As a girl from South Georgia, I was raised to believe that fried foods constituted one of the main food groups. (And, we're talking bottom-row-of-the-food-pyramid status.) Deep frying became a cure-all to every cooking conundrum. The food item you've prepared tastes bad? Drop it in some oil for a spell and it'll be fiiiine. Your kids have problems with produce? Solution: battered veggies that look like a something they'd pitch a fit for in line at the state-fair. Oh, you think your dish is delish as is? Betcha a few minutes in a frying pan would only make it better...
In fact, if you have any one of the following 24 foods on hand and you're NOT frying it, you're doing your tastebuds a disservice. Let the grease never cease!
1. Onions
Think it's mere coincidence that "Fried" + "Onion" = "FUNion?" (The popular snack food company definitely didn't think so.) Crispy onions make even salads feel like party platters. Plus, onion rings are the aristocrats of side items. There's a reason they're always listed as an "upgrade" option.
2. Chicken
Fried Chicken is a frickin' food institution. Restaurants dedicate their names and their entire menu to this one. If you're making it at home, my Maw Maw has two tips for you: Crisco and buttermilk.
3. Potatoes
Standard French. Tater tots. Curly. Shoestring. Waffle. Crinkle-cut. Matchstick. Steak. Wedge. No matter how you slice it them, fried potatoes are starch perfection.
4. Squid
Wanna feel classy eating fried food? Calamari is for you. The crunchiness also distracts from the fact that you're eating a slimy sea creature with eight legs that is featured in multiple horror films.
5. Apples
Slice your apple into rings. Fry them in a pan and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Eating an apple a day will no longer feel like a task.
6. Cheese
Melty, stringy, gooey goodness...cheese needs no justification for being better fried. I don't think a single person in the history of the world has ever refused a cheesestick.
7. Hotdogs
Fried hotdogs aka corndogs automatically call to mind images of carnivals, fairs, and the best school cafeteria lunch of the month. Make your favorite lunch lady proud, and fry your wieners.
8. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a very divisive food; people either love them or hate them. But, if your issue with the fungi is a texture thing, fried mushrooms are your savior. The crispy exterior masks the chewy inside so you can focus on that awesome smokey flavor.
9. Pickles
If you're prone to drunchies, (drunk munchies) fried pickles = your new best friend. The salt and the grease are supposedly hangover preventatives. Whether you're intoxicated or not, pickle chips pair well with Ranch. And, at Delish we say, "When in doubt, Ranch it out."
10. Shrimp
Fried shrimp is commonly referred to as popcorn shrimp. This namesake correctly outlines what you should do with golden-fried crustaceans: mindlessly shovel them into your mouth by the handful.
11. Ice Cream
When ice cream melts before I can finish it, the waste breaks my heart. With fried ice cream, you have a nice doughy ball to soak up the sweetness so you're assured every last drip.
12. Jalapeños
If you've never had the jalapeño pepper poppers appetizer at your favorite neighborhood restaurant chain, get thee to a Chili's!
13. Chickpeas
Your vegetarian friends have been trying to convince you that falafel is "seriously the best thing ever" for years now. Now that you've read it on Delish, you can take them at their word.
14. Bananas
Fried bananas are the poor man's bananas foster. Newsflash: you don't need your dessert to be flambé. Fried is equally fantastic.
15. Twinkies
If you're eating a Twinkie, there is likely to be some self-loathing in store for you. Fried Twinkies are actually worth the hate.
16. Brussels Sprouts
Your inner 9-year-old says, "No way brussels sprouts will ever be delish." Fry these babies in a skillet with some bacon and then tell your inner 9-year-old to shut up.
17. Dough
Bread in all its forms is immaculate. But, if you tell me that a bagel is better than a donut, I'll tell you your argument is invalid. The Italians have a fancy name for fried donut holes, – zeppole – which loosely translates to "OHMYGAH these are so yum."
18. Oreos
Fried Double Stuf! Fried Golden! Fried Chocolate! Fried Peanut Butter! Fried Mint! Maybe not Fried Berry...The possibilities are (almost) endless.
19. Okra
This Southern staple is another way to trick yourself into eating more vegetables. And, you can also dip fried okra in ranch. Winning.
20. Watermelon
You never knew could fry watermelon? You're welcome. Fried watermelon also results in slightly fewer juice lines resembling blood running down your arms upon consumption. Again, you're welcome.
21. Green Tomatoes
There was a feature-length film starring Kathy Bates. Enough said.
22. Cheesecake
I've already made the fried cheese argument. It's only logical to assume that a fried form of cheese dessert would also be superior.
23. Avocado
To impress all of your friends next time you serve burgers, make avocado fries as a side. Besides turning it into guacamole, frying is your best option for what to do with an avocado.
24. Cookie Dough
Cookies taste better as dough. Cookies taste best as fried cookie dough.
Follow Delish on Instagram.
