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then dip it in the egg mixture. Allow the excess to drip back off, then roll it in the bread crumbs just before slipping it into the hot oil. Repeat with about a third of the olives. Fry until lightly brown, about 2 minutes, turning once or twice with a slotted metal spoon. Transfer to a fine-mesh wire rack and continue making more fried olives. Serve warm.

Variations: Substitute any stuffed pitted green olive you like—such as those stuffed with garlic, pimientos, almonds, or anchovies.

Fried Cheese with a Spiced Crust

Cheese threatens to liquefy under the slightest heat, so cheese strips need a thin dusting of flour before they’re battered and fried: the flour barrier seals in the gooey goodness. Panfrying these sticks lets the coating get deeply browned and extra crunchy. Makes 6 servings (or 12 pieces)

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

2 cups plain dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste

¼ teaspoon cayenne

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ pound frozen mozzarella, Jarlsberg, Cheddar, Emmentaler, or Gouda, cut into thin spears about 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and ½ inch thick (see Note)

Place the flour in a shallow soup bowl and set it on your work surface, the first in a lineup. Crack the eggs in a second soup bowl; lightly beat them with a fork. Finally, mix the bread crumbs, paprika, onion powder, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and the cayenne in a third soup plate.

Dip all the cheese sticks in the flour, just enough to give them a light coating. Set aside on a wire rack.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add the olive oil. Dip a coated cheese stick in the eggs, let the excess drip off, then roll it in the bread-crumb mixture to coat lightly. Slip it into the skillet, then quickly make a few more coated cheese sticks and get them into the skillet.

Fry undisturbed until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so the sticks don’t burn, lowering the heat if they brown too quickly. Flip and continue cooking until browned on both sides, about 2 more minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, then continue making more cheese sticks. Season with additional salt, if desired, and serve at once.

Note: Freezing helps cheese hold its shape as you cut and coat it. Place any of these cheeses in the freezer for about 20 minutes before you slice them.

Variations: You can also use soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, or cambozola. Freeze for 1 hour, then remove the rind and cut the firmed-up cheese into spears as indicated. Work quickly so they don’t defrost before they get into the hot oil.

This crust is also good on zucchini strips or summer squash rounds. Cut either into strips about the same size as the cheese strips before coating, dredging, and frying.

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The Art of Frying

Deep-frying is dehydration: all those pops and splatters are moisture being boiled off by the hot oil, leaving food crisp. But the process is unpredictable. Anyone who’s forgotten to water a garden for a few days knows exactly how relentless yet imprecise the trouble can be. That’s why most deep-fried things are coated: the batter dehydrates (and gets crunchy) while protecting the food within.

Remember these tips:

• Keep the oil’s temperature constant. With electric deep-fryers, this is no trick, since the thermostat regulates the heat. With a saucepan, monitor the temperature with a deep-frying thermometer clipped to the inside of the pan. The whole process is a matter of balance: adjust the heat so the oil’s temperature remains constant.

• Don’t crowd the pan. If you put too many things in at once, the oil’s temperature will drop and the crust won’t dehydrate. Instead, it will absorb oil without displacing moisture and end up gummy.

• Use a wire rack to drain food once it comes out of the oil. A deep-fried tidbit sitting on a paper towel will be a soggy deep-fried tidbit sitting on a wet paper towel. A fine-weave wire rack is preferable: the food drains without sinking through the slats.

Oil for Frying

Our preference is usually for