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Making Corn Dogs For Your Family – Your Very Own Fair Food At Home
By Susanne Myers | January 31, 2010
Our family’s memories from the County Fair usually revolve around food. Once we step foot within those gates, we head straight to our favorite fair food, and that favorite food is corn dogs. There’s nothing better in our book!
Even though we have tried to recreate those fair food memories by buying pre-packaged corn dogs, it’s never quite the same. I don’t know if it’s the aromas or the taste, but regardless, the corn dogs you can get in the freezer section of the grocery store just don’t offer the same appeal. That is how we came to develop our own version of deep fried corn dogs made right in our kitchen.
Are corn dogs nutritionally balanced? Some might argue that eating a corn dog is really ingesting useless calories and fat. However, when you make corn dogs at home you can control the ingredients, making this treat something you can make more nutritious, and delicious.
First of all there’s the hot dog itself. Many years ago there was really only one or two hot dog brands to choose from, and they both had basically identical ingredients. Now when you walk up to the meat counter, you’ll see a full array of hot dogs to choose from that can boggle the mind. If you don’t eat beef or pork, there’s turkey or chicken. There are even vegetarian style hot dogs. You can even get hot dogs stuffed with cheese or made with beer. The choices are endless so choose the hot dog that best suits your tastes and dietary preferences. A hot dog can actually be nutritious nowadays!
You can make a lot of dietary adjustments in the coating, too. Use just the egg whites for the coating if you wish. Eliminate or cut back on the salt. Instead of using bleached flour you can substitute whole wheat flour. There are some pre-made corn dogs that even have sugar added, so you can certainly avoid adding more sugar to your diet by making your own corn dogs. Throw in some other spices for a little flavor surprise.
When you eat a corn dog at the fair, you don’t get to choose which oil they use or how many corn dogs were in the batch before yours. When you make them at home, you can make a healthier choice. Just be sure that you choose an oil that is suitable for high temperature cooking. Read the label of the oil before you decide. Many people deep fry using peanut oil, but there are other choices. Look at refined oils like sunflower or safflower, as well as corn oil or canola oil.
If you have a regular deep fryer, just be sure to check their directions. If you use a pot or skillet on the stove, you’ll need a reliable thermometer to check the oil. It should be about 375 degrees before you begin to fry the corn dogs. Fry a few corn dogs at a time being careful not to crowd the pot. If there are too many in the pot at one time, the oil will cool and the corn dogs will start to get soggy because they are just swimming in the oil instead of frying. Take the corn dogs out and let the oil drain off by putting them on absorbent paper spread over a cooling rack. Let the corn dogs cool a bit, then serve with ketchup, mustard, or your favorite sauce.
In the middle of winter when the County Fair is just a distant memory, you can recreate those warm, summer nights with a little “fair food.” Gather your goodies and get cooking those corn dogs! What a nice taste of summer!
If corn dogs are on your family’s favorite food list, you’ll want to check out the recipe. Lots of fun food for kids can be found to get you started creating tasty treats tonight!
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