It’s summer! Across the country, state and county fairs are offering loads of delicious processed foods on sticks. Foods that kids love (and I hate to admit, some of us adults too). Today as my boys and I strolled through the brightly colored booths at the Ventura County Fair, we inhaled the decadence of fried fair treats, creating memories of summer. These are the memories we will eventually go back to on cold November afternoons, encouraging us to take out a box of frozen corn dogs in order to recapture the experience. Hey, why not? Frozen corn dogs are easy, inexpensive, delicious, and some brands are even made with healthy turkey dogs, right? But it’s what lies within the box, underneath the list of thirty seven, no thirty eight ingredients that should snap us back from our sweet memories of summer and encourage us to look for food outside of the box.
That being said, there is a way for corn dogs to be healthy. Yup, you heard me. Now I’m not talking fresh-farm-picked-vegetable healthy, but still real food and not just chemicals on a stick. These corn dogs simply contain turkey, seasonings, whole grain corn and other natural wholesome ingredients. In this article we will compare a nationally recognized boxed corn dog product with a wholesome Out of the Box Food alternative and let you be the judge. You’ll not only be able to offer your children the memories of summer without filling their bodies with chemicals, you’ll be able to offer them the opportunity to experience the delicious value of fresh food.
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THE COMPARISON: Foster Farms Frozen Corn Dogs vs. Out of the Box Shaken (not Stirred) Corn Dogs
(All ingredients followed by an * can be referenced at www.wikipedia.org by clicking on the ingredient)
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FOSTER FARMS CORN DOGS – HONEY CRUNCH (frozen)
INGREDIENTS:
BATTER INGREDIENTS:
- water
- enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- sugar
- yellow corn flour
- enriched degermed yellow corn meal (yellow corn meal, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- soy flour
Contains less than 2% of:
- leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate)
- soybean oil
- salt
- egg yolk
- potato flour
- egg white
- dried honey
- artificial flavor
- fried in vegetable oil
CHICKEN FRANK INGREDIENTS:
- mechanically separated chicken
- water
- salt
Contains less than 2% of:
- corn syrup solids
- potassium lactate
- sodium lactate
- spices
- sodium phosphate
- sodium diacetate
- flavorings
- sodium erythorbate
- sodium nitrite
**All listed product ingredients are taken from product’s package label. Though Out of the Box Food makes every effort to provide complete ingredient information, please check the package for the most current information.
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Out of the Box FoodSM Shaken (not stirred) Corn Dogs
This is a great recipe to get the kids involved in. Making the batter in a quart jar provides for both easy coating of the hot dogs and a fun opportunity for younger chefs to shake up the ingredients. So crank up the summer tunes and turn lunch into a fun activity!
SERVES: 8 corn dogs
TIME: Prep- 6 min
Cook – 3 to 5 minutes per batch
SUPPLIES: large pot (preferably wide and deep), fry thermometer, quart jar w/ lid, wood skewers
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/4 C corn meal (*see below)
- 3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour, plus 1/2 C for dredging
- 1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder (**see below)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 C whole milk
- 8 uncured turkey hot dogs (***see below)
- 8 wood skewers
CanolaVegetable oil or grapeseed oil for frying (approximately 2 quarts) ****
* All corn meal products are not created equal. Check ingredient list on packaging to find products which contain ONLY whole grain corn. For more information see Perfect Pantry Staples.
**Click here to read a great blog entry by David Lebovitz on aluminum-free baking powder.
***All hot dog products are not created equal. Check ingredient list on packaging to find products WITHOUT nitrates, nitrites or corn syrup. Look for “uncured” hot dogs which normally do not have either nitrates or nitrites.
DIRECTIONS:
Step 1:
- Preheat 1-2″ oil in large pot to 375 degrees.
- Skewer hot dogs.
Step 2:
- Place cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt into the quart jar. Secure lid and shake until ingredients are combined.
- Add eggs, milk and honey. Shake again until mixed thoroughly. Open jar and give batter a few stirs with a spoon to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
Step 3:
- Pour reserved 1/2 C flour onto plate and roll skewered hot dogs in flour to coat.
- Dip hot dogs into jar several times to coat with batter making sure all parts of floured hot dog are coated. Let excess batter drip off.
- Place corn dog in 375 degree oil and cook until golden brown.
- Remove to paper towel lined plate.
Total Time: 9 to 11 minutes
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To Freeze:
- Let corn dogs come to room temperature, then place in plastic freezer bag and freeze.
- Corn dogs can remain in freezer for up to 3 months.
To Reheat:
- Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake corn dogs for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally.
