The best haloumi recipe I know – Haloumi Fries! Think – French fries, but better. The outsides are crunchier (thanks panko!) and the insides are warm, salty haloumi cheese. Guaranteed crowd pleaser for a party or as a starter. Fry, bake or air-fry!

It started as a salad.

I found myself in a typical situation of having an excess stash of something (haloumi in this case) because it was steeply discounted and I couldn’t resist. Let’s make a gorgeous haloumi salad! I declared enthusiastically, channelling the virtuous side of me.

There were several iterations. And they were all delicious……but then someone had the genius idea to try haloumi fries and all of a sudden, the salads were long forgotten.

So yes, these haloumi fries evolved from salads. You can connect the dots, right? 😂

( I did share a haloumi salad recipe once – it’s here.)

Just briefly, on Haloumi Fries (& haloumi)

Named as such because they look like fries except made with haloumi, Haloumi Fries are not a new thing. They have been on the menu of Mediterranean and plenty of non-Mediterranean restaurants/bars/bistros for years, and there’s loads of recipes on the internet.

Haloumi is a cheese from Cyprus that’s firm, salty and briny. It’s a bit like Greek feta. However, feta crumbles whereas halloumi does not crumble as well, halloumi goes golden brown when pan fried whereas feta does not, and feta semi-melts when heated whereas halloumi does not. Which is why it’s ideal for making fries!

What you need for Haloumi Fries

Here’s what you need to make Haloumi Fries:

• Haloumi – or halloumi. A firm briny cheese from Cyrus, feels like Greek feta. Find it vac-packed in the cheese section. Has an excellent long shelf life so I stock up when discounted!

• Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most large grocery stores (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section but cheaper in Asian stores! Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.

• Spices – For seasoning the flour coating. Adds extra flavour. Not essential…but why skip it?? The Italian herbs is just the generic store bought pre-mix sold in every grocery store. I use it regularly in my recipes, like the One Pot Beef Pasta I shared recently!

• Egg and flour – The glue, to make the panko stick to the haloumi.

• Oil for shallow frying – Canola, vegetable or any other neutral flavoured oil. Even olive oil (but don’t waste your money using pricier extra virgin olive oil!).

Garlic yogurt sauce

We’re making a quick garlic dipping sauce today using yogurt as the base. The cool tangy creaminess with lovely hit of garlic goes so well with the haloumi fries, so don’t skip it!

• Plain yogurt – Not sweetened. Preferable Greek. If you use low-fat, it won’t have the same mouthfeel because it’s not as thick and creamy, but it will work just fine!

• Garlic – Finely grated using a microplane or grater so it disappears into the yogurt.

• Lemon – Just a touch, for extra freshness. Substitute with vinegar.

• Extra virgin olive oil – To add a bit of richness to the sauce. We only use a tiny amount.

• Salt – For seasoning. Again, just a tiny amount!

How to make haloumi fries

It’s actually relatively fast because they only take 90 seconds to fry. I can do a batch in 20 minutes from start to finish. I also like that it’s more shallow-fried rather than deep fried. Just – less splatter, less oil to deal with, etc etc. (I’m a selective deep frier. ie I only fry when it’s really worth it!).

1. Cut the haloumi into sticks around 1.5cm / 0/6″ thick. The length will depend on the shape of your haloumi. I cut mine into 5 slices lengthwise, then each into half which makes uniform fries, and get 20 pieces.

2. This is me cutting the slice in half to form a fry.

3. Garlic dipping sauce – Probably should have put this first because I do it first! Just mix the ingredients together then set aside while you make the haloumi fries. It needs at least 15 minutes to let the flavours infuse and meld.

4. Crumbing – OK, crumbing time! Flour first….then shake off excess.

5. Then egg – hold it up to let the excess drip off.

6. Than the panko. Press to adhere well and make sure there’s no naked patches!

7. Fry the halmoui sticks for just 90 seconds until golden and crisp in oil pre-heated to 180°C/350°F.

   Oil temperature testing – If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil temp using a small cube of white bread. It should take 15 seconds to turn golden and crispy.

8. Drain the cooked fries on a paper towel lined tray. Then continue cooking.

   Because haloumi fries only take 90 seconds to cook, you don’t need to worry about keeping cooked ones warm in the oven.

   Once they’re all cooked, serve with the garlic dipping sauce!

Baking and air-fryer options

Whenever I share a deep fried recipe, the most common question is – can I bake this? And hot on it’s heels these days is – can I make this in my air fryer?

So today, we’ve tested it out and happy to report that you can!

The baked option is best made using my panko pre-toasting technique where the breadcrumbs are baked in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes to make them golden and crunchy before using. Otherwise, they will come out pale with brown spots rather than a beautiful even golden brown like when fried. It’s not a big deal – spread on the same tray you’ll be baking the haloumi fries. Tried and proven technique that readers love in recipes such as Crunchy Chicken Tenders, Baked Filet-O-Fish and Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu! Crumb the halloumi, then bake on a rack at same temp for 20 minutes or until crunchy. 

The air fryer option works a treat! Pre-heat air fryer to 200°C/390°F for 5 minutes. Oil spray fries and spray the basket. Place all haloumi fries in a single layer in a 7 L/qt+ air fryer. Cook for 9 minutes until crispy and golden!

Difference to fried version (honest option) – The baked version is about 80% as good as the fried version. You lose some moisture from inside the haloumi because it takes longer to get the crunchy coating in the oven (even with pre-toasting). The air-fryer version, however, is excellent!

The crumbing on both the air fryer and baked versions split a wee bit simply because they take longer to cook than in the oil which is a super fast 90 seconds.

