A deep-fried love affair: What to know about the food at the OK State Fair

The State Fair returns deep-fryers blazing with about a dozen new food vendors for 2021, including one throwing a bone to man's best friend.

Blue ribbons will also be back in fashion for the state's best bakers, canners, and home cooks.

New to the fair is A Latte Love will sling coffee in the Entertainment Plaza to go with the variety of Giant S’more On-A-Stick flavors.

Amish Annie is armed with an arsenal of doughnuts like the Carmel Apple Delight, a glazed doughnut filled with homemade whipped cream, and topped with fresh apple slices, cinnamon oat crumble and caramel sauce.

DoughBoys food truck is home of the DoughBoy Sandwich, a free form soft glazed bun, sliced in half and stuffed with your favorite flavor of ice cream with topped with cream cheese frosting.

Falcone’s Pizzeria will feature a food truck selling pizza by the slice, cannoli, and deep-fried spaghetti with meatballs.

The Funky Flamingo has nachos made with three flavors of gelato, homemade stroopwafel chips and choice of two dessert sauces, three candy toppings and whipped cream.

A food truck from Gilty Pleasures will feature Gilty Mac and Cheese, a homestyle pasta with pulled pork and barbeque sauce. Peaches and Cream Pie is its specialty dessert.

Granny’s will serve Apple Fries, which are lightly battered apple deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Gringos is home of Dragon Fruit Lemonade, and Pioneer Wagon specializes in Elk Sausage and Rattlesnake Sausage Corn Dogs. The Project Krave food truck will draw pepper-heads with its Ghost Pepper Tater Tots.

The Lucky Pup Lodge will go to the dogs inside the Bennett Event Center. Pooches can feast on Peanut Butter Cake Mix. 

The frozen treats at Thelma’s Handmade Ice Cream Sandwiches come in Mint double chocolate chip, S’mores, and Gluten-free Snickerdoodle.

Returning vendors include Cutie Pies and its signature Watermelon pie, Cap'n Crunch Corn Dog specialists Diamond Dawgs, and the burger options from Harvell Concessions.

Netterfield’s Popcorn & Lemonade features Frosted Flakes Chicken On-A-Stick, O’Neil's returns with Cheese Curd Tacos, Porky’s brings back burgers in doughnut and peanut butter and jelly, and Snow S’more is the place for waffle-wrapped snow ice.

Swain's Pizza On-A-Stick returns with its insect-laden Bug Pizza, The Bacon Habit will have its bacon-wrapped Caveman Turkey Leg, and The Urb Express adds to its award-winning arsenal with Funnel Cake Fries.

WonderStick Ice Cream returns with its distinctive J-shaped cone bound to revolutionize ice cream consumption. No drips to be found from this gluten-free, thick and crunchy cone that doesn’t get soggy as the ice cream melts.

Food contests also return to the fair. Traditional cooking competitions commenced as usual ahead of time, and those entries will be on display in the Creative Arts Building.

More than 30 varieties of bread were the subject of baking competitions. Shawnee Mills sponsored a contest for cookies, brownies and bars. The cake competition was broken into 18 divisions not including the decorating judging. Eighteen kinds of candy sought ribbons.

Preserving competitions were planned for jellies, jams, butters, vegetables, and dried foods. Pickles and relishes rate 20 separate divisions. 

Once the fair begins contests will commence for breakfast, grilled cheese, salsa, tail-gating, more bread-baking, peanuts, crock-pots, ice cream, pies, pizza, and salads. The full schedule and map is available online at okstatefair.com.