** **Out of the Box Food is a journey towards Real Food – one where I learn something new every day. Please see the comment below about the dangers of Canola oil. I have been reading about the harmful effects of this oil and will continue to research and experiment with alternative ways to feed our families.
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ENJOY THE “CORN DOG” DAYS OF SUMMER!
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These sound great! Is there any issue with the uncured meat coming to the right temp (being cooked enough) ?
I love your blog! I’m always looking for healthy alternatives for myself and my children. This recipe is definitely a keeper! It worked great, the only change I made was use Sunflower oil for frying (which is pretty much the same as vegetable oil but lighter in flavor). Thanks so much for sharing!!
Thank you, Justine!
The whole coconut oil is healthier thing is a complete myth. It is full of saturated fat. When you look at coconut oil you will notice that it is solid, this is not a good thing. Look it up ladies. You are better off with veg or canola.
Coconuts do have a high fat content, as do avocados and olives. The fat in avocados and olives is monounsaturated and therefore good for our bodies. It doesn’t contribute to bad blood cholesterol. The fat in coconuts is saturated fat, which is normally bad for you, especially when found in meat and other animal products such as milk and cheese. The saturated fat in coconuts, however, is made up of medium-chain fatty acids versus the long-chain fatty acids found in meat and dairy products. Medium-chain fatty acids (or medium chain triglycerides, abbreviated as MCT or MCFA) found in plants is easy for the body to break down and turn into energy. The MCFA in coconut also helps increase metabolism.
And it becomes solid at temperatures below 76 degrees farenheit. Any temp above that and it is liquid. Since our body temperatures are well above 76 degrees there is absolutely no chance of coconut oil ever solidifying in our body.
No oil is safe oil. However coconut oil is good for rubbing on your skin.
These are such awesome alternatives, especially if you are hosting a party. You don’t have to worry if the parents feel comfortable with their children eating unhealthy food and the kids still will love it! For more help planning your child’s birthday go to funtiqueparties.com.
Hello! I don’t know why, but when I went to make mine, the batter was thick (it didn’t drip off the hotdog) nor would it stick to the hotdog without me having to use my fingers to rub it on, but even then it would hardly stick on to it!!! I went exactly by your recipe!!! Please help me out! Lol. I really want to make these for my kids, since I have been buying the frozen ones, and I know how bad they are for them!!!
Hmmm…I’m not sure why it’s not working for you. Were your hot dogs dry. Did you roll the hot dogs into flour before dipping into the batter? You can always feel free to add a bit more milk to thin the batter if it’s too thick. Let me know how round 2 goes!
Thank you so much for sharing your journey and learning process with us! Keeping up a blog is an incredible amount of work and I wanted to make sure you knew how much you are appreciated and respected for your wonderful ideas and all the effort.
I love fun food and the challenge of making it in a healthy way. Our food industry makes things the cheapest way so they can make a profit. Through the years of being exposed to this we have had our taste buds ‘acclimatized’ to lower cost ingredients. Thanks again for helping us find ways of creating some of the fun, newer (post 1920 era!) recipes with healthy ingredients.
What a lovely comment to read this morning. Thank you for taking the time to write!
Peanut is one of the best to fry due to its smoking point. Generally speaking if the oil is hot enough the food that is being fried should crisp up quickly not letting large amount of oil to seep in (hence why deep fried turkey is not “bad” for you, unless you live eating all of the skin). There are many types of oils: corn, veg, coconut, creamy soy, canola,
peanut etc. Majority of the time off brand is PACKAGED in the same place as the name brand. So keep that in mind also when making items.
After my father had an accident with oil when he was frying chicken that lead to severe third degree burns on his hands an arms I am terrified to fry anything. I really do need to get over my fear, but in the mean time…I baked these. I had to guess on the temp. I chose 400 and baked for 15 minutes. The cord dog batter flattened as some of the batter ran down the sides of the dog into the pan but enough stayed on top to still make it taste yummy! Make sure to grease the pan. When they come out of the oven don’t just pull on the stick and lift it up. The hot dog comes right out of the corn bread coating. Use a spatula to lift them out. It is not as crunchy as cooked in oil but it worked for us. My kids ate them and loved them.
I think peanut oil is pretty good to use for frying also 🙂
Vegetable oil is not much better than Canola oil. Olive and coconut oil are by far the healthiest choices.
You can’t fry with olive oil, that’s why it’s not listed. Although, yes, it is healthier. For frying you need oils with a smoke point; canola, vegetable or grape-seed oil. Really grape-seed is your best bet out of the 3.
I use safflower oil to fry and it works great.
Why can’t you fry with olive oil?