How to serve haloumi fries

Haloumi fries typically appear on menus as a starter or a small-dish tapas option. It’s a food for nibbling, something completely different from your usual chips ‘n dips. Not that I have anything against chips ‘n dips, being the snack monster that I am (proof – my full dip recipe collection here!).

But, sometimes it’s nice to have something different to the usual that will impress the pants off your family and friends. The combination of the warm, softy, salty halloumi insides and the golden crunchy crumb with the cooling garlicky yogurt dip is every snack monsters’ dream come true. I really hope you try this one day! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Haloumi fries

Recipe video above. These can be baked, air-fried or shallow fried (best, most golden and crunchy and fastest). It's the best haloumi recipe I know – Haloumi Fries! Think – french fries, but a whole lot more interesting and faster to make. Super crunchy outside (thanks panko!) and warm, salty haloumi cheese insides.

Excellent snack, starter for a Mediterranean menu or passing around at parties.

PS The garlic dipping sauce is the perfect dunking sauce.

Course Appetizer, Snack, Starter

Cuisine Greek, Western

Keyword haloumi fries, haloumi recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Calories 403cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 360g / 12oz haloumi cheese blocks , 2 x 180g/6 oz blocks (Note 1)
• 2 cups canola oil (or other natural oil)
• 2 large eggs , whisked

Flour dredge:

• 1/2 cup plain/all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs (Note 2)
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
• 1 tsp ground white pepper (sub black pepper)

Crumbing:

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs – or ordinary breadcrumbs (Note 3)
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Yoghurt garlic dipping sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt
• 1 garlic clove , finely grated using a microplane
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice (sub white vinegar)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Garlic dipping sauce – Mix ingredients in a bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes to let the flavours develop.
• Cut the haloumi into fries around 1.5cm / 0/6" thick. The length will depend on the shape of your haloumi. I cut mine into 5 slices lengthwise, then each into half which makes uniform fries, and get 20 pieces.
• Dry – Pat halloumi mostly dry using tea towels.
• Prep – Using 3 bowls large enough to toss the halloumi, put the eggs in one bowl, mix Flour Dredge in another and mix Crumbing ingredients in a third.
• Crumb – Dip a haloumi fry in flour, shake off excess. Dip in egg, allow excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere, then place on tray. PRO: Do 2 at a time. 🙌🏻 Toss haloumi in breadcrumbs (by tossing the bowl) so you don't have to touch. 🙌🏻
• Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over high heat until it reaches 180°C/350°F (Note 4).
• Fry 5 haloumi sticks at a time for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined tray. Repeat with remaining haloumi.
• Air fry and baking – see Note 5.
• Serve hot with yoghurt garlic dipping sauce!

Notes

1. Halloumi – A firm white salty, briny Greek cheese usually sold in vac packs. It doesn’t melt into ooze when cooked which is why it’s ideal for making fries!

2. Italian herbs – Store bought mix you can find in any grocery store. Substitute with any mix of dried oregano, basil, parsley.

3. Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most large grocery stores (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section but cheaper in Asian stores! Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.

4. Oil test – If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil temp using a small cube of white bread. For 180C/350F, it should take 15 seconds to turn golden and crispy.

5. Air fry option (excellent!) – Pre-heat air fryer to 200°C/390°F for 5 minutes. Oil spray fries and spray the basket. Place all haloumi fries in a single layer in a 7 L/qt+ air fryer. Cook for 9 minutes until crispy and golden!

Baking (haloumi dries out a little more than frying) – Spread breadcrumbs on tray, spray generously with oil then at bake 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced) for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the tray halfway, until the breadcrumb is golden. (If you don’t do this, your fries will end up pale and splotchy not an even golden colour). Crumb the halloumi, then bake on a rack at same temp for 20 minutes or until crunchy. 

6. Leftovers reheat quite well! 10 minutes in a 180C/350F oven. It’s 90% as good. If making for a crowd, I’d happily serve reheated haloumi fries!

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. I made an estimation of oil that actually ends up on each piece and factored in leftover flour and breadcrumbs.

Nutrition

Calories: 403cal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 1178mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 826IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 793mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Reviewing today’s recipe video with me. (And drooling all over the keyboard in the process – but can we blame him? Absolutely not!)

The post Haloumi fries appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Here’s a copycat recipe for Australia’s (current) favourite confectionary – Golden Gaytime Popcorn! Caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs, it’s ridiculously addictive but rather expensive. Save a fortune by making it yourself!

Golden Gaytime Popcorn

Popcorn and candy lovers alike were in a tizzy of excitement with Golden Gaytime Popcorn was first released. Yours truly included. The chatter between closet popcorn-loving friends, however, quickly moved from “Far out, this is crazy good!” to “OMG can you believe it’s so expensive”??

Named as such because it’s a popcorn version of a beloved Australian’s ice cream called Golden Gaytime, one packet of the Gaytime popcorn is $5.75 for 100g (3.5 oz). A small bag with just 2 cups of Gaytime popcorn. I can’t afford to feed my addiction!!

Which, of course, lead to what was affectionately dubbed The Gaytime Popcorn Project – a homemade version I was confident I could create for 80% cheaper. How’d I do? My report card is at the bottom of the post!

Store-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn

A quick inspection of the ingredients label was all I needed to come up with a copycat recipe. It’s really just caramel popcorn with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkling of biscuit crumbs.

However, my homemade Gaytime Popcorn is far more generous on the chocolate drizzling (oh, why not? 😇). And you won’t break the bank!

