How To Make Corn Dogs Right At Home

Our family’s memories from the County Fair usually revolve around food. Once we step foot within those gates, we head straight to our favorite fair food, and that favorite food is corn dogs. There’s nothing better in our book!

Unfortunately, the County Fair doesn’t come around as often as my family’s desire for a good corn dog does, and the boxed version you can find in the freezer section of the grocery store just aren’t the same. So, naturally, we’ve decided to start making corn dogs at home.

Are corn dogs nutritionally balanced? Some might argue that eating a corn dog is really ingesting useless calories and fat. However, when you make corn dogs at home you can control the ingredients, making this treat something you can make more nutritious, and delicious.

Consider the hot dog. Years ago you really didn’t have much choice when it came to choosing a hot dog. Now you can buy relatively healthy hot dogs, some vegetarian, some low fat, some made with chicken or turkey, and of course, some still made with beef and pork. Whatever your dietary desires are, there’s probably a hot dog to meet it. You can even choose a hot dog that’s stuffed with cheese. Read the labels and you’ll find out there are healthy options available to you now.

You can also design your own coating. You’ll want to stick with a few basic ingredients, like egg, flour, and cornmeal, but after that, the skies the limit. Throw in some herbs and spices if you want. This is where you can also cut back on salt if you prefer, and eliminate the added sugar. Yes, sugar is often added to pre-packaged corn dogs to get the kiddies to like them even more than they already do.

Now comes the part about the oil. When you get a corn dog at a county or state fair there’s no telling what kind of oil they’re using, or how long it’s been frying, or how many corn dogs have been in that batch. For those reasons alone you probably are already considering making your corn dogs at home. You’ll need to choose a good cooking oil that tolerates high heat. Look for nice, clear oils with high “smoke points.” Some recommended oils are refined safflower oil, refined sunflower oil, and peanut oil. Read the label on the oil bottle as this should tell you what you need to know.

If you are using a deep fryer, be sure to follow the instructions provided. You can also use a heavy pan or skillet, but you need a good cooking thermometer if you do. When the oil reaches about 375 degrees you are ready to fry. Be sure to only fry a few corn dogs at a time because if you crowd them, the oil will cool down and the corn dogs will get soggy sitting in the cooled oil. Drain the corn dogs on paper towels spread out over a rack. Let them cool down and serve with your favorite dipping choice.

When dark winter nights seem to be stretching out forever in front of you, and the County Fair is just a distant memory, recreate a few of those memories by making some of your favorite fair food. Get your recipes and your supplies together and treat your family to a little taste of summer!

See how to make corn dogs at home as well as other tasty and fun foods to make. Treat your family to their favorite fun food tonight!