I use olive oil all the time
I have been doing some research on nitrates and thought this article may be of interest. I bought some “uncured” hotdogs specifically for this recipe (and paid almost $2.00 more per package than “cured” hotdogs). I read on the label that they used celery salt as the curing agent and that seemed harmless enough until I researched celery salt.
So what does a mother of “corndog-loving” boys do? Never allow them to eat a corndog again because of nitrates or opt for a healthier version of the bad stuff every once while?
http://ruhlman.com/2011/05/the-no-nitrites-added-hoax/
This is a very interesting article. Thank you for sharing.
I was wondering if anyone has made these with coconut oil? Curious to know how much it effects the taste. 🙂
Has anyone made these with coconut oil? I’m just wondering how much it would effect the taste. 🙂
Looks like a fun recipe, thanks!
Canola oil….good or bad? Decide for yourself. Don’t just read one article and go on it. Do your research. Here is a small article from the mayo clinic website. You can find ALL sorts of opinions and/or “facts” on the internet! (Really, who knows what to believe any more, and who wants to live life that paranoid anyway?) 🙂
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/canola-oil/AN01281
I might have missed the answer to this in the comments and PLEASE don’t flame me folks…life is about compromise.
How would I microwave these after I froze them? My stepson would love these and so would my husband. Honestly he loves all of these processed foods. Frozen burritos, pizza rolls, hot pockets….he’s all about it. Can’t cook, isn’t really interested in learning because he’s convinced it’s not gonna be as good as mine, and is impatient. I try to avoid unprocessed foods when it’s just those two but it limits hot foods unless we have leftovers hanging around and if it’s gonna be cold food the main thing the kiddo wants is pb and j which Hubs can’t make because he’s allergic to peanut butter. He’s not gonna turn on the oven though it’s gonna confuse him/frustrate him.
Do you have a toaster oven by chance? If there is any way to reheat in an oven of some type, they will turn out better. You could microwave them to reheat (time dependent on your microwave) but they will not crisp back up. Otherwise, let your husband give it a try and let us know how it goes!
I have a different corn dog recipe that I make and freeze to take the place of Jimmy Dean breakfast corn dogs, I have microwaved them before, wrapped loosely in a paper towel, set microwave on about 70% strength, for one minute. It works, but kimgerber is right. They are not the same. They get a little tough and chewy, not crunchy like a corn dog should be. My older son (8 yrs old!) has proclaimed that they need to be reheated in the oven. FYI…
Can you explain what the consistency of the batter should be like? I guess mine was too thick because I could not “dip” my hot dogs. I had to basically spread the batter onto the hotdog.
Hi Jessica,
The consistency should be like a very thick pancake batter. Thick enough to stick, but not too thick that you can’t plunge the hot dog into the batter. Thanks!
Thanks! I guess I’ll thin it out a little more next time 🙂
Hello all –
Though I appreciate all the passionate comments regarding the way we feed our families, I need to request that everyone abstain from putting each other down or using aggressive language here on Out of the Box Food. I would like this site to allow everyone to express their opinions and feelings, but this needs to be done in a respectful way.
Thank you.
Kim (Creator Out of the Box Food)
You know, if you are gluten free, meat free, egg free, oil free, corn free and generally don’t want to eat “junk” or processed food, why are you trying so hard to recreate it with all of these substitutes? Either move on and eat only whole clean foods or eat well but occasionally splurge (or let your children splurge) at the fair and eat a damn corn dog. You are sucking all of the fun right out of it!
Holy negativity. I don’t understand why people leave such comments when other people are just giving suggestions to a better way of eating. Why shouldn’t people who eat clean whole foods get to eat them in a fun way? If there’s a healthy alternative why fill your body with crap?
Um, if you don’t like the lifestyle/recipe, why are you on this website? Other peoples’ food choices really shouldn’t bother you so much if you’re comfortable with your own.
I LOVE a good corn dog and i am excited to find a “homemade” way to make them tasty and better for you! You rock Kim. Poo Poo on haters haha.
These look great! I’m wondering if you can make the batter, then chop up the dogs and put them in muffin tins, then pour the batter over them and bake. I think I’ll try it! Thanks for the healthy alternative! I love corn dogs but am really trying to eat “whole” foods lately.
That’s a good idea! If you give it a try, let us know here how they turn out!
Really good idea!
That’s an awesome idea! I think I’m going to try that tonight.
Tried it, loved it, kids couldn’t get enough- thanks and keep the great ideas coming!!
I doubt I’d try the corn-dog-on-a-stick variety, although I like looking for healthier alternatives to so many of the every day fare we eat here, but cutting them up and putting them in a muffin tin? I’m there!
