Deep-fried Twinkies. Deep-fried Snickers. Deep-fried Mars bars. Deep-fried Oreos. The list goes on. Since the 1990′s, the deep-fried junk food craze has taken the world by storm.
Initially meant as a joke, deep-fried Mars bars. originated in Scotland around 1995. Since then, the trend has caught on especially at American state fairs. This summer I had the good fortune of finding deep-fried Oreos along the boardwalk in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
The girl at the counter took out a container filled with refrigerated, battered Oreos, stuck a toothpick in each and dropped them in the deep fryer. After a few minutes, she scooped them out, drowned them in powdered sugar, and put it in a red-checkered paper tray for me, the kind crinkle-cut fries come in. How fun!
You may wonder how they took something this unhealthy and made it even worse. But wait until you taste it. At high temperatures, it’s like the crispy Oreo cookie releases its molecular bonds and turns into a warm, rich chocolate cake, with its white center turning into an ultra-sweet, whipped cream-like consistency. All surrounded by a fluffy cake-like batter. Topped with powdered sugar. Now, I’m not suggesting anyone eat like this all the time. All in moderation, I say—although I can certainly see myself eating these to the point of cardiac arrest.
Did you know there’s deep-fried Pepsi? Actually, it’s a Pepsi-flavored ball of dough dipped in Pepsi-flavored funnel cake batter and fried. Creative genius. If you want to try these good-but-so bad-for-you treats, the ChipShop in New York City has a variety of deep-fried chocolate treats. In fact, they invented the deep-fried Twinkie! Plus, they’ll fry up anything you bring in, even a salad.
Now, that’s healthy.
ChipShop
383 Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718.CHIP.SHOP
Mary was born and raised in New York City where her family owned restaurants. Instead of eating dirt on the playground, she ate duck blood, beef tripe and pork belly. She cut her teeth at The Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz-Carlton hotels, working with Barbra Streisand, Vanessa Williams, Michael Stipe, LeVar Burton, Jane Krakowski and others. Mary founded Girl Meets Food in 2009 as a cover for her debilitating addiction to fried chicken and was named Washington Post’s “Favorite Local Foodie.” After 13 years in hospitality, she started freelance writing for USA Today, The Washington Post, Eater, Washington City Paper, and more. Today, she provides digital marketing for hospitality clients as a content creator who’s contently creating content.