with a side order of the other. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/28 "2012-11-05T20:12:10Z")
I choose rings but that’s because finding good ones is a difficult quest and the OP stated that these were perfect. I couldn’t eat them every day though and much as I love fries I don’t think I could eat those everyday either but definitely more often than rings. I now have a rather intense craving for rings… and fries. I have got to stop reading this forum. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/29 "2012-11-05T20:20:35Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Even the ideal onion ring pales after a few, whereas I could eat fries for weeks, non-stop. This is so wrong. The IDEAL Onion Ring is vastly superior to the ideal fry that it’s not even worth comparing. And rare as all hell as well. The problem with onion rings, as so many people have said on this thread, is that they are just about always sub-par. It’s much easier to find decent fries than it is to find decent onion rings. Really, though, absolutely ideal fries or rings are nigh-on impossible to find. I’ve taken to ordering them at high-end restaurants simply because they’re so goddamn good and so hard to find that I don’t mind spending $20 on a side of fries or rings. Now I want onion rings. Damn you! ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/30 "2012-11-05T20:28:49Z")
Rings. It’s weird, I hate onions in literally every other application where they can be tasted. But I love onion rings. (And I dunno where y’all live that it’s easier to find good fries than good rings. Most of the fries around here are pretty undercooked.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/31 "2012-11-05T21:19:22Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Then **bup** has it down. > > Even the ideal onion ring pales after a few, whereas I could eat fries for weeks, non-stop. > > Mmmmmm…The Hat’s fries. Or cheese fries. Or chili-cheese fries. Or pastrami chili-cheese fries. After further consideration, I have to say, you may have a point. Fries definitely are more versatile and something I could see myself eating every day if I had no regard for my waistline. I personally don’t find great fries that hard to find, but it seems everyone has a different definition of what a great fry is. For me, it’s double fried, skin on, creamy on the inside, crisp but not crunchy on the outside. in comparison with a McDonald’s fry, my ideal fry is a bit thicker, a bit less crispy, and skin-on. Also, I’d have to say, slightly greasier. But, mainly, they are potato-y. They taste like potato they are made from. ETA: Actually, Five Guys fries are pretty close to my ideal, but I like mine slightly more greasy, if that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/32 "2012-11-05T21:31:13Z")
[The ultimate fries expression](http://ohsofat.blogspot.com/2009/02/hat-pastrami-chili-fries-and-double.html) (yes, they are really there, under everything else. Rings would perish.) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/33 "2012-11-05T21:51:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > ETA: Actually, Five Guys fries are pretty close to my ideal, but I like mine slightly more greasy, if that makes sense. I’m not sure that’s possible. Their fries are pretty good, and you can’t argue with the portions. I love their generosity, but they give you what I could only describe as a _ridiculous_ amount of fries; I’ve never seen them not do the “fill the cup, drop it in the bag, then top off with another scoop.” No matter how many people I’m there with, a single order of fries is good for all of us, usually with some left over going in the trash. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/34 "2012-11-05T22:01:42Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > [The ultimate fries expression](http://ohsofat.blogspot.com/2009/02/hat-pastrami-chili-fries-and-double.html) (yes, they are really there, under everything else. Rings would perish.) That needs jalepenos - _then_ you’d have a good argument. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/35 "2012-11-05T22:09:43Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m not sure that’s possible. Their fries are pretty good, and you can’t argue with the portions. I love their generosity, but they give you what I could only describe as a _ridiculous_ amount of fries; I’ve never seen them not do the “fill the cup, drop it in the bag, then top off with another scoop.” No matter how many people I’m there with, a single order of fries is good for all of us, usually with some left over going in the trash. Yes, their serving of fries is appropriate for about 3 or 4 people, not one. I actually don’t order fries at Five Guys for that reason. I don’t like wasting food, and it’s usually just me or me and my five there. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/36 "2012-11-05T22:14:56Z")
What others have said. Great onion rings are better than great fries. But onion rings are rarely great and average fries are better than average onion rings. So I’d order fries by default unless I knew the onion rings were great. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/37 "2012-11-05T22:27:17Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > There’s always gotta be an outlier. Ha, well, I do love fries. I could eat nothing but chocolate and fries till the end of my days, but when given a choice, I prefer tater tots. Btw, the best fries in Chicago are to be found, IMO, at Bop’n’Grill. The regular fries, not the kimchee fries (I’ve never tried them). Luckily they closed their location on Church at Dodge in Evanston, because it was on my way home and I am trying to stay away from carbs. Oh my god they’re amazing! I only like the batter (see Jack Batty’s post) with onion rings. I’d open one up, take out the onion, then eat the crust. I like raw onions, but not cooked. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/38 "2012-11-05T22:35:46Z")
I’m with the crowd. Who do I have to fuck around here to get a decent onion ring? If I walk into a random place, I’m going with the fries on the assumption that the onion rings will be a pile of suck. If, however, onion rings are done well (and I cannot stress enough how infrequently they are, almost to the point I begin to wonder if my memories of decent rings were just a dream), they are truly glorious. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/39 "2012-11-05T22:43:39Z")
Fries. I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried onion rings, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989/40 "2012-11-05T22:44:12Z")
Slightly off topic but ya know what I miss? Those onion loafs like [this one](http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbnid=-DulOXrg0Mz2LM:&imgrefurl=http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/m268260-p2-print.aspx&docid=e8DRVZclOxIHoM&imgurl=http://www.hackneys.net/typo3temp/pics/16ef9fac76.jpg&w=388&h=445&ei=hUCYUPvMIcaIygHQroHwCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=846&vpy=241&dur=2850&hovh=240&hovw=210&tx=107&ty=121&sig=115918821702932114469&page=1&tbnh=144&tbnw=124&start=0&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:20,i:149&biw=1600&bih=736). In the good old day’s every steak house and really good burger joint used to have these. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fries-or-rings/639989.md?page=3)