The Art and Joy of Fritter Making: A Lesson from Master Chef

As I stand in front of my kitchen counter, surrounded by the ingredients and equipment necessary for fritter making, I am reminded of the countless hours spent perfecting this art form. The first thing that comes to mind is a classic corn fritter that my grandmother used to make. It was simple yet delicious, with just a few basic ingredients like flour, milk, eggs, and whole corn kernels. She would mix everything together, shape it into patties, and fry them up in a skillet until they were golden brown and crispy.

As I begin mixing the dough, I am transported back to my childhood memories of eating apple fritters at school. Miss Holloman, our third-grade teacher, would always save me one, and I would savor every bite of that sweet, fluffy treat. The memory is still vivid in my mind, and as I mix the ingredients together, I can almost smell the aroma of those freshly baked fritters wafting from her oven.

As I pour the batter into a skillet, I take a moment to appreciate the process of creating these delicious treats. It's not just about throwing some ingredients together; it's an art form that requires patience, skill, and attention to detail. The key is to get the right consistency – not too thick, not too thin – and to spread them out evenly so they don't puff up too much in the middle.

Now, I take a step back to admire my handiwork as the fritters start to brown. I add a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top, followed by a drizzle of Fireball whiskey – a family secret that adds an extra layer of flavor and moisture to the finished product. The aroma of these treats wafting from the skillet is heavenly, and my stomach growls in anticipation.

The rest of the fritters are arranged around me, each one perfectly golden brown on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I take a bite, closing my eyes to fully appreciate the experience. The sweetness of the apple pairs perfectly with the crunch of the cinnamon sugar coating, while the Fireball whiskey adds a subtle kick that leaves me wanting more.

As I enjoy this treat, I am reminded of the importance of sharing food with others. There's something special about cooking for people you love and seeing the joy on their faces when they take a bite. It's not just about sustenance; it's about connection and community. And what better way to bring people together than over a plate of warm, gooey fritters?

As I finish my snack, I receive some company from my friend Shannon, who is behind the camera capturing this moment for posterity. We chat about our plans for the upcoming Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, and how we'll be offering two cooking workshops as part of the event. It's going to be a fantastic time, with plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and enjoy good food.

Before I know it, the fritters are all gone, leaving behind only a few crumbs and a sense of satisfaction. As I reflect on this experience, I am reminded that cooking is not just about following a recipe; it's about sharing love, connection, and community through the simple act of preparing a meal for others.

As I pack up my equipment and say goodbye to Shannon, I feel grateful for the opportunity to share this art form with others. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a beginner in the kitchen, fritter making is an experience that will leave you feeling fulfilled and connected to those around you. So go ahead, give it a try – your taste buds (and those closest to you) will thank you.

And finally, as I look out at the winter landscape, I am reminded of my own experiences growing up on the range. There's something special about horseback riding in the snow, or building a fire to keep warm when the northers blow in. It's not just about survival; it's about connection with nature and the people who bring us joy.

As I put down my pen and look back on this article, I am reminded of the power of food to bring us together. Whether it's a simple corn fritter or a more complex dish like apple fritters, cooking is an act of love that transcends borders and boundaries. So go ahead, get into the kitchen, and start cooking – your loved ones will thank you.

In closing, I want to take a moment to acknowledge our service men and women who have kept our flag flying high. It's not just about patriotism; it's about respect and gratitude for those who put their lives on the line every day. And as I sign off, I do so with great privilege, knowing that there are many more like me out here, cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

