You've Been Making Onion Rings Wrong Your Whole Life

Onion rings are kind of the perfect side to a burger. They're even good on a burger. But this twist will take your onion rings to a new whole new level.

Before you can improve on your onion rings, though, you really need to make sure you're frying them up correctly in the first place. Frying is something of an art, and if the oil is too hot or too cool, it can cause issues. Overcrowding the basket is another mistake to avoid as well. Finally, it's important to use an oil with a high smoking point like peanut or canola so you can fry at the right temperature. Not to mention, these oils are neutral, so they will not flavor your onion rings like olive or avocado oils would (via Taste of Home).

Once you have your frying technique perfected, you can level up your onion rings by making bacon onion rings. That's right — we went there. If you haven't been wrapping your rings in bacon, you've been doing it all wrong. The best part is that making these wrapped onion rings is even easier than regular onion rings if you've making them from scratch, and if you're using premade, you're just adding one easy extra step.

To make homemade bacon-wrapped onion rings, Delish recommends skipping the breading step entirely and just wrapping a strip of bacon around two doubled up raw onion rings. Use each strip to wrap around the entire ring until it is covered and the center is open, then bake them at 400 degrees on a sheet tray for about 30 minutes until crisp. If you want to level up even more, coat the bacon in a mixture of brown sugar and cayenne before wrapping. 

For an even easier version of bacon-wrapped rings, take the Food Network's advice, and use premade frozen onion rings. Just wrap 'em up, and bake them in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes. 

If you prefer to fry your onion rings for an even crispier crunch, Allrecipes has you covered. They go the homemade route, dipping the bacon-wrapped onions in batter, so the bacon would be inside rather than on the outside of the rings.

With so many options for making bacon onion rings, you can really choose what works best for you and what you have on hand. Regardless of the method, it should result in a delicious take on a classic side every time.