Hmm, I did a “sprinkling of biscuit crumbs”, didn’t I. But it looks more like I’m assertively throwing biscuit crumbs in the photo below. You want biscuit crumbs? Here’s your biscuit crumbs!!! 😂

Ingredients you need

Here’s what you need to make this. The first part covers the caramel popcorn, then the second part covers the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs.

Caramel popcorn ingredients

Here’s what you need for the caramel popcorn:

• Corn syrup – This stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur, gives the caramel a nice shiny finish that’s crisp rather than sticky. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! It can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au and Amazon.

  Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a little harder to measure out because it’s so thick. However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer to make sure the caramel coating dries out and becomes crisp. This is because glucose has slightly higher water content.

• Baking soda / bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. It helps get even coverage of caramel on the popcorn. Without the baking soda, you end up with big globs of caramel. It can’t be substituted with baking powder.

• Toffee, caramel or vanilla essence – Store-bought Gaytime popcorn has a stronger albeit more artificial caramel flavour than homemade. To replicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. Otherwise, just stick with vanilla like normal caramel popcorn. It’s honestly not a big deal, the popcorn still has a lovely caramel-y flavour.

• Brown sugar rather than white sugar, for better caramel flavour.

• Butter – For flavour. Not margarine or other alternatives. I can’t predict what that will do to the crispness of the caramel coating.

• Oil – Anything neutral flavoured like vegetable, canola or peanut oil. This is for cooking the popcorn. It doesn’t work as well with butter (because butter is ~15% water and dairy, not just fat).

• Popping corn! It’s usually sold in the potato crisps aisle in grocery stores here in Australia.

Chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs

For the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs, you just need chocolate suitable for melting and some plain biscuits to crush up then sprinkle on the popcorn.

• Chocolate -You can use a combination of dark and white chocolate, as I have done (like the store-bought Gaytime popcorn mix), or just one or the other.

  Use a chocolate purchased from the baking aisle rather than eating chocolate. Baking chocolate is purpose-made for melting and cooking with, whereas eating chocolate is actually often designed specifically so it doesn’t melt when warm! I typically use “melts” for melting and chocolate chips for things like chocolate chip cookies as they are designed to hold their shape when cookies are baked.

  For those of you in the US, semi-sweet chocolate chips is perfect.

• Plain biscuits – A signature part of Golden Gaytime Popcorn is the sprinkling of crushed biscuits on the popcorn. The ingredients label specifies that it’s vanilla biscuits. Honestly though, any plain sweet biscuits will work just fine!

How to make Golden Gaytime Popcorn

Simply make caramel popcorn then finish with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkle of biscuit crumbs. It will stay crisp and fresh for at least a week – I’m sure it will last for longer (caramel popcorn lasts for weeks). But every test batch I made mysteriously disappeared before I could finish testing the shelf life!!

1. Pop popcorn

Pop your popcorn kernels using your method of choice – stove or popcorn maker, if you have one (I do, but for some reason digging it out of the back of the cupboard seems like more effort than cooking the popcorn on the stove).

Here’s how to cook popcorn on the stove.

1. Test kernels – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.

   Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid.

2. Shake! Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.

3. To make the caramel melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.

4. Simmer – When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR! This may cause the sugar to crystallise so you won’t end up with a smooth caramel.

5. Baking soda “foamy” – Remove from heat then quickly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume. This is what makes the caramel coat the popcorn evenly. Without the baking soda, you end up with thick heavy globs of caramel on the popcorn and it’s impossible to toss.

6. Coat popcorn – Quickly pour the foamy caramel straight over the popcorn and toss to coat the popcorn as best you can until the caramel cools and starts to harden.

7. Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. The caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses so it coats the popcorn more evenly.

   REMINDER: If using glucose instead of corn syrup, bake for an extra 15 minutes.

8. Cool – Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes so the caramel hardens. Then break up the popcorn – no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!

Gaytime the popcorn!

OK, so time to transform our caramel popcorn into Gaytime Popcorn! Here’s how:

1. Bash the biscuits into crumbs either in a ziplock bag or using a mortar and pestle.

2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (I use this) or bain-marie (bowl set over simmering water).

3. Transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag. This makes it easier to get even coverage and zig-zag chocolate drizzles like you get with the store bought Gaytime popcorn. But if you prefer, you can just use a spoon for drizzling.

4. Ready for drizzling!

5. Drizzle the chocolate all over the popcorn in whatever pattern you prefer. There are no rules! Except – aim for even coverage. Nobody wants to be the unlucky person who gets a handful of chocolate-less popcorn!

6. Sprinkle the popcorn with the biscuit crumbs while the chocolate is still wet. The biscuits will stick to the chocolate part only, and it kind of sticks in concentrated (albeit small) patches so you can taste it a little better. I preferred this method rather than sprinkling it on the caramel popcorn whilst in the oven (the crumbs kind of got lost).

   Once the chocolate sets – I speed things up by popping the trays in the fridge for 15 minutes – it’s ready to dive in!!

Storage

In theory, Gaytime Popcorn should stay fresh and crisp as long as Caramel Popcorn which has an excellent shelf life of several weeks.

Test batches made it to around the 1 week mark successfully before mysteriously disappearing. So I can’t say for sure, but I’m confident it should last for at least 2 weeks. Just make sure it is stored in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. If moisture gets in and/or it’s hot and humid, the caramel coating will get sticky and chewy so it gets stuck in your teeth.

This was a jar intended for gifting. It never got gifted. 🤭

REPORT CARD: Homemade is 68% cheaper!!

I boldly stated when I started on the Gaytime Popcorn Project that I believed I could make it for 80% less than store-bought.

We’ve run the numbers and the results are in.

