5 Tips You Need To Know To Make Restaurant-Worthy Fried Pickles At Home

When talking about the perfect bar foods, fried pickles have undeniably earned a spot in the conversation. But when it comes to making them from scratch, things can get tricky. From what pan to use to which oil is best to battered versus breaded, nailing down a method for fried pickle perfection would usually take some trial and error. Instead, we skipped the hassle and reached out to the experts at Fat Patty's for their best tips and tricks for making restaurant-quality fried pickles in your own kitchen.

With five locations across West Virginia and Kentucky and another opening soon in New Jersey, Fat Patty's churns out perfect fried pickles on a daily basis. Having opened its doors in the early 2000s, Fat Patty's is known for delectable burgers and other classic American cuisine served in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Chef David Jutras as well as the restaurant's Senior VP of Operations, Erin Colombi, weighed in on how to make the very best fried pickles at home. Here are there top tips.

The first tip shared by the experts from Fat Patty's was to dry the pickles. Lay them flat on a layer of paper towels, then sandwich a second layer of paper towels on top, patting gently to dab up the excess moisture. According to Colombi and Jutras, removing the brine and moisture from the outer surface of the pickles "helps the batter adhere better and prevents splattering." One of the best parts of any fried food is the crispy coating, so making sure that the batter actually sticks to your fried pickles is crucial. Starting with dry pickles gives the liquidy batter something to grip onto rather than a slick, wet surface where it'll slide right off.

When moisture hits hot oil, it can cause a violent splattering reaction due to the water rapidly heating into steam. This reaction can be potentially dangerous if any of the hot oil touches bare skin or catches fire, not to mention the pain of wiping up tiny grease droplets from everything within a few feet of your frying pan. So not only is it important to work with dry pickles when frying so that the coating sticks better, but it can also prevent potential injury or grease fire.

Oil temperature is one the most important variables when it comes to deep frying food. Too low, and the batter gets oily and soggy. Too high, and it gets burnt and unevenly cooked. So what is the right temperature for perfectly crisp fried pickles? According to Colombi and Jutras, around 350-degrees Fahrenheit is the sweet (or in this case, salty) spot. This is the right temperature for an even cook that will yield pickles that aren't greasy.

You may already be very experienced with frying food at home, but that doesn't mean you can just eyeball the temperature of your oil. And even if you know some DIY tricks for testing if frying oil is ready, you still risk a frying mishap without the accuracy of a thermometer. Keep in mind that during the frying process, the temperature of the oil will lower once food is added to it. A thermometer is an essential tool in this case, helping ensure consistency between batches while frying.

The crunchy coating is arguably the best part of any fried food, and fried pickles are no different. The pros at Fat Patty's suggest a few different steps to ensure the crispiest fried pickles ever. First, start with just flour.

The reason you start with a plain flour coating is that it creates a dry surface for the batter to cling to. After the layer of flour, Colombi and Jutras say to use a pre-dip, followed by a final coating of breading. Pre-dip is usually a wet batter that can be made from things like eggs, buttermilk, beer, and even soda water. The final layer of breading could be seasoned panko or Italian breadcrumbs, corn flakes, or something less traditional like crushed pretzels or Ritz crackers. Whatever you use, you'll want to make sure you season both the pre-dip and the crunchy breading to maximize flavor.

Although a whole batch of fried pickles may technically fit into your deep-fryer or frying pan, you could end up with an unevenly cooked blob if you fry everything at once. Colombi and Jutras told Tasting Table, "Avoid overcrowding the pan to maintain the oil temperature and ensure the pickles fry evenly." Since the oil temperature will drop as soon as anything is added to the oil, the less pickles added to the fryer, the faster the temperature will get back to that ideal 350-degrees Fahrenheit.

Frying in batches also has the added benefit of giving you the opportunity to snack while you work — for research purposes only, of course. Let the first batch you drop into the oil be a test batch. Is the batter seasoned enough? Are the pickles too greasy or overdone? This is the opportunity to tweak anything you think might be getting in the way of your perfect pickles.

Preserving the freshly fried crunch of your pickles is the final important step in your fried pickle journey. Immediately after removing the pickles from the hot frying oil, Colombi and Jutras recommend resting them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil and prevent soggy disappointment. After all, a fried pickle must be crispy in order to be considered perfect. If you have a wire cooling rack on hand, grab that too: Once you've dabbed the excess oil off your pickles, rest them on a cooling rack with a layer of paper towels beneath it. This baking sheet tip keeps fried foods extra crispy by preventing steam from getting trapped under one side and making the breading soggy.

Crunchy, salty, and savory — a good fried pickle is the ideal partner to a cold beer or cocktail, and the definition of kicking a meal off on a high note. Put these tips to the test and enjoy these briney fried morsels at home. Serve alongside an herby aioli, marinara sauce, hot honey, or a spicy chipotle ranch just like at Fat Patty's.