The Flour You Should Consider Using For Fried Green Tomatoes

Countless fried foods make for great appetizers and sides, but among the most delicious of these are undoubtedly fried green tomatoes. The dish has become synonymous with the American South over the years, with many believing it's one of the best must-try southern comfort foods. While there are several different techniques for cooking fried green tomatoes, one incredibly underrated method is to use Wondra quick-mixing flour to get the job done. We spoke to Chef Billy Parisi, who, despite often using all-purpose flour for breading foods, believes Wondra flour has certain qualities that make it a legitimate contender for the job.

"It has lower protein, which prevents it from being overly chewy, making it super crispy," Parisi explained. Low protein is a huge selling point of Wondra, as it allows the breading on the fried green tomatoes — and other fried foods, for that matter – to retain its texture throughout the cooling process. However, that's not the only reason why Wondra is a great option. "It's a really fine meal, so it will stick to whatever you're breading, meaning it'll cover more surface area, so every part of the tomato will be breaded and crispy fried," Parisi shared.

Now, if you're interested in using Wondra flour for your fried green tomatoes, chances are you're looking for as crispy a version of the appetizer as possible. For this reason, it's important to use additional techniques to ensure a pristine crisp. For Chef Billy Parisi, this entails adding other key ingredients to the breading. "Personally, I add things like cornmeal for crispiness and flavor," Parisi revealed, "as well as cornstarch to make the crispy fried crust nice and airy and fluffy and super crispy." To maximize the benefit of cornmeal in particular, first dredge your green tomatoes in the Wondra instant flour, followed by buttermilk and eggs, and then use a combination of cornmeal and Wondra for the final layer.

There are also some techniques that will give you crispier fried green tomatoes that don't actually relate to the breading. For example, make the crispiest fried green tomatoes by simply salting and patting them dry before frying. The salt can extract excess moisture out of the tomatoes, leading to a more flavorful and less soggy final product.