So usually we fry (well, Billy does) when we are at a loss for what else to eat. Tonight was no exception. We didn't have anything that we really felt like getting involved with cooking, and its hot, and we really didnt want to heat up the house. So, fry it is.
Billy is a great fryer, number one. I can never tell exactly when things are done, and its just my thing. Baking, sure. Creativity? Sure. Frying? Not so much. We bought a fryer when we first moved in together, because we wanted fried calamari. That lasted the last 2 years, until we saw the granddaddy of all fryers on HSN. I like HSN, and I love watching the kitchen segments. Just cool stuff that I can add to the kitchen collection, or as one of my best friends calls it, kitchen porn. You will see me refer to it as that a lot.
Anyway, I digress. What makes this fryer so amazing is that it drains the oil automatically after use, into a sealed container for later use. This is huge, because it means the fryer is ALWAYS clean, and the oil lasts longer. Plus, you can fry things like twinkies the next time you fry after you fry fish. Anyway, you should check it out. Its not cheap, but it is awesome. This is the one we have, which is the smaller version (they have a larger one which holds 2.65lbs of food, but we didn't need a bohemoth). I also want to mention that I love Emeril. Not as big a fan as I was, but he has some great stuff. He may be a topic later!
http://kitchen-dining.hsn.com/emeril-stainless-steel-1200-watt-fryer-with-oil-filtration-system-by-t-fal_p-6357521_xp.aspx?webm_id=0&web_id=6357521&sf=qc&attr=4388&ocm=qc|4388&prev=hp!4388&ccm=qc|4388
Anyway, back to the food. Tonights menu consists of fried calamari, chicken nuggets, and tater tots. Now, fried calamari in my house is done with sliced hot cherry peppers, some kind of seasoning (tonight was cajun) and dipped in ranch. Delicious. The nuggets were to supplement the and of course, to give the kid, Allie, the anti fish eater, something to eat. The tator tots were to add some additional crunch. Normally, we would have some kind of veggie too, but Allie and I both had veggies at lunch, and we just didnt want to cook anything else. So, don't shoot me on this one for no veggies!
So a little history lesson about me and calamari. When I was probably 9 or so, my parents were both in a fashion show at our country club in Woodbridge. My mother ages extremely well (god I hope I do too), and I was wandering around, trying food. Anyway, I came across calamari in a tent, and asked the chef manning the tent what it was. I asked if it was some kind of shrimp. He said yes. So I bounced back to my table and started eating what I thought was shrimp (which was good, btw), and my father came over. He asked what I was eating, and I explained that it was calamari, which the guy told me was shrimp. My father started to laugh, and I asked why. (yes, I do remember this clear as day). He made me eat the whole plate, at which point he informed me it was squid. I will never forget me running to the trash can, trying to wipe my mouth out....AND, running over to the chef and telling him he was mean for telling me it was shrimp. He laughed at me, and said he was sorry. LOL. :-) Anyway, I swore it off until I met Billy, and I realized that it was ok for me to eat weird things, as long as I liked them. And, squid now is more mainframe then it was then. However, I still will not eat squid unless it is fried. I'm not a fan of the rubbery texture. Billy's is NEVER rubbery. He really should market it. Anyway, back to tonight. Just thought I would share about my experience previously with calamari.
Billy said I cannot share his method for frying, and as stated earlier, I do not fry well. So, I can only show you the picture of the finished product, and say yummmo. Allie dunks in ketchup. Our nuggets and tator tots were dunked in barbeque sauce and ranch. Calamari, as stated previously, was dunked in ranch. I also made a strawberry alcoholic beverage on the side, with tequila, strawberry daquiri mix, ice, and berry punch. I made a virgin one for Billy's mom, so she could enjoy too. Unfortunetly, I didnt finish the whole drink, and as I sit here, there is still a few swallows left. I might have to finish it, just to not waste perfectly good alcohol.
LOL.
I will never bake tater tots ever again. These little pieces of chunked potatoes (I used Ore-Ida, because they were on sale at Stop and Shop last week), are PHENOMENAL fried, especially with salt on them right out of the fryer. We also liberally sprinkled ours with cajun seasoning, to tie them together with the calamari. You simply do not get the same crunch and texture off of the tator tots if baked as you do if they are fried. If you bake yours, you are missing out, in my humble opinion. I'm assuming that the same will now be said for all french fries and sweet potato fries (MY FAVORITE) because baking just doesn't do them justice.
Anyway, I have to go eat now, because while I"ve been typing, I"ve been nibbling, but I got salt on my mouse touch pad on my laptop. I will leave you with a picture of our delicious dinner.....
