Octodogs revisited: Fry hard
Posted By Biggie On February 23, 2008 @ 5:07 pm In for kids, meat, tips, tutorial or how to | 39 Comments
[1] 
Some Japanese readers commented on my [2] article on how to make an octodog (octopus-shaped hot dog) that deep frying actually gives the most attractive results. I’d passed over oil-based cooking methods in an effort to produce a healthier octodog, so I decided to give them a go here for the sake of completeness. Japanese arabiki sausages with natural casings (in the foreground) showed the most pronounced difference over boiling — the deep-fried version has fantastically curled legs that really do evoke an octopus. [3] (Click for the full review.)
The octodogs to the left of the chopstick below were pan-fried with about a tablespoon of oil, and those on the right were deep fried (see the [2] earlier entry for sausage types). Compared to boiling, both frying methods produced a crispier exterior that was nice in the larger hot dog, but unpleasant in the smallest cocktail sausage. My texture-sensitive three-year-old wouldn’t eat the arabiki sausage legs and the smallest cocktail sausage, though, saying that they were too hard for him.
[4] 
Compare the fried versions above with the water-cooked versions below (pan-fried with 1/2 cup water on the left, boiled on the right). While it’s true that deep frying produces more attractively curled octodog tentacles, I still prefer boiling them in water for health reasons. Boiling doesn’t add oil and even renders off some of the fat from the cut sausages. I already feel that processed meats aren’t the healthiest lunchtime option, so I’ll take every advantage I can get!
[5] 
FURTHER READING:
- [6] Decorative Food on Lunch in a Box (main page)
- [2] How to make an “octodog” (hot dog octopus)
- [7] Crab & rabbit-shaped sausage lunches
- [8] How to make apple rabbits
- [9] How to make decorative banana wedges
- [10] Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews
- [11]
- [12]
- [13]
- [14]
- [15]
Article printed from Lunch in a Box: Building a Better Bento: http://lunchinabox.net
URL to article: http://lunchinabox.net/2008/02/23/octodogs-revisited-fry-hard/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchinabox/2287190156/
[2] article on how to make an octodog (octopus-shaped hot dog): http://lunchinabox.net/2008/02/22/how-to-make-an-octodog-octopus-hot-dog/
[3] (Click for the full review.): http://lunchinabox.net/2008/02/23/octodogs-revisited-fry-hard/#more-368
[4] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchinabox/2286402453/
[5] Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchinabox/2282966468/
[6] Decorative Food on Lunch in a Box (main page): http://lunchinabox.net/recipes/decorative-food/
[7] Crab & rabbit-shaped sausage lunches: http://lunchinabox.net/2006/08/21/sausage-animals-mini-chikuwa-x-3/
[8] How to make apple rabbits: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/12/13/how-to-make-apple-rabbits/
[9] How to make decorative banana wedges: http://lunchinabox.net/2008/01/12/how-to-make-decorative-banana-wedges/
[10] Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews: http://lunchinabox.net/top-tips/
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