Mozzarella Sticks

Info
Mozzarella Sticks from the Wikibooks Cookbook—original recipe, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License
 * Cook Time: 20 minutes
 * Serves: 1 – 2

Ingredients

 * ¼ pound fresh mozzarella cheese
 * ½ cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
 * 1 large egg

Directions

 * 1) Preheat deep fryer to 350°F (175°C).
 * 2) Slice mozzarella into sticks 1 – 3 cm in diameter.
 * 3) In a small bowl, whisk egg.
 * 4) Fill another small bowl with bread crumbs.
 * 5) Dip 3 – 4 sticks at a time into the egg.
 * 6) Shake excess egg off sticks and place them in the bread crumbs.
 * 7) Shake bowl of bread crumbs, evenly coating all sticks. Add more bread crumbs as needed.
 * 8) Place coated sticks to the side and repeat for remaining sticks.
 * 9) After all sticks have been coated, repeat the egg-dip and crumb-coat for each once more.
 * 10) Place all sticks in fryer basket and submerge in 350°F oil.
 * 11) Let sit for 30 seconds, gently rocking basket occasionally.
 * 12) Lift basket and let cool for a few seconds. If cheese is not beginning to ooze out from half the sticks, resubmerge in oil for another 10–15 seconds, gently shaking the basket. Repeat until the cheese is just starting to ooze out.
 * 13) Dump onto paper towel and pat off excess oil gently.
 * 14) Serve hot.

Variation: Mozzarella Bites

 * 1) Slice mozzarella into cubes 2 – 3 cm on a side.
 * 2) Dip 5 – 6 bites at a time into the egg.
 * 3) Continue with the rest of the recipe as above, and enjoy mozzarella bites.