FRY UP A SPECTACULAR MESS

YOU’RE GONNA NEED A LOOSER BELT

No. 66

Seriously, just look at this mess. Your kitchen is covered in flour. There are hot-oil spatters everywhere. And, oh great, you just got a grease stain on your Sunday-best sleeveless T-shirt.

No getting around it—frying food is a labor-intensive and messy affair. But we dredge and batter and drop grub into sizzling oil anyway. Why? Because deep-fried food is so good, it’s sinful, and because nothing says summer like a corn dog and a root beer. We know it’s been a while since hunting season, but we’re guessing that you can find a couple of wild-card packages in your freezer that’ll work with at least one of the recipes featured here. If not, you’ll have some grocery shopping to do on the bullfrog swamp and catfish pond. Also, just to be safe, you might want to stock up on some napkins.

No. 67 MAKE A FROG GIG

The best froggers I know stack big bullies by the dozen all summer long, and their tool of choice is an oversize gig with plenty of reach. To build your own, start with a heavy-duty, five-tined fishing spearhead that’s 6 to 10 inches wide. Out of the package, these spears aren’t very sharp, so hone the points and open the barbs. Next, get a 4- to 6-foot-long wooden broomstick. The longer your gig shaft, the more reach you’ll have, which comes in handy when frogs hold high on the bank. And unlike the metal telescoping rod on sompears aren’t very sharp, so hone the points and open the barbs. Next, get a 4- to 6-foot-long wooden broomstick. The longer your gig shaft, the more reach