One batch costs $8.96 to make which equates to 5 packets of store bought Gaytime Popcorn which costs $28.75 ($5.75 per packet). That’s a 68% saving!

So, I was 12% off. But still. I would never spend $28.75 for 5 packets of Gaytime. But I would spend $8.96 to make a batch of this any day of the week – and twice for movie night! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Golden Gaytime Popcorn – copycat recipe!

Recipe video above. I love Golden Gaytime Popcorn. But it's expensive. So I decided to create a homemade version – with a 68% saving! It costs $8.96 to make this recipe which equates to 5 packets of Gaytime Popcorn which costs $28.75 ($5.75 per packet). 

After inspecting the packet ingredients, it's just caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs. Easy!

One batch makes 780g / 28oz, 12 cups = 5 packets of store-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn.

Course Dessert, Sweet

Cuisine Western

Keyword caramel corn, Caramel popcorn, food gift ideas, golden gaytime popcorn

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cups

Calories 339cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Cost $9

Ingredients

For the popcorn

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
• 1/2 cup popping corn

For the caramel

• 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed cup
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup (sub glucose, Note 1)
• 1/2 tsp cooking/ kosher salt
• 2 tsp toffee or caramel essence OR 1 tsp vanilla (substitute) (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb) (Note 3)

Golden Gaytime Finishes

• 1 1/4 cups dark or white chocolate melts or chips (US: semi-sweet chips), I used ~25% white and 75% dark (Note 4)
• 4 plain sweet biscuits (like Marie Crackers) (Note 5)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Popcorn

• Test oil – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.
• Pop – Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid. Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Then crack the lid a tiny bit – let's steam escape for crisper popcorn.
• Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.

Caramel:

• Preheat oven to 110°C/230°F (both fan and standard ovens).
• Combine – Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.
• Simmer – When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR!
• Baking soda "foamy" – Remove from heat then quickly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume.
• Coat popcorn – Quickly pour straight over popcorn, toss until caramel cools and starts to harden.

Baking to crisp caramel coating:

• Spread popcorn on 2 large paper lined baking trays.
• Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses – tossing coats popcorn more evenly with caramel. (If using glucose, bake further 15 minutes).
• Cool – Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes. Then break up the popcorn – no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!

Drizzle and crumbs

• Crumbs – Place biscuits in a ziplock bag and bash into crumbs.
• Melt chocolate – Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second increments on high, stirring in between, until melted and smooth – about 1 1/2 minutes. (If doing a small amount of white chocolate, reduce to 20 second increments).
• Piping bags – Transfer chocolate into a piping bag. Use scissors to snip a small opening at the tip. (Alternative: just drizzle with a spoon).
• Drizzle & crumb – Push the popcorn together but in a single layer. Drizzle criss-cross (or any pattern!) all over the popcorn. Sprinkle with biscuits crumbs while the chocolate is wet so it sticks.
• Fridge – Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Gently break popcorn into pieces. EAT!
• Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Stays crisp for at least a week. Our test batches never lasted any longer!

Notes

1. Corn Syrup  stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur, plus makes it extra crisp and shiny. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! Can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au (here) and Amazon.

Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a little harder to measure out because it’s so thick. However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer (because glucose as higher water content).

2. Toffee or caramel essence – Store bought Gaytime has a stronger albeit more artificial caramel flavour than homemade. To replicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. Otherwise, just stick with vanilla like normal caramel popcorn!

3. Baking soda/bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. Helps with even coverage on the popcorn. Without, you end up with big globs of caramel.

4. Chocolate – Store bought Gaytime popcorn has ~50/50 white and dark chocolate drizzles. And rather skimpy at that! This homemade version is much more generous with the chocolate.

Use any mix of dark and white chocolate you want. I used about 25% white chocolate and 75% dark chocolate.

Be sure to use the right chocolate! Use chocolate purchased from the baking aisle (designed to melt smoothly) not eating chocolate (designed to NOT melt when warm!).

5. Biscuits – Any plain sweet biscuits will work here. Just something to sprinkle on the popcorn. The Gaytime Popcorn ingredients just lists “vanilla biscuits” for the crumbs used!

6. Storage – stays 100% crisp and fresh at least 1 week, probably more (caramel popcorn lasts 2 to 3 weeks). Be sure to keep it in an airtight container in a cool dry place. If it’s super hot and humid, fridge is best.

Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings. It’s not diet food!

Nutrition

Serving: 46g | Calories: 339cal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Life of Dozer

I promise Dozer, there is nothing going on in here that would be of interest to you…..😂

The post Golden Gaytime popcorn (copycat) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Welcome to the chili dog of my dreams! A thick, molten beef chili sauce, slow cooked for hours, designed to function more like a sauce so it smothers rather than running everywhere. As for the grilled hot dog? Skip the cheap footy franks. Smoked sausages are the way to go. Think – kranksy, bratwurst, half-smokes!

A cracking recipe for summer BBQ’s, game-day, and just when you need something seriously moreish.

THE chili sauce for hot dogs….

This is a chili dog that is inspired by the famous Half-Smoke Chili Dogs at Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington DC. It’s an institution famous for their chili which is served in various formats – in a bowl, burgers, and chili dogs.

The chili sauce used for the hot dogs is different to the chili served in bowls. It’s noticeably thicker and smoother, and doesn’t have beans in it. Essentially, it’s like a thick sauce that stays on the hot dog better than regular chili so you can eat it with your hands.

I’ve always wanted to replicate the Ben’s chili sauce. I’ve had a few attempts over the years – surely I just need to slow cook for longer, longer! Nope, it just didn’t have that same “molten” texture.

