You Might Be Able To Deep Fry Your Publix Sandwiches

The art and allure of deep-fried foods have drawn many people to push the limits of this cooking technique. At its core, deep-frying is the act of cooking food that's submerged in hot oil or melted fat. Most commonly, people use cooking oils with a high smoke point to accomplish the task, such as safflower, sunflower, or peanut. For safe frying, you want to make sure that your oil stays around 360 degrees Fahrenheit — anything less may result in a soggy, barely fried item, and if your frying oil gets too hot, Gordon Ramsay says you can cool it down by turning off the stove and pouring in a little bit of oil at room temperature. 

And when it comes to what types of food you can fry, the sky's the limit. From traditional comfort foods like chicken wings, tenders, fish, and fries to the more outrageous fair foods like deep-fried bubblegum, Jell-O, and even sticks of butter, folks will find any reason to flash-fry their favorite foods. But, can the tried-and-true deep frying method be put to use for enhancing your take-out submarine sandwiches? One TikTok video is out there to prove that it can and should be done.

In a TikTok video, user @jrugs_official put that very challenge to the test, advising fellow users to "ask Publix to deep dry your sub instead of toasting." Although the idea of deep-frying a soft sandwich, chock-full of fresh lettuce and other moist veggies, may sound like a total disaster, the result depicted in the video actually looks quite appetizing. The Publix Italian sub sandwich — with layers of genoa salami, ham, capocollo, provolone cheese, and fixings — is good enough on its own. Still, @jrugs_official's video clearly shows the signature sandwich in enhanced form, with the unmistakable golden crust that comes from a quick flash in the fryer.

Commenters seemed very skeptical about a deep-fried Publix sub for a number of practical reasons. Some wondered if the bread would just soak up the heated oil and go soggy, while others seriously doubted that such an order would even be granted. "I've worked there for 3 years and I can say we don't do that," one alleged Publix employee said. Unsurprisingly, once you continue your adventure through the comments, you find out that the mad genius behind this concoction did the deep-frying himself: "Truth really is that I took an actual Italian Pub Sub And deep fried it for fun. So good!" he revealed. To achieve the golden and greasy feat at home, according to @jrugs_official, be sure to use a "proper flour and egg wash" on the exterior.