And finally, as I look over at my camera, Shannon, who has been capturing this moment for posterity, gives me a nod of approval and says it's all in the books. Until next time, keep on cooking!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enyou know this is a fall classic it is what apple fritters but we're doing the adult version yeah you heard me right we have a secret ingredient that we're going to put in it but I'm not going to tell you come on into camping I'll show you what's happening hey y'all come in here and be real quiet okay I want you to look I've got the evidence see here we have a Varma a creature so if you see a little mouse Scurry by on the way don't think nothing about it and we have a mouse dog somewhere I don't know where he went where is the Schnauzer he's supposed to be trained to catch them Critters but he's on holiday I guess but what are we talking about today something that I used to go to miss holloman's donut shop when I was in the third grade I'd walk over there apple fritters now she made them things as a that big around and for a quarter you could get one of them and for another quarter you could get some chocolate milk and oh my gosh you talk about something good but I've always wanted to recreate them and maybe have them as an adult version because them things is tasty and they're all so easy and what apples are in season it is fall I used to be able to juggle but now I don't I just that's right just give it a try I want to see it that's it right there that's about as far as it's gonna go I'm gonna keep my day job instead of going to the circus so when you think of apple fritters and there's so many people they want to use a Golden Delicious or a Gala apple or something like that folks we need this green apple which is called a granny smith because it's going to hold up a little better but also it's got a little tartness but we're going to combat that with some sugar and some cinnamon some other spices so let's just get started we need to peel these if the peeler will work and my grandmother used to take a paring knife and she would go all around an apple and never break the chain and she'd say that is how you peel an apple you might want to introduce our special guest we do have special guests up here today we got whiskey not the kind you drink whiskey the Doberman and the Pyrenees Josie we are so glad that they come to visit us today and both of them are scared of the Schnauzer I've never figured that deal out the rest of them are in Thailand in the pickup over there because there's a lot of Angry Words being spoken so this is their property so we're going to let them stay and be at home looky there I finally made it Grandma all one I did and I'm gonna tell you something on the ranch I saved them green apple peelings I did because we'd make Poor Man's apple pie which is just Apple peeling's boiled down and get them a little softer some sugar some apple cider vinegar and a pie crust and a little cornstarch to thicken it of butter in this Skillet and we're gonna cook them first because so many people they just cut them apples and go ahead and put them right in the batter no folks we got to give them some more flavor I don't want to cook them plump to death but I do want to soften them just a little so let's just get them in here we're going to let them saute for a little bit in this butter we're going to add some goodness to it well been on about three minutes I have I wanted to saute them there in that butter until you begin to see them to Brown a little and you can I want to ask you right now I'm just going to go ahead and ask y'all if you just wandered up to camp and you've seen that wouldn't you think it's fried potatoes oh yeah you're making me hungry it is but I do like a Fritter so we're gonna go on with it when they begin to Brown a little white sugar brown sugar go ahead and go to mixing that really well we keep having people trying to jump out of the situation when you get that mixed up how many of you remember that old country and western singer Jerry Lee Lewis you remember him Shane yes and what songs did he sing do you remember Chantilly Lace uh-huh but there was something else too he would be pounding that piano and he would sing that song and he's like speaking of fire folks remember I told you this was like the adult version of fritters Fireball whiskey so we got him really coated well with the brown sugar and the cinnamon you got the little bottle uh-huh this is what's called travel uh-huh so give them a little splashing in here it's what we would call deglazing the skillet now if y'all are be thinking to yourself oh I can't make this got alcohol in it alcohol just cooked out I like y'all so we're gonna add a little more I do but I just want this to cook down a little bit to where we don't have so much syrup in there but we're getting all them apples flavored our whiskey has about cooked down it is but we need to give it a little shaking of cinnamon and look at this good liquid in here I mean it is that stuff right there if you had a hot biscuit soft that up oh my goodness gracious so we're going to call these about done but we can't use them hot folks we have to just let them come to room temperature so I'm gonna set them over here and let them cool off let's make the batter for it I don't know can I carry it that far whoa whoa it is hot don't take long to look at it well let's get started on the dry ingredients for the batter we have a cup and a half of flour we're going to add some baking powder because