The answer came to me when I was making lentil soup: a partial blitz. Releases flavour, thickens the sauce, and makes it smoother too. This changed my chili-dog-game forever. Will it change yours too??

Ingredients in chili dog

Alrighty, first up, what you need to make the chili sauce for hot dogs!

Ingredients in chili sauce

The ingredients are no different to my classic chili con carne except the ratios of the spices are a little different (more!). And there are no beans in this chili sauce so it’s smoother and sits in/on the hot dog better.

• Beef mince / ground beef – While this recipe will work with lean beef, it will not have as much beefy flavour. Because most of the good beefy flavour we love is in the fat!

• Beef bouillon cube (stock cube) – Better than salt! Adds more flavour.

• Onion & garlic – Essential flavour bases.

• Tomato paste and crushed tomato – For thickening and flavour of the sauce. By the time all the spices are added in and it’s been slow cooked, you don’t really taste the tomato at all.

• Capsicum/bell pepper – A traditional inclusion in chili.

Homemade chili powder for sauce

There’s no store-bought chili powder mix in my chili sauce. I prefer to make my own from scratch because the flavour of chili powder varies from brand to brand. Making your own ensures consistency of flavour for everyone!

Plus, chili powder spice mix, while common in the US, is not easily found in Australia.

No unusual players here. All pantry essentials (here’s my essential spices list, in case you missed it!), the same spices I use in my chilli con carne. However, I use slightly more spices to give the sauce a stronger flavour because less sauce has to go further when it’s used in a hot dog bun compared to serving a big bowl of chili. Am I making sense?? Not sure I’m explaining that well!

Spiciness – There’s a decent amount of cayenne pepper in this to give the chili sauce a spicy kick, as is traditional. Feel free to dial it back. You can just add it right at the end, bit by bit, tasting as you go.

Chili dog

For the best hot dog of your life, skip the everyday cheap hot dogs and go for a good German or other European smoked sausage (Austrian, Polish). You’re welcome!

Smoked sausages – better than hot dogs! Chili dogs are typically made with economical thin hot dogs. Think – uniform pink colour that are 30 – 40% fillers. Tasty enough, when smothered in a homemade chili sauce. But you can really dial-up your hot dog game by using good European smoked sausages – like kranksy’s, bockwurst, bratwurst, “continental franks”. Just ask Ben’s Chili Bowl. Their famous chili dogs use sausages called “half-smokes” which are a type of smoked sausage.

Why European smoked sausages are better – More meat, less fillers, they’re seasoned with flavour, and fatter so you get more sausage! They are smoked so they are technically cooked but most are usually grilled or pan fried before serving. Makes them even tastier.

Find them easily these days:

• Kranksy’s – a deli staple at large supermarkets (Coles, Woolies – see here online, Harris Farms). Get the smoked ones, if you can, but even un-smoked are 20x better than the “footy franks”

• Sausages in packets labelled “Continental Franks” or “Weiners”.

• German deli – If you are lucky enough to have a German deli in your area, it’s worth a visit because you’ll have an even better selection – and it’s hard to go wrong! Also, other European delis. The Polish and Austrians do wickedly good smoked sausages too.

• Where I go – Brot & Wurst in Narrabeen, Sydney, which is near my home. My favourite for chili dogs are Bockwurst (pictured above). But all the smoked sausages of theirs I’ve tried (probably most) are great!

• Hot dog buns – Look for soft, pillowy buns for the hot dogs to nestle in.

• Yellow mustard – Optional, I guess! For me, a chili dog isn’t a chili dog without a squirt of mustard. I use American mustard – 100% artificial yellow colour, 100% hot dog authentic.

• White onion – Optional! This is a direct copycat of the way the chili dogs are served at Ben’s Chili Bowl. A little sprinkle of finely chopped white onion brings a hint of freshness in amongst all that moorish, spicy, saucy goodness. I like to use white onion because it’s not as sharp as brown onion. Red onion will also work from a flavour perspective.

• Cheese – A sprinkle of shredded cheese on a chili dog is fairly common practice but melting is not. But, like good ole’ crispy shell beef tacos, melted cheese wins over un-melted cheese any day. So if you have the option to melt, why would you not?? (Bonus: Cheese melting oven time warms up the bun so you don’t have to do it beforehand plus gives all the flavours a chance to meld together into one cohesive chili-dog-of-your-dreams!)

How to make chili dogs

As I mentioned earlier, the one thing that’s a little unique about the chili sauce I make for chili dogs is that it’s thicker, smoother and more “molten” than the usual recipes you see which have larger, chunkier beef bits in a runnier sauce. This is because mine is designed to be like the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl chili sauce which is like a thick sauce that stays in the hot dog rather than slopping out everywhere when I take a (big!) bite!

The trick to achieve this? A little blitz. Releases flavour and thickens the sauce.

1. The chili sauce

1. Cook chili sauce – The chili sauce starts off like your everyday chili con carne. Sauté onion, garlic and capsicum. Cook the beef until it’s browned, then stir the tomato paste for a minute to cook out the sour raw flavour.

2. Add everything else – Add all the spices, canned tomato, beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes), salt and water and give it a good stir then bring it to a simmer.

3. Slow cook 3 hours – Simmer on a really low heat with the lid partially on. A cracked lid allows the sauce to reduce and thicken. Make sure the heat is really low and give it a stir every now and then to ensure the base doesn’t catch. Remember – we’re making a sauce that is thicker than typical chili con carne.

   It can also be cooked in the oven (160°C / 325°F for 3 hours) or slow cooker (low for 6 to 8 hours) – directions included in the recipe.

