Mozzarella Sticks

SOURCE: Foodnetwork.com
ANNIE'S RATING: 3 stars
TOTAL COOKING & PREP TIME: about 2 to 3 hrs
SERVINGS: 3 to 4 (about 28 sticks in total)

WHAT'S NEEDED:

• 3/4 cup Italian-style dried breadcrumbs (e.g., Progresso)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated (NOTE A)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8-oz block of pasteurized mozzarella, cut into 4" by 1/2" sticks
• 2 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

HOW TO:

1. Stir the bread crumbs, Parmesan and salt in a medium bowl to blend.
2. Dip the cheese in the eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the cheese in the bread crumb mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the cheese sticks on a baking sheet. Repeat dipping the cheese sticks in the egg and bread crumb mixture to coat a second time. (NOTE B) 
3. Cover and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours and up to 2 days. (NOTE C)
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden brown, about 15 seconds for each of the 4 sides. Don't overfry it because you would want your cheese sticks to be gooey inside yet retaining its log-like form. If you start to see cheese oozing out then it's time to take them out of the pan. (NOTE D) 
5. Transfer the fried cheese sticks onto a plate covered with paper towel before serving them. If you're not serving them immediately or if you find the cheese inside are not yet gooey, then try to heat it up inside the toaster. Again, if you start to see cheese oozing out then it's time to take them out of the toaster. (NOTE E) 

NOTES:

• (A) The original recipe called for freshly grated Parmesan. I just used a ready-to-use grated Parmesan by Kraft.
• (B) To avoid the bread crumb mixture from sticking to my fingers, I use a fork to dip and lift a cheese stick from the egg. Then I drop the the cheese stick (yes, one at a time) into a square plastic container, which contains my bread crumb mixture, and just shake the container to and fro and let the cheese stick roll and be covered with the bread crumb mixture. 
• (C) It is very important to freeze the cheese sticks by at least 2 hours as this will help the sticks retain its log-like forms when being fried. I tried freezing a batch by an hour only and they didn't turn out so good as they melted right away when being fried.
• (D) Overfrying the cheese sticks is messy! The 15-second count for each of the 4 sides is based on my experience, that is, after working on so many batches of cheese sticks!
• (E) The original recipe called for sprinkling additional Parmesan on top of the fried cheese sticks; I skipped on that. Also, the original recipe contained a recipe for Marinara sauce which is to be served with the cheese sticks. However, I have always skipped on doing this sauce as I usually serve my cheese sticks with spaghetti. Besides, these cheese sticks are sooo good that you can eat them all by themselves!