Give Frozen Pretzels Food Court-Style Flavor With An Effortless Extra Step

Malls may be slowly going by the wayside, but our memories of their food courts live on. Any place where you can find delicious pretzels alongside pizza, Chinese food, ice cream, and corn dogs on a stick is pure gold, and while many of the chains that food courts were famous for have disappeared, you can still recreate some of the magic by buying a box of frozen pretzels at the store or online. 

Frozen pretzels are a great substitute that you can keep on hand for whenever you're hankering for a salty twisted treat, but it can be hard to make them taste as good as the ones that live on in legend from the quickly fading mall food court. The key is to let them thaw before sticking them in the oven. Even when the box says it's okay to cook them directly from their frozen state, defrost them first. Give them around 20 minutes at room temperature, then pop them in a reheated oven and cook as directed. These techniques gives you a better texture and an even cook so your pretzels come out nice and crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. All it takes is a little bit of time and patience to recreate the perfect food court pretzel.

Frozen pretzels let you avoid the mistakes that can easily ruin a homemade pretzel dough, but there are still ways to tank them. Don't thaw them until you are ready to eat them and once they are thawed, and don't bother refreezing them if you change your mind — the quality will suffer. Make sure you follow the instructions on the box, but while there will probably be several options for how to cook them, it's best to avoid the microwave option, now matter how reliable it may seem. Baking them in the oven or the air fryer is best, since the microwave has the potential to turn them soggy.

When they're ready, eat them as soon as possible. Don't wait and try reheating them again later. Although you can do it, reheating pretzels multiple times will compromise the flavor. Last but not least, don't forget that pretzels love moisture! Spritzing the pretzel with water creates the moisture it needs while it cooks to keep the dough from drying out and to give it the beautiful golden finish you want to see. It also helps toppings like salt stick to the surface. You can also brush them with butter (beer is also a great choice) before cooking, which won't just make the outside nice and shiny but will add great flavor.