I bet they’d freeze really well in muffin form too. : )
kt
What temp did you bake at, and for how long?
Hi, and thank you for your recipe! I enjoy getting homemade versions of fun foods like you do. As I see above you commented that you are now substituting the canola with grapseed oil. I have researched oils and the grapes send oil is only ok in small amounts, as it is very high in Omega 6’s. Our body needs a very specific ratio of omega 3’s to 6’s and to cook exclusively with the high sixes is no more healthy than using canola oil. I highly suggest you check out the front section of Nourishing Traditions cook book. The author does a very extensive study on fats, that is not politically correct but accurate! Like you, we are on a journey and I get it’s a hit and miss process. I just love how the Internet allows us to learn so much more from each other! Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the insight, Catherine. Yes, choosing the right oil is really challenging – popular oils come and go — good research/bad research. All we can do is continue to read and try to use healthier oils. Thanks again for your comment.
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Has anyone tried these with baking the corn dogs instead of frying them?
I have not baked them. If anyone else has, please let us know!
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I pinned this for the corndog but I loved this for the VC fair. My husband grew up there and we spent the first 3 years of our marriage there. The fair and the 4th of July are some of my happiest memories.
I don’t have much experience frying (more like NO experience). U say to heat 1-2″ of oil. Since hot dogs are taller than that, are u placing the hotdogs horizontally into the pot with the stick and everything submerged? How do u know when it is done? Do u need to rotate it? Thanks for your help!
Hi Andrea – Great question! Yes, when you put the corn-coated hot dog w/ the stick into the hot oil, it goes in horizontally…this actually happens naturally. As you cook it, you can roll it using tongs, though it will also roll a bit on it’s own. They key is to get it evenly browned all around the corn dog. As long as the oil is the correct temperature, it will be done when it’s golden brown all over. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much! That really helps 🙂 Next week my son’s school is having all sorts of activities for the kids and they are feeding them. Corn dogs are on the menu for one of the days, so I want to bring these for him so that he can still eat what everyone else is eating, but a more nutritious version. 😀
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp
Hi. I am a chef and I only fry in peanut oil or duck fat. Is there anything harmful about these? Also, I exclusively use rice bran oil for any of my other oil needs including sauté, salad dressings and any other non deep frying scenarios. Rice bran oil in my opinion is the best oil for all applications as it is healthy, has a very high smoking point (415 f) and mild flavor. I’ve even heard of people deep frying in it. Thanks for all your great tips!
Brian
Hi Brian,
Honestly you are all teaching me a lot about oils and what’s safe to fry in. I am learning as I go! I had never heard of Rice Bran Oil but will definitely look it up. Where do you find it? I have not heard anything negative about frying in peanut oil or duck fat so I’m thinking those are both good choices if you have them available. Thanks for the comments!
With all due respect to the nutritionist above, my understanding of seed oils is they are NOT to be fried in period. All polyunsaturated fats are unstable at high fried temperatures.
In my home, we kick it old school using ghee, coconut oil, and yes, bacon grease to fry. Yup. Never in a million years would I have dreamed of using “saturated” fats in my cooking again.
But they are stable. And better for us than the government lets on. I stay away from commodity crop oils, like vegetable {which is soy} and corn. I use cold-pressed olive oil for dressing and such.
Also, have you found a good GMO corn? For your GF readers, millet flour is kinda corn-y tasting, as many of my readers avoid corn these days.
Kim- Like you, I couldn’t agree more that it’s a journey. We learn a bit more each day. I came about to the unprocessed food movement because my oldest son has autism, and we are GFCF and real food the past 2 years.
Glad to have met your blog via pinterest.
oops. i meant non-gmo corn meal/flour. lol…
Mexico doesn’t allow GMO corn so I buy cornmeal made from there at my local Latin grocery store or Aldi’s.
Thank you so much for these alternative options! I have a VERY picky eater which I am slowly making headway on ;o). My other child however is allergic to eggs. I am learning all the substitutions but any idea what I could use for this corn dog recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Amy – You can create a duplicate “binding” agent by whisking together 1 tbsp flax meal with 3 tbsp water. Unfortunately I haven’t tried this myself with this recipe but it would be worth a shot! If you try it please let me know how it turns out. Thanks for the comment!
Amy,
When we were doing the elimination diet a year or so ago (and eggs being one of the no no foods) we came across an eggs sub. from Enger-G. It’s called “Enger-G Egg Replacer”. Works great!!! Maybe this would help! 🙂
Hi Amy S. I just saw your comment and I am slowly learning how to deal with a toddler allergic to eggs. Did you try the substitute??? Have you found other things that are good subs?
thanks!
