Deep Fry

This recipe, from my old sous chef Mitch SuDock, makes the best fried chicken ever. We used to make brined pork at JUdson Grill, and he started using the brine to make fried chicken for our nightly staff meal. The benefit of brine is that the batter keeps the seasoning from penetrating the meat, but the brine works its way in. Keep a close eye on the thermometer when frying; try to maintain a temperature of 300°F, which will cook the chicken through without burning the exterior.

Fried chicken in the South has many variations. Here, a buttermilk marinade helps keep the meat tender and juicy underneath crisp, golden skin; pepper-speckled gravy and bacon add savor and smoke.

The difference between good and bad tempura is the batter—the goal is a light, crisp coating that doesn't absorb oil when fried. There are several important steps for achieving this texture: 1). Don't overmix the batter. When you stir in the water, mix very gently just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don't attempt to work out the lumps, or the batter will become heavy. 2). Be sure the water you mix in is very cold. This will make a cold batter that will remain light when fried. 3). Mix the batter just before frying. Making it ahead will produce a heavy coating. 4). Dry the shrimp and veggies well before dipping them in the batter. This will help the batter adhere. 5). Be sure the oil is the proper temperature. If it's not hot enough, the batter will absorb oil before it cooks and the result will be greasy tempura. Tempura is traditionally served with boiled soba noodles and shredded carrots or daikon radish.

A comfort food menu just wouldn't be complete without something fried. In this addictive appetizer, slices of cooked artichoke are mixed into a beer batter and then dropped into bubbling oil.

These crunchy cornmeal morsels are nothing short of fried perfection.

Jah Sang Ho Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted from My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen: 100 Family Recipes and Life Lessons, by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. Oysters are one of those three fruits of the sea permissible to Buddhists and were therefore insisted upon for New Year lunch by my grandmother. Cooking them with a batter is traditional. Their name, ho see, sounds like the Chinese words for good business.

This nontraditional spin-off of an old-fashioned favorite makes a fun dinner-party appetizer plate or main course for more intimate gatherings.

These Mexican treats taste best when they are freshly fried (though we have given you some prep-ahead options), so make them when friends and family are gathered around for the holidays. Once the churros are made, everyone can get in on the action, dipping them in a choice of sugars and/or an easy warm chocolate sauce.

Dau Hu Rang Muoi Luke Nguyen: I enjoy the simplicity and texture of this dish—it's like a vegetarian's version of salt and pepper squid.

Spice up winter nights with this variation on a popular bar snack. In our version, the cream cheese is frozen and grated and the jalapeños are diced and folded into the batter to create a chunky, spicy fritter.

If fresh peas are out of season, look for high-quality frozen brands such as Cascadian Farm.

If you don't want to go to the trouble of roasting and peeling hazelnuts, you can substitute chopped walnuts here. Simply toast them briefly in a dry pan (and let them cool) to unlock their full flavor. This recipe offers a choice of finishing touches; if you serve the fritters in hot batches straight from the fryer, you can invite guests to dust their own with their choice of topping.

A plate of these sweet bites on the coffee table means only one thing: Christmas week has arrived. I have modified my original recipe to make a softer, wetter dough, which makes these a little less crisp, but the dough is a lot easier to work with.

There are several secrets to perfect, crisp cannoli: 1). You need the right proportion of filling to shell. In America, cannoli are often too large, with too much filling. These are tiny and delicate, perfect for eating in just a couple of bites. 2). Use high-quality ingredients. Sheep's-milk ricotta is the most traditional, but good fresh cow's-milk ricotta will work fine as well. Be sure to drain it for an hour to avoid watering down the filling. Good-quality candied orange peel is important as well. If you can't find any that's fresh and plump, substitute freshly grated orange zest. 3). Most importantly, don't fill the shells until you're ready to serve them. Both the filling and the shells can be made one day ahead, but to avoid soggy shells, don't pipe the filling into them until the last minute. If you don't have a pastry bag, a one-gallon freezer bag with the end snipped off can be used to pipe the filling.

Indian-flavored hush puppies? Try them—we're sure you'll get hooked.

For an elegant change of pace from store-bought tortilla chips, fry thin slices of plantain at home. When slipped into hot oil, the plantains curve into beautiful, long strips. Delicately flavored and impossibly crisp, these chips are great for dipping in guacamole.

A double layer of bread crumbs is the key to these extra-crispy homemade bar snacks.