   After 3 hours of slow cooking, the beef should be very tender. Yep, you’ll need to have a spoonful to check!

4. Blitz to thicken and smooth – Remove 1 1/2 cups of the chili into a container so the head of a stick blender will be submerged under the chili. Then blitz until smooth – it should only take around 15 seconds on high. This will release flavour and also thicken the sauce.

5. Stir in – Return the pureed chili sauce into the pot and stir well. As you stir, you should find that the slow-cooked beef bits start to fall-apart into really fine pieces of beef to make a smooth-ish, almost molten-like sauce.

   If your beef doesn’t do this, it will just need a bit of help from a potato masher. Just mash the beef straight in the pot until it becomes a fairly fine texture, like pictured.

6. Thick sauce – This is what your sauce should look like! Dollop-able but it mounds. Now you get to heap it on your hot dog!

2. Assembling chili dogs

Grill, stuff, smother, bake!

1. Pan fry or grill your hot dogs / smoked sausages until browned and warmed through. Don’t worry if the skin splits! Visually it doesn’t matter because it will be completely hidden by sauce.

2. Mustard & onion – Add a squiggle of mustard then sprinkle with onion.

3. Chili sauce – Smother with a good amount of chili sauce. Appreciate how it’s thick and stays on/in the hot dog instead of running everywhere!

4. Bake for 10 minutes – Top with cheese then bake for 10 minutes just to melt the cheese. Pull out of oven and start getting excited about sinking your teeth into these chili dogs!!!

When to make chili dogs

A backyard grill out, a gathering with friends. Game day, dinner tonight, and, well, just anytime because you can’t get darn-good chili dogs in your area. That would be ME!!

In all seriousness though. A good smoked sausage, pan fried or grilled then tucked into a soft bun is delicious as is.

Smother it with a thick layer of big-flavoured beef chili sauce, and you’re well on your way to food heaven.

Add a blanket of molten, gooey cheese and that, my friends, THAT is what food dreams are made of.

I really hope you try these chili dogs one day. For us Aussies, chili dogs are hard to come by and when we do find them, all too often they are terribly disappointing. I promise this won’t disappoint! – Nagi x

PS As long as you give the cheap footy franks a miss!

Watch how to make it

Print

Chili dogs

Recipe video above. A pan-fried or BBQ sausage smothered in chili sauce in a hot dog bun. Cracker of a recipe for summer BBQ's, gatherings with friends and game-day!

My chili sauce is a copy-cat of the famous Ben's Chili Bowl half-smoke chili dogs in Washington DC. Love how their boldly spiced chili sauce is thick and almost "smooth", so it stays in the hot dog better. I replicated this by blitzing the chili a bit. Releases flavour, thickens the sauce. Win!

Also, skip the cheap hot dog "footy franks". Do what Ben's does – use a good smoked sausage.

Course BBQ, Main

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Keyword chili dogs, chili sauce for hot dogs

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 – 8 hot dogs

Calories 761cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Homemade chili powder (Note 1):

• 3 tsp smoked paprika (sub plain paprika)
• 3 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper , adjust to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Chili sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1/2 onion , finely chopped
• 1/2 red capsicum / bell pepper , finely chopped
• 500 g/1 lb ground beef / beef mince
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 400g / 14 oz canned crushed tomato
• 2 beef cubes (I like Oxo, easy to crumble, Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt , plus more to taste

Chili dogs:

• 6 good smoked sausages (kransky, bratwurst, half-smoke) or hot dogs of choice (Note 3)
• 6 hot dog buns
• 1/2 white onion , finely chopped
• Yellow mustard (I use Heinz American mustard)
• 2 cups Colby or Monterey Jack , shredded (or other cheese of choice)
• Plain crinkle cut potato chips , optional side for serving (traditional!)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Chili sauce:

• Sauté aromatics – Heat oil over medium high in a heavy based pot. Cook the onion, garlic and capsicum for 3 minutes.
• Brown beef – Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see raw meat. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
• Sauce – Add the spices, tomato, water, crumbled beef cube and salt. Stir well.
• Slow cook 3 hours – Bring the chili to a simmer then turn down to low, on a small burner. Put the lid partially on (to allow for sauce reduction). Simmer for 3 hours on low (goal: small bubble every now and then), stirring just to ensure the base doesn’t catch. OR put it in a 160°C/325°F oven for 3 hours (lid partially cracked).
• Slow cooker (Note 4) – Reduce water to 3/4 cup. After chili comes to a simmer on the stove, transfer everything to a slow cooker then cook on low for 6 to 8 hours on low.
• Thicken sauce – Remove 1 1/2 cups of the chili into a container so the head of a stick blender will be submerged under the chili. Then blitz until smooth (~ 15 seconds). Add the pureed sauce back in the pot and stir well.
• Sauce goal – As you stir, the remaining beef bits should become quite fine (rather than bolognese type chunks) because the beef is so tender. If the beef bits are not as small as desired, use a potato masher in the pot – it won't take long. The chili sauce should be a thick sauce that mounds up a bit when you scoop it, not runny. (Note 5) Keep sauce warm.
• Optional rest overnight – Allow the sauce to cool then refrigerate overnight. As with most slow-cooked stewy things, the flavour improves! Reheat on the stove before proceeding.

Chili dogs:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
• Grill/pan-fry – Preheat a pan with 1/2 tbsp oil (or the BBQ) on medium / medium high. Brown the stages all over until they are heated through (they are already cooked inside, it's just about heating/colour).
• Assemble – Place hot dog buns on a tray. Stuff with a sausage, top with a squiggle of mustard and a sprinkle of onion. Spoon over a generous amount of warm chili sauce, top with cheese.
• Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Traditionally with a mound of plain crinkle cut potato chips and an ice cold beer!