we want it to pop just a tad a tad bit of salt which is that much a little bit of nutmeg A little dab of cinnamon give that a good mixing and stirring up now it calls for two large eggs and the Gladys and the girls they ain't got large eggs so we're going to go with two mediums to make one large go ahead and put them in there possums will get that part of it don't do that at the house because you'll get in trouble to that we're going to add 3 4 cup of sugar and then we're going to stir really really well until it is smooth and you can see them good yellows in there from them homemade chicken eggs they'd be making this stuff extra special to that we're going to add some butter you gotta have it I don't want it hot butter I just want it melted go ahead and stir that up so just beat it with that whisk I'd say about two minutes it'll make everything lighter and smoother as we go along it's time to put the what the dry in the wet just rake her off in there but something that would really help it would be some carbonated fluid of some kind because carbonation is going to help things jump up so what would that be today let's make good old Mountain Dew Mountain Dew because I just love the flavor it brings we're going to go with about three-fourths of that cup right there just give it a stir now folks you'll find out I guess I could do it this way the camera could see it you'll find out when you make this you may have to add a little more flour or a little more Mountain Dew because we want this batter to be where it'll really cling to them apples really well after we get everything mixed in so don't be afraid if you have to add something and we'll see that consistency here in just a minute when we get through but I'm thinking right now would be a good time to fold them apples in there because remember there is a little juice on them apples so let's go ahead and get all them apples in there we don't want to lose none of that flavor foreign and cooking them just brings out so much more flavor than just using them straight in the Fritter now when we go to try to fry this I want it to be able to stay in the spoon so we can rake it down in there if you're trying to spread that out all over them apples ain't even going to stay in the batter so we need something to make it cling a little better so we're going to incorporate a little more flour till we get it to that desired consistency while you're mixing this up and getting it to that desired consistency get you a frying vessel of somewhat we're going to use a dutch oven today and you can do this in a skillet now you can see that's sort of staying on there sort of like we want so we're going to go with that yeah that'll fry up right there I don't want it to run off the spoon when you pull it up you can see it tries to separate there just a little but you want it to be able to just well let me get you a real spoon I'll show you what I'm talking about if we have any I don't have any tablespoon now you can make fritters to any size you want but when you pick that up that's going to be about enough right there we want it to be able to run off in that fire kind of like a little thinner than peanut butter maybe yeah a whole lot thicker in pancake batter got okay so we're pretty close and the way that you can tell that you got them just the way you want them if they're too dark they burn if they chew it in the middle they ain't cooked enough well we are ready to fry we are at 350 degrees I'll call this a shallow fry more than a deep fry we got about that much oil in there which is I'd say three quarters of an inch don't overload the spoon because we want to be able when these get in there sort of give them a little Pat to just sort of spread them out just a little they're going to cook more evenly that away so get him down in there spread him out just a tad because a Fritter if you go to thinking about it they're pretty flat about two to three minutes aside and we'll be in the Fritter business but Bertha's burning my leg Mage you're gonna have to look out buddy you know it's like when you go to cooking pancakes and you see it go to bubbling on the back side coming through you know popping up them little air bubbles that's when you know it's probably pretty close to getting done don't don't think that you can't turn them at one time you can turn them two or three times I just want them good and golden brown and done in the middle light and fluffy because remember this is sort of like a donut and when you're talking about fritters one of the first fritters that I ever remember eating in my life was a corn Fritter it didn't have all this sweetness and cinnamon in the dough it was more of a flour and milk mixture with some egg and then they just put corn in it like whole corn cut right off the cob fried up wasn't bad pretty good eating get you through the times when you thought your belly button was rubbing a blister on your backbone good foreign weave takes me back to the third grade Miss holloman's down there quarter pecking on that glass getting me one of them apple fritters I want you to look at that they are oh so pretty I'm gonna let them cool off just a minute I want to go back through this deal remember when you get them in that Skillet you see me sort of spread them out there a little because if you don't they'll puff up too big and they don't get done in the middle so try to just give them a little bitty searing across there with a spoon to spread them out and you'd be pretty good out and come back over here folks and got me some