The Step You Can't Skip For Tastier Uncrustables
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the pinnacle of American snack food and quick yet delicious lunches. Naturally, people have been looking to switch up the treat. Some have experimented with a spicy addition of a little sriracha, while others elevate their sandwiches with a salty element (cheese — people add a slice of cheese, and it's divine). Adding a little swipe of butter emphasizes the richness of the peanut butter. But the hack that's seemingly the most popular with the children of America is removing the sandwich crust. Enter: the Uncrustable.
Uncrustable got its start in 1995 when the kids of David Geske and Len Kretchman asked for crustless PB&Js. Their wives, Kristen and Emily, suggested the pair mass-produce their ensuing creation. In 1998, the brand was bought by the J.M. Smucker Co., a natural merger as it owns the popular peanut butter, Jif, and the jelly company Smuckers.
Uncrustables have taken the American staple of peanut butter and jelly and made it even more convenient. By coming already prepared and frozen, Uncrustables make it so all you have to do to enjoy a PB&J is to thaw it for 30 minutes (perfect to pop in a lunch box) and enjoy. But people on the internet have discovered that deep frying an Uncrustable sandwich is a crucial step needed to elevate the low-effort snack into a delicious dessert. To make it at home, dip a thawed Uncrustable in some pancake batter and fry it for two minutes on each side in hot (think close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit) canola oil (or any other kind of neutral oil with a good smoke point). Once it's golden brown, pop some powdered sugar on top to take a schoolroom snack to a delicacy you would pay big bucks for at a state fair.
Other ways to jazz up your fried Uncrustable
Deep frying is taken to the next level when you move on from the standard peanut butter and jelly Uncrustable and start experimenting with some of Smucker's newest flavor offerings. Now, you can find fillings like chocolate hazelnut, raspberry, and honey. Uncrustables has even branched out to using wheat bread instead of the classic white bread.
Fortunately, Smuckers isn't the only one experimenting because the internet is full of people frying their crustless goodies in different ways. For a simpler version, omit the pancake batter, place the slightly thawed Uncrustable in the deep fryer (or a pot of oil over medium heat), and finish with a light dusting of powdered sugar. Want something even easier? Spray both sides of Uncrustable with a nonstick spray and place it in the air fryer for five minutes at 375 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Try amping up the dessert quality by frying two sandwiches and then placing a scoop of vanilla ice cream between them for a supreme ice cream sandwich. In the mood for a donut? Cutting a hole in the center of a chocolate-hazelnut flavored Uncrustable with a small cookie cutter, air frying it, and then covering it in cinnamon sugar will give you a delicious donut flavor without having to deal with the hassle of making dough. Whatever you decide on, you can't go wrong with fried peanut butter sandwiches.