Deep Fry

Russet potatoes are the classic choice for baking but also are best for frying. Because they’re high in starch and low in moisture, they make crisper fries. And don’t refrigerate potatoes for frying; the sugars that accumulate cause very rapid browning and the fries can turn bitter. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

The fritter tradition harks back to West Africa, where frying in deep oil is one of the major cooking techniques. In the African Atlantic world, fritters can be served as appetizers, as a vegetable, and even as a dessert, as they are here. My maternal Grandma Jones had a way with fritters. She would prepare them from the overripe bananas that she found at low prices at her local greengrocer's.

Japan meets Morocco in this inventive dish. For a light coating, don’t overmix the tempura batter: A few lumps of flour are O.K. Find preserved lemons at a specialty foods store, or use the grated peel of a regular lemon.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Fermented soybean paste-called miso-is the key ingredient here.

These fritters are called akara in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, and akla or koosé in Ghana. They're eaten as a snack, side dish, or breakfast, served with a hot pepper relish (ata). We think they make a great hors d'oeuvre. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 9 hr (includes soaking time)

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 10 min

Food editor Melissa Roberts-Matar figured out what makes The Harrison's clams so special: the lightness of the coating. That's achieved by draining the buttermilk-soaked clams well and shaking off the excess coating after you dredge the clams. One restaurant touch that we loved was the delicious addition of fried thin lemon rounds and parsley sprigs; another was Joey Campanaro's accompanying Lemon Coriander Aïoli .

Juana Vázquez-Gómez of Redondo Beach, California, writes: "Growing up in Cuernavaca, just outside Mexico City, I remember my grandmother cooking elaborate Mexican meals every day. My mother continued that tradition, but not in such an all-consuming manner. For her it was a great joy to plan a menu and then invite people to help with the preparation. "The women in my life taught me the beauty of a good meal. I still use many of their recipes today, but unlike my grandmother I don't spend an entire day in the kitchen. Fortunately, my husband and kids like to cook, so I've found a balance between my grandmother's time-intensive recipes and my mother's practicality. " Juana serves these fritters for dessert, but they make a great breakfast dish, too.

In this clever dish from chef Michel Richard at Citronelle in Washington, D.C., fried sea scallops coated with fine strands of phyllo pastry resemble porcupines.

(Klejner) Every year research editor Karen Hallal serves these spiced diamond-shaped cookies for dessert on Christmas Eve. They are fried like doughnuts and coated with powdered sugar. The recipe for klejner, popular all over Scandinavia, was given to Karen by her Danish mother.

(Chicken Wing Braised with Soy Sauce, Cinnamon, and Star Anise)

Called sfingi and alternately sfina and zeppole, these classic southern Italian fritters are made from pasta bignè, or cream puff dough. Since there is no sugar in the dough, rolling the fritters in cinnamon sugar gives them the right touch of sweetness.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This starter gets a double dose of cayenne — in the cornmeal coating for the shrimp and in the garlicky mayonnaise dip.