ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

Put the water, milk, butter, salt, and sugar into a saucepan, set over high heat and bring to a full boil.

Remove from the heat. Add the flour all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the flour is moistened and a paste forms. It should come away from the sides of the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to medium heat and continue stirring. Cook and stir the paste until a film forms on the entire bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat and place paste into the mixing bowl. With the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes to cool the paste. The eggs will cook if the paste is too hot.

Add the eggs, one at a time, on medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl if necessary. Continue mixing until all the eggs are incorporated and the paste is smooth.

Once the paste is smooth, you’re ready to use it!

You’ll need to heat about 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees, or warm up your fryer.

Prepare a piping bag with a ½ inch star tip. Fill the piping bag with about half of the paste.

Over the hot oil, start piping the paste so that it sticks to your index finger. Pull your finger away from the tip while continuing to pipe, so that the paste droops to form a loop. Once the loop is 3 or 4 inches long, bring your finger back to the tip, stop piping, and close the loop so that you have a teardrop shaped loop of paste. Gently ease the loop into the hot oil.

Depending on the space you have available in your fryer, repeat with more teardrops but be careful not to overcrowd the pot. The churros will swell considerably as they fry.

Fry them until they are well browned (4-5 minutes), flipping them occasionally. Lift out with a spider or a slotted metal spoon, and place into a bowl of granulated sugar. Toss them in the sugar to coat, let them cool a bit, and enjoy!