Notes

Servings note: Recipe realistically makes enough chili sauce for 8 hot dogs. But I just don’t know how big your buns will be so prefer to err on the side of caution. Nobody wants to run out of chili sauce!

---

1. Spice notes:

• This blend of spices includes a homemade chili powder which I prefer to do because the flavour of store-bought chili powder mixes (in the US) vary from brand to brand.
• Garlic powder and onion powder can be substituted with more of the other.
• Cayenne pepper provides the spiciness (chili sauce is SUPPOSED to be a bit spicy!). This amount won’t blow your head off but if you’re concerned, hold some (or all) of it back and add right at the end, little by little.
• Mustard powder – sub 1 tsp dijon mustard

2. Beef bouillon cubes / stock cubes have more flavour than plain salt. 

3. Smoked sausages are my preference over economical hot dogs / “footy franks” – high proportion of fillers! Idea swiped from Ben’s Chili Bowl, they use half-smokes (famous Washington smoked sausages).

I use: smoked kransky’s, bratwurst, bockwurst, “smoked wiener” or “continental franks”. Available at German and other European shops, and large supermarkets (Australia). Even the common un-smoked kransky sold at most supermarket deli’s is way better than the cheap hot dogs! Love my local German small-goods shop, Brot & Wurst (Narrabeen, Sydney), their Bockwurst is my favourite for chili dogs.

4. Slow cooker note – While this recipe will work fine in a slow cooker, you just don’t get the same caramelisation around the edges on the surface of the chili like you do with stove and oven cooking, which adds to flavour. I’d say it’s 95% as good in a slow cooker! Oven and stove are just as good.

5. Sauce – If your sauce isn’t as thick as mine, just leave it on the stove on low, stirring regularly, until it reduces and thickens.

Nutrition

Calories: 761cal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 1458mg | Potassium: 883mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1442IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 432mg | Iron: 6mg

Life of Dozer

I find it quite amusing that he can spend hours in the pool or at the beach and his furry golden head remains fluffy and dry while the rest of him is saturated.

Then I realised I do the same thing. Sometimes a girl just doesn’t want to ruin her hair, y’a know? 😂

The post Chili dogs appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

No false promises here – these are seriously crispy Baked Buffalo Wings that are made entirely in the oven! Using a now-world-famous Cooks’ Illustrated technique, the skin is so shatteringly crispy it’s hard to believe they aren’t fried.

Don’t believe me? I don’t blame you! See and hear it for yourself in the recipe video……

Super Crispy BAKED Buffalo Wings!

The great thing about the internet is that there are loads of options for any recipe your heart desires.

The bad thing about the internet is sifting through all those Google search results to find a recipe that actually works as promised and is exactly what you are after.

So here is what I promise you: If you love perfectly seasoned crispy buffalo wings, tossed in a classic spicy, buttery Buffalo Sauce with a tinge of sweetness, and you prefer to avoid the mess and calories of deep frying, this is The One.

These aren’t just “quite crispy but still not like they’ve been deep fried”. These wings are seriously crispy. Read hundreds of testimonials from people who have tried it!

You can’t see how crispy the skin is when I’ve smothered them in that glorious Buffalo Sauce so here’s a photo of them plain, straight out of the oven. And if you have 90 seconds, watch the recipe video below the recipe so you can hear how crispy they are!

The recipe is ridiculously simple, and it’s a genius discovery by the amazing folk over at Cook’s Illustrated who used science to figure out how to make truly crispy wings in the oven.

How to make Ultra Crispy Buffalo Wings in the Oven

The 2 unique steps in this recipe that make all the difference are:

1. baking powder (secret ingredient!) – tossing the wings in baking powder which draws moisture to the surface of the skin and helps make it crispy. Rest assured you can’t taste the baking powder at all; and

2. bake on low then high – usually, the fat under the skin is part of the reason why baked wings don’t get really crispy. In this recipe, we start at a low temp first which melts the fat under the skin, then we crank up the oven which makes the skin super crispy!

What you need for Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings

And here’s a visual for what you need.

1. The crispy baked wings

2. The Buffalo Sauce

That perfect combination of spiciness from Franks hot sauce, buttery goodness and and hint of sweet.

3. Blue Cheese Dip

I know some people aren’t a fan of blue cheese dip – but I’m all in!! In fact, I love blue cheese dip so much, I like to keep mine a bit lumpy so I get little pops of blue cheese. But usually, restaurants serve it completely smooth. Go with what rocks your boat!

Celery?? YES!

Crispy wings + spicy, buttery Buffalo Sauce + earthy, creamy blue cheese dip + fresh, crunchy celery = MAGICAL COMBINATION

I don’t know who discovered it, but they deserve a Nobel Prize. I remember the first time I tried it, I squinted at the celery sticks and thought, “who would bother with them?”. But they work! It’s like the perfect way to reboot your taste buds in between each wing!!

You’ll make a total mess of yourself eating them. It’s just not possible to eat wings elegantly. You’ll get Buffalo Sauce smeared all around your mouth. You’re doing well if your shirt stays clean.

But that’s all part of the Buffalo Wings experience, right?? The dramatic clatter as you toss the naked bones into a bowl. Smack you lips. Suck each finger clean.

Dive in for another.

YES PLEASE. – Nagi x

Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
Watch how to make it

PUMP UP THE VOLUME so you can hear how crispy they are!!

