Deep fried preview day

The N.C. State Fair preview day on Thursday was filled with booths selling snacks of the deep fried, sugary, salty and on-a-stick variety.

Posted 9:21 p.m. Oct 16, 2008 — Updated 12:50 p.m. May 5, 2011

I didn’t know it was possible to deep fry a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but apparently you can just about deep fry anything. Being from south Louisiana, I always thought we were the only people who would try deep frying candy or pies – but apparently not.

The N.C. State Fair preview day on Thursday was filled with booths selling snacks of the deep fried, sugary, salty and on-a-stick variety.

I had a cheeseburger corn dog, which contained what tasted like it contained a cheeseburger with corn inside. The tastes actually went well together!

The Murphy House stand boasts peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, pecan pie, cheesecake and other treats – all deep fried! Employees there were getting reacquainted with the deep fryer on Thursday and teaching new recruits the ropes.

But what makes a good deep fried treat?

Steve Coker and Ronnie Hinton, both cooks at the Murphy House stand, said the key is in the batter. The more batter the better the treat, Hinton said.

The Woody’s Sports Tavern stand offered fried dill pickle spears, cheesecake and a new treat – gravy biscuits. Employees said the item, which resembled a hash brown, contained the gravy already inside. I found it a nice way to enjoy a snack on the go.

Many people visited the fair for lunch on Thursday – hours before it officially opened to the public. People with advance passes toured the grounds and tried out their favorite fair foods. (To vote on your favorite fair foods – check out the State Fair Snackdown Competition)

Gemina Hartsfield and her husband, Maurice, visited the fair for lunch. Hartsfield said she had two hotdogs and planned to get a funnel cake before leaving the fair. Maurice Hartsfield munched on an ear of corn.

The fair is open all day on Friday. A special edition of the web segment the “Entertainment wrap-up” starring Brian Shrader and Kathy Hanrahan (me) will be filming at about 11 a.m. at the WRAL Tent. Drop by the tent anytime to say hello and get autographs from your favorite WRAL personalities.

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