powdered sugar and some Fireball whiskey and mixed it up now if you don't want to go that route and you don't have to you can use half and half or you can use milk something like that you can even put a little vanilla in there this is just straight powdered sugar and Fireball whiskey so Mage the rest of them are still in timeout don't tell them you got a bite is that okay mate says that'll work it didn't have no apple in it which one I think it's going to be this one they should be a little crunch there you should get the sweetness of the Apple but you should get this icing see here all them holes in there that's our that's fluffy you need like a Fritter Shuffle first we're gonna who brought the Apple into the world Johnny Appleseed we're gonna do the Johnny Jump Up Appleseed dance okay Johnny wait up get them apples and Eagle put them in his pocket put them in the spot jump up chair put them in his pocket now if y'all want to join me in this get some at aerobic blood flowing cause we're gonna eat all them fritters we don't need it I promise you well folks so easy to put together so good you make them a breakfast time suppertime dinner time anytime is the right time for Fritter time yes it is hear that I can hear old Santa Claus offer in the Denison got them reindeer he is getting closer folks it is time to shop for Christmas and we got a lot of stuff going on the website check it out there's a lot of stuff there but also that new smoker remember it it is there so folks we'll be in Elko Nevada the last week of January first part of February check that out on the website Cowboy Poetry Gathering but we got two cooking workshops but hey it's a great time of the year it is I Love Christmas I love the holidays loving to be able to cook for the people I love and that is that woman behind the camera Shannon I love you so much now remember as always and it is with great privilege that I do I tip my hat to all our service men and women and all the veterans who have kept that old flag of flying over Camp God bless you and we won't forget you we won't to the rest of you come on in here come on get close gotta squeeze you extra hard that way make more room for their fritters it is God bless you each and every one and I'll see you down the best apple fritter Fireball trailer I don't like to overcrowd the boat so let me move him over a little it flies right on my eyeball I won't have another bite up there but also that new smoker remember it it is there the sun got me foreign I tried to hold it off but I couldn't do it yeah you never know when one of them northers will blow in and it might be like down below zero and you'd be horseback out there looking for a yearling you'd be thinking to yourself man I wish I had a fire and just to happen you had one in your pocket you did so you get off and you use a match and you build a fire with it it'll keep you warm huh foreignyou know this is a fall classic it is what apple fritters but we're doing the adult version yeah you heard me right we have a secret ingredient that we're going to put in it but I'm not going to tell you come on into camping I'll show you what's happening hey y'all come in here and be real quiet okay I want you to look I've got the evidence see here we have a Varma a creature so if you see a little mouse Scurry by on the way don't think nothing about it and we have a mouse dog somewhere I don't know where he went where is the Schnauzer he's supposed to be trained to catch them Critters but he's on holiday I guess but what are we talking about today something that I used to go to miss holloman's donut shop when I was in the third grade I'd walk over there apple fritters now she made them things as a that big around and for a quarter you could get one of them and for another quarter you could get some chocolate milk and oh my gosh you talk about something good but I've always wanted to recreate them and maybe have them as an adult version because them things is tasty and they're all so easy and what apples are in season it is fall I used to be able to juggle but now I don't I just that's right just give it a try I want to see it that's it right there that's about as far as it's gonna go I'm gonna keep my day job instead of going to the circus so when you think of apple fritters and there's so many people they want to use a Golden Delicious or a Gala apple or something like that folks we need this green apple which is called a granny smith because it's going to hold up a little better but also it's got a little tartness but we're going to combat that with some sugar and some cinnamon some other spices so let's just get started we need to peel these if the peeler will work and my grandmother used to take a paring knife and she would go all around an apple and never break the chain and she'd say that is how you peel an apple you might want to introduce our special guest we do have special guests up here today we got whiskey not the kind you drink whiskey the Doberman and the Pyrenees Josie we are so glad that they come to visit us today and both of them are scared of the Schnauzer I've never figured that deal out the rest of them are in Thailand in the pickup over there because there's a lot of Angry Words being spoken so this is their property so we're going to let them stay and be at home looky there I finally made it Grandma all one I did and I'm gonna tell you something on the ranch I saved them green apple peelings I did because we'd make Poor Man's apple pie which is just Apple peeling's boiled down and get them