cover image Southern Living The Way to Fry: Fresh, Fabulous Recipes for the Modern Southern Cook

Southern Living The Way to Fry: Fresh, Fabulous Recipes for the Modern Southern Cook

Norman King. Oxmoor House (Hachette, dist.), $22.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-8487-3818-1

King, Southern Living's in-house frying expert, checks in with a genuinely heartstopping collection of over 100 fried delicacies that range from the expected (classic fried chicken, fried turkey, fried green tomatoes, beignets, Chicken Fried Steak) to the sinfully decadent (Fried Confetti Corn calls for 8 bacon slices, %C2%BD cup of half and half, and an entire 8oz package of cream cheese) to the outrageous (Deep-fried candy corn, Deep-Fried Pecan Pie, Deep-Fried Jack and Coke%E2%80%94a bourbon ball drizzled with a cola reduction). Purists will appreciate King's labor-intensive take on French fries that reward diners with a crisp outside and fluffy interior, while those new to frying will most definitely appreciate his advice on choosing proper oils as well as avoiding%E2%80%94or at least managing%E2%80%94grease fires, should they arise. King's a bona-fide registered dietician, but that doesn't seem to factor in to his recipes all that much. He does opt for healthier breading (panko is a favorite), but no nutritional information is provided for any of his recipes. Southern cooking traditionalists and those with a soft-spot for all things fried will have a field day with this accessible and valuable collection. (Mar.)