The Trick To Frying Crispy Bologna That Doesn't Curl Up

Fried bologna is a humble but undeniably delicious treat. Its crispy, browned exterior complements its savory taste, making it the perfect filling for a fried bologna sandwich, or even a last minute stand-in for bacon in a breakfast plate. The lunchmeat, renowned for its mysterious, opaque pink contents, is great served up cold, hot from the stovetop, and even freshly glazed. However, as anyone familiar with the art of frying up bologna knows, the process can be fraught with a curly kind of business: cupped up, puffed up bologna slices. 

An improperly prepared bologna slice will fry unevenly, and that may put you at risk of a bad result. To prevent this, all you need do is slice your lunchmeat. You can either carve out a small "x" on the center of your slice, or cut small slits on two to four sides of your bologna. This will allow for more airflow, ensuring the crispiest possible result that's perfect for stacking into a fried bologna sandwich (butter liberally for best results).

Curling bologna is a fact of life — if you put bologna in a pan, it is sure to curl up. But why is that? Well, it's a matter of steam. When you place a slice of bologna in a hot pan, moisture is released in the form of steam. Because of bologna's disc-like structure, that steam can become trapped under the slice, forming a dome. Now, this dome will not impact the safety of your bologna for eating. After all, you can have bologna straight from the fridge. It will, however, impact the texture of your resulting bologna. After all, one of the main appeals of fried bologna is its crispy texture. For this reason, it's a good idea to slice it up before cooking.

The two most popular ways of slicing your bologna are to cut a small x into the center or put two slits in the sides. And they both yield different results. The main benefit of the 'x' method is that it allows for a flat, even cook. So your bologna will be crispy throughout. However, if you're particularly drawn to the crispy edges of your bologna, the slit method might be more appealing. Cutting slices into the sides of your meat will create more surface area for the meat's perimeter, this means more edges, and more edges means more dark and crispy borders. So if you're a fan of the burnt edges, go for the slit method instead. But however your slice it, you're sure to get a tasty, buttery, and perfect cut of fried bologna.