Rather than hijack the "Brats" thread....
This hopefully answers the beer batter question.
Beer Batter
1 12 oz can of beer
2 1/2 Cups of sifted flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of white powder
Combine all ingredients in a large bown and beat with a whisk until well mixed and frothy (no lumps).
Dip what you are frying in the batter, covering all sides. Fry in hot oil (about 350 F).
For things like mushrooms, 3 minutes 30 seconds is perfect.
Depending on what kind of fish...it might take up to 4:30 seconds.
You wouldn't want to fry cheese stuffed jalepenos more than 3 minutes, and cheese curds for any more than 2 minutes & 30 seconds.
If you don't have a large Fry Daddy and you fry a lot...it's worth the investment because of the saftey features, and I'll show you why.
You CAN deep fry in a LARGE, high -sided pot. I do it all the time. But here's the problem...oil at over 350 degrees is a nasty thing to work with if you aren't used to it. If it starts to boil over and the hot oil hits the flame or red-hot burners, you are going to have a flash fire, and more than likely the next visitors to your house are going to be numerous red fire trucks.
BTW: this might be the best recipie to try, it's from Emeril Lagasse:
Beer Battered Fish with Twice-fried Vinegar Chips and Basil Mayonnaise
Ingredients
1 cup Basil Mayonnaise
1 12-ounce can of beer
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Emeril's Creole Seasoning
4 whitefish fillets (5 ounces each), such as scrod, haddock, grouper, or catfish
6 cups Twice-Fried Vinegar Chips
10 cups vegetables oil (omit if you make the chips
use the same oil)
Instructions
Prepare the Basil Mayonnaise, and refrigerate.
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Make a beer batter by combining the beer, eggs, 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the baking powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Beat with a whisk until thick, frothy, and thoroughly blended.
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In a bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup flour with 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning. Dust each fillet with 1/2 teaspoon Creole Seasoning, and cut each fillet in half across. Dredge each half in the seasoned flour.
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Prepare the Twice-Fried Vinegar Chips through Step1 only. Reheat the oil to 375?F.
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While the potatoes are cooling, dip each piece of fish into the beer batter, covering it completely. Shake off the excess batter and place the fish in the hot oil. (Make sure the oil is very hot or the fish will sink and stick to the bottom.) Fry in two batches, turning the fish once or twice, until puffed and crispy and golden brown, for about 4 to 5 minutes.
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Remove the fish with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels. Place the fish in a slow over (200?F) and keep warm while preparing Step 2 of the Twice-Fried Vinegar Chips. Remove the Basil Mayonnaise from the refrigerator.
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To serve, place 2 fish fillet halves on each of 4 dinner plates, add 1 1/2 cups of the Vinegar Chips and 1/4 cup of the Basil Mayonnaise.
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Yield: 4 main-course servings
Emerils Vinegar Chips
Ingredients
8 to 10 cups vegetable oil
6 cups very thinly sliced unpeeled red potatoes
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil is very hot (375ºF), add the potatoes slowly, separating the slices with a spoon, and fry for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350ºF, or medium, and fry for 3 minutes, stirring to keep the slices separated and frying evenly. Remove the slices to a basket and shake the excess oil back into the pot and turn off the heat. Spread the potato slices on a baking sheet and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to high under the oil. When the oil is very hot (375ºF), add the potatoes and fry for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to 350ºF, or medium, and fry until crisp and golden brown, for about 6 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with the vinegar and salt and serve.
Yield: 6 cups
Basil Mayonnaise
Ingredients
1 large egg
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 teaspoon salt
8 turns freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
Instructions
Combine the egg, lemon juice, basil, green onions, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender and purée for 15 seconds. While the processor is running, slowly steam in the oil.
When all of the oil has been added, turn off the machine and scrape down the sides and cover. Process again until the mixture becomes a thick mayonnaise. Remove the mayonnaise to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Use within 24 hours.
Yield: 1 cup
Emerils Creole Seasoning
Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried leaf thyme
I gurantee that if you make that for your family or friends...they will accuse you that it was "take out".
Good luck...COOK SAFE!
ROX
