I have discovered (thanks to my neighbor telling me) that the key to crispy tater tots (and I assume fries) is to buy the ones labeled "extra crispy". I never noticed them before.

Thanks for the tip. Deeper coating of oil? I’ve tried leaving the regular ones in the oven longer but they’re only marginally crisper.

I don't know what they do to them, but the "extra crispy" ones really are extra crispy.

Not sure if tots are the same, but frozen fries usually come with directions for the oven or to fry in oil. A couple years ago my oven was broken, so I tried using vegetable oil in a stainless steel pan on the stovetop. They were super crispy and not oily at all. I think it's kind of the same effect as double-frying, even though the second fry is direct from frozen. I've never achieved the same crispiness in the oven, even with the extra crispy.

My keys to achieving crispy fried foods:
1) Invest in a good thermometer to measure/regulate oil temps.
2) Don’t overcrowd your pan or deep fryer. This is the biggest mistake most folks make. Adding more chicken/shrimp etc screws up the oil ambient temperature.
3) For all foods, don’t disturb them while frying!
4) Double dip. Start off with your flour mixture. Then dip into your egg/milk wash. Then dip in your flour mixture.
5) Speaking of flour mixture, my other ingredients vary based upon the taste that I want to achieve, and total cooking time. Shrimp cooks quickly. So, I gravitate towards panko breadcrumbs. Mainly because panko burns easily. Chicken takes longer to fry. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or corn meal ( or a combo) works well.
I hope that this helps!

Grilled chicken thighs marinated in a lime-jalapeno-cilantro-chipotle mix. Either beans or salad on the side.
There's a chance this turns into tacos in the next two hours when I start the grill.

Turkey burgers on the grill, baked beans and Pringles. For the grandchildren.

We were lazy today... Rotisserie chicken and corn on the cob.

I was supposed to go out with a friend, but she canceled at the last minute. Honestly, I'm not upset, other than I had to scramble to figure out what I was getting for dinner. I ended up picking up Qdoba simply because it was easy and I haven't had it in months.

A BIG (Elaine Benes type) pink salad. Pink because I made a vinaigrette from fresh strawberries and I also added pickled red onions I made on Sunday and those are bright pink.

Home smoked 11 hours pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw. Photo taken at about 8 hours.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea2b30d2f6.jpg

Do you have a recipe for your strawberry vinaigrette? I’d like to try one.

Not really a recipe but in the blender I tossed about 6 ripe strawberries, maybe 1 tbs honey, a couple tbs apple cider vinegar, and blended it well. Salt & pepper. With blender running I slowly added about 5-6 tbs olive oil. All to taste. I felt mine was a little tart so maybe I would use a different, milder vinegar ....maybe white balsamic.
It was pinker...don't know why it didn't photograph right.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1d092dfd2d.jpg

Second sentence unnecessary, I would have enjoyed that meal!

That's an interesting combo, I wouldn't have thought the strawberries and onions would play nice together.

The red onions are super mild when pickled. Salad also had blue cheese, dried cranberries and slivered almonds.
One of my favorite combos is spinach salad with raspberry dressing and that has bacon and red onions. There I think the raw red onions can be a bit harsh unlike pickled ones.