a little softer some sugar some apple cider vinegar and a pie crust and a little cornstarch to thicken it of butter in this Skillet and we're gonna cook them first because so many people they just cut them apples and go ahead and put them right in the batter no folks we got to give them some more flavor I don't want to cook them plump to death but I do want to soften them just a little so let's just get them in here we're going to let them saute for a little bit in this butter we're going to add some goodness to it well been on about three minutes I have I wanted to saute them there in that butter until you begin to see them to Brown a little and you can I want to ask you right now I'm just going to go ahead and ask y'all if you just wandered up to camp and you've seen that wouldn't you think it's fried potatoes oh yeah you're making me hungry it is but I do like a Fritter so we're gonna go on with it when they begin to Brown a little white sugar brown sugar go ahead and go to mixing that really well we keep having people trying to jump out of the situation when you get that mixed up how many of you remember that old country and western singer Jerry Lee Lewis you remember him Shane yes and what songs did he sing do you remember Chantilly Lace uh-huh but there was something else too he would be pounding that piano and he would sing that song and he's like speaking of fire folks remember I told you this was like the adult version of fritters Fireball whiskey so we got him really coated well with the brown sugar and the cinnamon you got the little bottle uh-huh this is what's called travel uh-huh so give them a little splashing in here it's what we would call deglazing the skillet now if y'all are be thinking to yourself oh I can't make this got alcohol in it alcohol just cooked out I like y'all so we're gonna add a little more I do but I just want this to cook down a little bit to where we don't have so much syrup in there but we're getting all them apples flavored our whiskey has about cooked down it is but we need to give it a little shaking of cinnamon and look at this good liquid in here I mean it is that stuff right there if you had a hot biscuit soft that up oh my goodness gracious so we're going to call these about done but we can't use them hot folks we have to just let them come to room temperature so I'm gonna set them over here and let them cool off let's make the batter for it I don't know can I carry it that far whoa whoa it is hot don't take long to look at it well let's get started on the dry ingredients for the batter we have a cup and a half of flour we're going to add some baking powder because we want it to pop just a tad a tad bit of salt which is that much a little bit of nutmeg A little dab of cinnamon give that a good mixing and stirring up now it calls for two large eggs and the Gladys and the girls they ain't got large eggs so we're going to go with two mediums to make one large go ahead and put them in there possums will get that part of it don't do that at the house because you'll get in trouble to that we're going to add 3 4 cup of sugar and then we're going to stir really really well until it is smooth and you can see them good yellows in there from them homemade chicken eggs they'd be making this stuff extra special to that we're going to add some butter you gotta have it I don't want it hot butter I just want it melted go ahead and stir that up so just beat it with that whisk I'd say about two minutes it'll make everything lighter and smoother as we go along it's time to put the what the dry in the wet just rake her off in there but something that would really help it would be some carbonated fluid of some kind because carbonation is going to help things jump up so what would that be today let's make good old Mountain Dew Mountain Dew because I just love the flavor it brings we're going to go with about three-fourths of that cup right there just give it a stir now folks you'll find out I guess I could do it this way the camera could see it you'll find out when you make this you may have to add a little more flour or a little more Mountain Dew because we want this batter to be where it'll really cling to them apples really well after we get everything mixed in so don't be afraid if you have to add something and we'll see that consistency here in just a minute when we get through but I'm thinking right now would be a good time to fold them apples in there because remember there is a little juice on them apples so let's go ahead and get all them apples in there we don't want to lose none of that flavor foreign and cooking them just brings out so much more flavor than just using them straight in the Fritter now when we go to try to fry this I want it to be able to stay in the spoon so we can rake it down in there if you're trying to spread that out all over them apples ain't even going to stay in the batter so we need something to make it cling a little better so we're going to incorporate a little more flour till we get it to that desired consistency while you're mixing this up and getting it to that desired consistency get you a frying vessel of somewhat we're going to use a dutch oven today and you can do this in a skillet now you can see that's sort of staying on there sort of like we want so we're going to go with that yeah that'll fry up right there I don't want it to run off the spoon when you pull it up you can see it tries to separate there just a little but you want it to be able to just well let me get you a real spoon I'll show