COLUMN: Game day cheesy
I’m sure I don’t have to remind you about the big game coming up this weekend. The Aggies are playing BYU, and from what I hear it could be pretty exciting.
Unfortunately it’s not a home game, so many of us will probably be watching from our living room couches. On the bright side, that means we will probably also be having some rad game day snacks, right?
One of my favorite classic party snacks is mozzarella sticks, however, they aren’t cheap, and if you’re having friends over they might break the bank. This is why I recommend making your own. It doesn’t take much time — especially if you make it a team effort — and the ingredient list is a cinch. Not to mention, they taste better made fresh rather than buying them frozen or after sitting under a heat lamp all day.
Mozzarella Sticks
16 string cheese sticks, opened and cut in half
½ cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)
1 -2 cups oil for frying (canola or vegetable work best)
marinara sauce for dipping
The easiest way to make a lot of these quickly is to set everything up before you get started. I like to use shallow plastic containers, but any shallow bowls or dishes you have will work. In the first dish put the flour, this is called a dredge.
In the second dish whisk the eggs and milk. And finally, in the third dish mix together the bread crumbs and parsley. The parsley is optional, because it really doesn’t change the flavor profile, it’s just adds color.
To start, coat each cheese stick completely in the flour and set it on the plate.
Next, coat each flour covered cheese stick in the egg mixture, being careful to let excess egg drip off before placing it in the bowl of bread crumbs. Roll the cheese stick in the bread crumbs, coating it completely. For these two steps I usually just do one cheese stick at a time, rolling it first in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs and then placing it on the plate before starting the next one.
Once all of the cheese sticks are coated and placed in a single layer on the plate, place the plate, uncovered, in the freezer for about an hour (or overnight) to let the topping harden.
When you’re ready to fry the cheese sticks fill a small frying pan with 1-2 inches of oil and heat on medium until the oil reaches 350 F. You can use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, but if you don’t have one let the oil warm for around 10 minutes before you start frying the cheese sticks. Always use caution when heating oil; if it begins to smoke, the oil is too hot.
While the oil is heating, prepare a plate with a few layers of paper towels to put the hot cheese sticks on.
Once you think the oil is hot enough, place one test cheese stick in the pan and let it cook until it gets golden brown on the outside. This should take about 2-4 minutes. If it takes much more or less time than that, you probably need to change the heat setting on the stove and wait a few minutes for the oil temperature to adjust. The cheese sticks need to be in the hot oil long enough to get the cheese melted, which will take a few minutes because thye’re frozen.
Fry the remaining cheese sticks, flipping them and making sure they are golden on the outside and melted on the inside. Use a fork or slotted spoon or spatula to remove the cooked cheese sticks, and place them on the paper towel-lined plate to drain.
For large quantities of cheese sticks or have wait time before serving, you can heat your oven to 200 F and put the cooked cheese sticks in there to keep them warm until ready to serve.
If you aren’t planning on eating them right away, or if you want to make them in advance for a party or a rainy day, cook the sticks and lay them out on a baking sheet or plate and freeze them for three hours.
Once they are thoroughly frozen, put them in a Ziploc bag and freeze until they are ready to be used. When removing them from the freezer, simply bake them at 450 F until warm and crispy.
– Jennelle Clark is a senior and psychology major who runs the food blog foodislikeart.blogspot.com. She loves making and eating food, and sharing it with you.