Before they say goodbye for the summer, Nick and Erica have a frying finale befitting our fair city: a teeny-wiener version of the Chicago-style hot dog.

If your breakfast routine is feeling a little boring these days, Nick and Erica have just the thing for you: deep-fried Cream of Wheat – with a surprise center.

What do Polish sausage, potato chips and Plochman’s mustard have in common? They all come together to make a delicious snack.

Since the rib tip is not only a Chicago institution but also a finger food, we decided it was the best candidate this week for a beer-batter-and-hot-oil dunk.

Like the city itself, the Rainbow Cone is a painterly masterpiece of colors and tastes, each separate and distinct, which together somehow become more than the sum of their parts. 

Midwesterners could be forgiven for thinking that Wisconsin has a lock on all things cheese. But in Chicago, we’ve managed to one-up our neighbors to the north: we set it on fire.

Earlier this month, we took you on a tour of a distillery that produces Malort, the Chicago-born liquor that inspires devotion – and disgust. This week, we pour out a hefty helping of the stuff and stick it in the fryer.

Many Chicagoans have sweet memories of the confection we’re about to dunk in hot oil: the Frango mint. But they might be surprised to learn that the signature candy of Marshall Field’s was not created in Chicago.

In honor of the Fourth of July, we deep-fry what is perhaps Chicago’s greatest culinary contribution to America – and the globe: deep-dish pizza.

For our new summer series, we take some of Chicago’s favorite foods and, like the name says, we deep-fry them and deal with the big questions. Today’s sacrifice to the gods of hot oil: Chicago-style tamales.

For our new summer series, we take some of Chicago’s favorite foods and, like the name says, we deep-fry them and deal with the big questions. Today’s sacrifice to the gods of hot oil: brownie batter.

This week’s installment of our new battered-and-fried summer series goes deep on Chicago’s odorous namesake: the ramp. 

How do you deep-fry giardiniera? We find out in the first installment of our weekly summer series Deep Frydays, where we go deep on an iconic Chicago food and then sacrifice it to sizzling oil.