you what I'm talking about if we have any I don't have any tablespoon now you can make fritters to any size you want but when you pick that up that's going to be about enough right there we want it to be able to run off in that fire kind of like a little thinner than peanut butter maybe yeah a whole lot thicker in pancake batter got okay so we're pretty close and the way that you can tell that you got them just the way you want them if they're too dark they burn if they chew it in the middle they ain't cooked enough well we are ready to fry we are at 350 degrees I'll call this a shallow fry more than a deep fry we got about that much oil in there which is I'd say three quarters of an inch don't overload the spoon because we want to be able when these get in there sort of give them a little Pat to just sort of spread them out just a little they're going to cook more evenly that away so get him down in there spread him out just a tad because a Fritter if you go to thinking about it they're pretty flat about two to three minutes aside and we'll be in the Fritter business but Bertha's burning my leg Mage you're gonna have to look out buddy you know it's like when you go to cooking pancakes and you see it go to bubbling on the back side coming through you know popping up them little air bubbles that's when you know it's probably pretty close to getting done don't don't think that you can't turn them at one time you can turn them two or three times I just want them good and golden brown and done in the middle light and fluffy because remember this is sort of like a donut and when you're talking about fritters one of the first fritters that I ever remember eating in my life was a corn Fritter it didn't have all this sweetness and cinnamon in the dough it was more of a flour and milk mixture with some egg and then they just put corn in it like whole corn cut right off the cob fried up wasn't bad pretty good eating get you through the times when you thought your belly button was rubbing a blister on your backbone good foreign weave takes me back to the third grade Miss holloman's down there quarter pecking on that glass getting me one of them apple fritters I want you to look at that they are oh so pretty I'm gonna let them cool off just a minute I want to go back through this deal remember when you get them in that Skillet you see me sort of spread them out there a little because if you don't they'll puff up too big and they don't get done in the middle so try to just give them a little bitty searing across there with a spoon to spread them out and you'd be pretty good out and come back over here folks and got me some powdered sugar and some Fireball whiskey and mixed it up now if you don't want to go that route and you don't have to you can use half and half or you can use milk something like that you can even put a little vanilla in there this is just straight powdered sugar and Fireball whiskey so Mage the rest of them are still in timeout don't tell them you got a bite is that okay mate says that'll work it didn't have no apple in it which one I think it's going to be this one they should be a little crunch there you should get the sweetness of the Apple but you should get this icing see here all them holes in there that's our that's fluffy you need like a Fritter Shuffle first we're gonna who brought the Apple into the world Johnny Appleseed we're gonna do the Johnny Jump Up Appleseed dance okay Johnny wait up get them apples and Eagle put them in his pocket put them in the spot jump up chair put them in his pocket now if y'all want to join me in this get some at aerobic blood flowing cause we're gonna eat all them fritters we don't need it I promise you well folks so easy to put together so good you make them a breakfast time suppertime dinner time anytime is the right time for Fritter time yes it is hear that I can hear old Santa Claus offer in the Denison got them reindeer he is getting closer folks it is time to shop for Christmas and we got a lot of stuff going on the website check it out there's a lot of stuff there but also that new smoker remember it it is there so folks we'll be in Elko Nevada the last week of January first part of February check that out on the website Cowboy Poetry Gathering but we got two cooking workshops but hey it's a great time of the year it is I Love Christmas I love the holidays loving to be able to cook for the people I love and that is that woman behind the camera Shannon I love you so much now remember as always and it is with great privilege that I do I tip my hat to all our service men and women and all the veterans who have kept that old flag of flying over Camp God bless you and we won't forget you we won't to the rest of you come on in here come on get close gotta squeeze you extra hard that way make more room for their fritters it is God bless you each and every one and I'll see you down the best apple fritter Fireball trailer I don't like to overcrowd the boat so let me move him over a little it flies right on my eyeball I won't have another bite up there but also that new smoker remember it it is there the sun got me foreign I tried to hold it off but I couldn't do it yeah you never know when one of them northers will blow in and it might be like down below zero and you'd be horseback out there looking for a yearling you'd be thinking to yourself man I wish I had a fire and just to happen you had one in your pocket you did so you get off and you use a match and you build a fire with it it'll keep you warm huh foreign\n"