Print

Truly Crispy Oven Baked Buffalo Wings

Recipe video above. This recipe uses a genius technique discovered by Cook's Illustrated to make chicken wings in the oven that come out so crispy that it's hard to believe they aren't deep fried. Tossed in a classic Buffalo sauce and served with a side of blue cheese dip and celery sticks and you have one of the most genius food combinations this world has ever seen!

Full FAQ is available in the original Crispy Baked Wings (scroll below recipe).

Course Chicken Wings, Party Food

Cuisine American

Keyword Baked chicken wings, Buffalo Sauce, Buffalo Wings

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 476cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Crispy Baked Wings

• 4 lb / 2kg chicken wings, wingettes & drumettes (Note 1)
• 5 teaspoons baking powder (NOT baking soda / bi-carb soda) (Note 2)
• 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt / cooking salt (not table salt, too fine)

Sauce

• 4 tbsp (60g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt / cooking salt

Blue Cheese Dip

• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, softened (I use gorgonzola)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise , preferably whole-egg
• 1 clove small garlic , minced
• 1 – 3 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt / cooking salt
• Black pepper

To Serve

• Celery sticks
• Lots of beer!

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Crispy Baked Wings

• Dry overnight (optional) – If you plan ahead, lay the wings on a rack on a rimmed baking tray and let them dry uncovered in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, pat them dry with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 250°F/120°C (all oven types). Put one oven shelf in the lower quarter of the oven and one in the top quarter.
• Line the tray with foil. Put a rack on the tray then spray the rack with oil.
• Toss wings – Place the wings in a large bowl. Sprinkle over baking powder and salt. Use hands to toss well (or shake in ziplock bag) to coat wings evenly.
• Bake 30 minutes on low temp – Place the wings skin side up on the rack (ok if snug, they shrink). Bake on the lower shelf in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Bake 40 minutes on high – Move the tray up to the higher shelf and turn the oven up to 425°F / 220°C (all oven types). Bake for a further 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. The wings do not need to be turned over. They are ready when dark golden brown and the skin is very crispy.
• Toss in sauce – Transfer the wings into a large bowl. Pour over sauce and toss to coat. (Alternatively, serve wings plain with Buffalo Sauce for dipping).
• Serve immediately with Blue Cheese Dip (for both wings and celery sticks dunking)!

Buffalo Sauce

• Whisk together the Sauce ingredients until the sugar is melted. Keep warm or reheat just prior to using.

Blue Cheese Dip

• Mash the blue cheese with sour cream until smooth (or to your taste).
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well until combined, using milk to get it to the consistency you want. Store in the fridge until required. Remove from the fridge 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

1. Wings – While this recipe can be used for whole chicken wings, I prefer to use wingettes and drumettes for ease of coating in baking power to ensure they are crispy all over, plus easier to eat. Buy them pre-cut or see here for how to cut your own (you will need 2.15kg / 4.3 lb of whole wings to make 2kg/4lb of wingettes and drumettes, after taking into account the wing tips which are discarded).

2. Baking powder – Use aluminium free baking powder, if you can find it, the flavour is neutral. If you can’t find it, it’s totally fine – just be sure to toss the wings very well to coat evenly, you do not want thick patches of the baking powder anywhere.

Baking powder is the secret to outrageously crispy baked wings, discovered by Cooks’ Illustrated / America’s Test Kitchen. DO NOT mistake with baking soda /bi-carbonate soda (it’s inedible).

3. Franks Hot Sauce – If you are in Australia, you can find Frank’s Hot Sauce at Coles and Woolworths in the section where tomato sauce, tabasco etc are. It costs around the same as other hot sauces. If you can’t find Franks, then any other hot sauce will do just fine. Even sriracha works – just add 1 tsp of sugar.

4. General notes:
* Salt – only a small amount is required, it’s a phenomenon I can’t explain but this small amount perfectly seasons 2kg/4lb of wings using this baking method.
* These shrink when baked because the fat under the skin renders out (melts) which is how these become super crisp. So they can be snug on the rack.
* They are JUICY not dry, despite the long cook time. This is because the first bake at the lower temp barely cooks them, it only melts the fat.
* These bake to a golden brown, not a deep golden brown. You will know they are done because the skin will be lovely and crispy.

5. Source: The recipe for the wings is from Cook’s Illustrated “Meats Book” cookbook. The sauce recipe is my own.

6. To reheat: Allow wings (not tossed in sauce) to cool, then cover and refrigerate. The skin will wrinkle and soften. Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F. Spread wings out on tray, skin side up, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until the skin puffs up so the wrinkles smooth out and becomes crisp again. Works 100% perfectly!

7. Make Ahead: These stay crispy for as long as the wings are warm, so around 20 – 30 minutes. The skin stays crispy for around 10 – 15 minutes after tossing in the sauce, then after that they start to soften but not go soggy, up to around 30 minutes. If you reheat after tossing in sauce, they go soggy.

8. Comprehensive FAQ is available in the original Truly Crispy Oven Baked Wings.

9. Nutrition for just plain crispy wings (419 cal) and including the hot sauce (476 cal), both assuming 8 servings. Note that the wings have been adjusted to reflect the amount of fat that is rendered out (I measured the fat I poured off the tray ).      

Nutrition

Serving: 247g | Calories: 476cal | Carbohydrates: 3.1g | Protein: 63.3g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8.1g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 1195mg | Potassium: 934mg | Sugar: 1.3g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 2.9mg

Originally posted June 2015. Republished February 2020 with improved video and photos, then updated with tidy ups in 2023. NO CHANGE TO RECIPE. I wouldn’t dare – it’s perfect as is!

Life of Dozer

This is what a Food Coma looks like.

The post Baked Buffalo Wings – ULTRA CRISPY!! appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.