I have not found an egg substitute in any of my stores. I have come acrOSS sOme pretty good subs though. For baking you can use 1/4 cup applesauce or mashed banana. That works really well for recipes that include baking powder since that helps with rising, and also that would be good with a hint of fruit like cakes and waffles. You can also use 2 TBSP water, 1 TBSP oil and 1/2 tsp baking powder for each egg. I find that recipes are best when the original includes only 1 egg instead of trying to replace 3 for example. My favorite cake recipe is super easy: 1 box Duncan Hienz super moist yellow cake mix + 1 cup unsweet applesauce + 1 cup water. Bake according to directions on the box! Super easy, super moist. My family actually prefers there over the regular recipe.
My new thing is figuring out how to make waffles and chocolate chip cookies now that she is also allergic to cows milk- the chocolate has milk in it :(… Anyone with a recipe let me know!
Hi Amy S.
There is a great soy free/dairy free chocolate chip made my Enjoy Life. Everyone in my house eats them plus I serve them to strangers and they are delish!
I have never outright subbed all eggs in a recipe but have subbed half the eggs that are called for in baking recipes with a flax meal mix that is on the bag. One tablespoon flax seed and three tablespoons water. Worked really well but again I haven’t tried to sub out the eggs completely. Good Luck!
My nine year old is allergic to eggs, and she and her sister have outgrown dairy and soy allergies.
Many, many recipes can be modified using the flax/water substitution others have suggested. I make chocolate chip cookies this way. You can find dairy-free margarines (I know 🙁 ) — and dairy-free chocolate chips as well. Check your local health food store.
I haven’t tried waffles, but the flaxmeal paste version of pancakes turns out well for us. I always use hot water, and let the flax gel for a little bit before incorporating it into recipes.
Wacky cake is our go-to chocolate cake.
When I baked dairy-free treats, I usually used coconut milk for milk, although apple juice also works in some quick breads.
I haven’t tried these yet but am planning to try them this week.
I am a certified nutritionist. I really appreciate your website and the work you are doing. But I must ask, why are you frying in canola oil, which is one of the worst oils for oxidation/free radical release? NO one should consume canola oil. It is actually oil from the rapeseed plant, originally used as an industrial lubricant. It oxidizes at the first sign of heat and light, and becomes inflammatory to our digestive tracts. The Canadian Oil Company (Can-Ola), who felt the word “rapeseed” might have negative connotation and coined their oil Canola, decided to bottle it for food use…. but it is NOT safe for heat at all. Fry in grapeseed (safe to 450 degrees) or a mix of coconut oil and grapeseed. These oils are heart safe, heat safe, and healthy!
Thank you,
Michelle, CNC MH
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for making this point – you are so right! I started this Out of the Box Food journey a little over two years ago, and since then have learn something every day. When I developed this corn dog recipe last June, I was still using Canola oil. Since then, I too have switched to grapeseed oil but haven’t made the correction in the recipe. I have yet to try coconut oil but will put it on my shopping list. Thank you for bringing it up and for sharing your knowledge…much appreciated!
I love this but we have gluten allergies. Any suggestions on how to make these gluten free?
I’m definitely not an expert on gluten-free but here’s what I’d do: I would try using a gluten free corn meal and substituting the whole wheat pastry flour with an all-purpose gluten free flour. Let me know how it turns out!
http://travisandstephanie.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/1943/
I made this tonight and ours are gluten free and I can’t tell the difference. I was diagnosed with celiac in August and so I am still learning. However, I would say this is definitely a recipe I would make again.
The only major change (outside of GF hot dogs, GF corn meal (I used stone ground Hodgson’s Mill yellow corn meal), and GF all purpose flour (I used Better Batter) is that we needed to add more milk because the batter was lumpy and dry. Like I said, I am still learning but apparently that is an issue with converting recipes to be GF.
I used to love corn dogs but no longer et meat. I’m going to try these with tofu-pups or linkettes.
My boys can’t eat nitrates. I managed to find nitrate free hotdogs but not nitrate free corndogs. This is fantastic since my oldest’s favorite food is corndogs. I’m so excited to try it.
ThiS sounds so good and so simple to do. I’m looking forward to trying this with my daughter’s lactose free milk and with gluten free flour.
April-
How did the lactose free milk and gluten free flour work? What kind of gf flour substitute did you use and what ratio to the corn meal? Thank you,
Yes, I would like to know too please. What kind and what ratio.
I haven’t had a chance to try it. I will let you know when I do.
I had no idea there was a healthy alternative that is so fast and easy and fun for kids to help with. Thanks for great information!!
At least healthier than the boxed version! Thanks, Susan!