Debbie Moose knows the appeal of chicken wings during the Super Bowl.

"The whole point with wings is, it's a fun food," she says. "And the best thing is, if you don't like a play during the game, you have something to throw at the television."

Moose is author of Wings(Wiley, $16.95), with more than 50 recipes for the popular snack. She covers the range from simple (basic grilled wings) to elaborate (Roasted Black Pepper Wings With Maple Bourbon Glaze; recipe, 12). No coincidence, the cookbook arrives just in time for Super Bowl weekend, the hottest holiday for winging it.

According to the National Chicken Council, folks will devour 1 billion chicken-wing parts over the Super Bowl weekend. Wings have become so popular that they've moved beyond the Buffalo wing - deep-fried with hot sauce. At Marco's Coal Fired Pizza, 2129 Larimer St., owner Mark Dym marinates them in limoncello liqueur and char-grills them in the pizza oven.

"I have a couple who come from Castle Rock just for the wings," he says. "We sell almost as many wings as pizza."

How did the wing go from a throwaway piece for soup to the star of its own restaurant chains?

Most people place the start at the Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1964, when owner Teressa Bellissimo came up with deep-fried wings and a special sauce - the traditional Buffalo wings.

Hooters restaurants did their part in making wings popular. When the chain was founded in 1983, wings were key to the menu, and it turned up the heat with its choice of hot sauces.

But it was the Domino's pizza chain that really sent wings soaring, beginning in 1994, says Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Broiler Council.

"Domino's was advertising it, and I think that put it on the public radar scope," he says. "It's a tasty snack, and nobody doesn't like wings. Concepts come and go and people are always looking for a hot concept, but wings have found a place permanently on menus."

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Side-splitting

The price of wings has gone up 18 percent in the past year. Richard Lobb attributes that to supply and demand - as business fluctuates at the fast casual chains, so fly the wings. If you want to save money on wings, says Debbie Moose, split them yourself rather than buy the more expensive drumettes, which often run $1 a pound more. They're easy to split, and if you don't like the flat or flapper - well, just like Grandma, throw them in the soup. Also, some warehouse and supermarket places sell them in bulk - another way to save.

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Want to forgo a takeout run for wings this year? Here's what you need to know.

*The flavor of the chicken is central to the perfect wing, so avoid the grocer's freezer case.

Frozen poultry retains moisture, and moisture produces soggy, overcooked fried food. If you can, pony up for the good stuff. Most national and private- label brands will work fine, but free- range and organic birds often sport more tender meat. All too often, the skin becomes rubbery instead of crisp, says Food Network Iron Chef Michael Symon. The reason? The skin is filled with water, which steams the bird instead of frying it when it hits the hot oil. The fix isn't quick, but it is easy. Coa ting the wings with kosher salt overnight draws out some of this moisture. It also helps tenderize the meat and offers an opportunity to flavor the chicken by adding seasonings to the salt, says Symon.

*The right oil and temperature will create the right balance of crispy skin and tender meat.

Start by selecting your frying medium. Technically speaking, any oil but extra-virgin olive (which has too low a smoke point) will work. But for the best flavor, you'll want an oil with a neutral flavor, such as canola or all-purpose vegetable. Traditionally, wings are fried only once for several minutes between 365 and 375 degrees. But this can result in wings that either aren't well-crisped outside or aren't nicely cooked inside. To fix this problem, we borrowed an Asian technique for frying chicken twice. With this approach, the wings take an initial oil bath for several minutes at 275 degrees. "You're not trying to crisp the skin," says Symon. "You are just trying to poach the meat." The wings are then removed from the oil and the heat is increased to 375 degrees. The wings then go back into the oil, during which time they're quickly crisped. As with all frying, don't crowd the pot. This can lower the temperature of the oil and result in soggy wings.

* Everyone seems to have his own potion for a tangy, sweet and spicy coating.

A vinegary hot sauce whisked with a little sugar makes the base for most sauces. Be sure to coat the wings while still piping hot. This helps the sauce cling to the skin.

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Drumette roll, please

The wing is divided into three pieces. High rollers may buy only the drumette at the supermarkets, but restaurants and their suppliers are more likely to use all three pieces of the wing: the drumette, that little flat piece called the flat and sometimes even the pointy-tip piece called the flapper.

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Do the math

There's a practical side to splitting wings into parts. With 9 billion chickens produced a year, that would account for only 18 billion wings. But demand is estimated at 20 billion a year among sports bars, restaurants, fast-food emporiums and at-home use. And that doesn't account for the wings that are sold packaged with the whole chicken. By selling wing portions, producers are getting two to three times the amount of wing pieces per bird, rather than increasing chicken production. "I don't think anyone goes to the trouble to breed just for the wings," says Richard Lobb of the National Chicken Council. Hence, problem solved.

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Quick fix

To add flavor to the wings, try marinades or rubs. Debbie Moose suggests marinating for three or four hours max. "You don't want to marinate them overnight; it'll make them too soft and you lose flavor. Rubs are good, too, especially if you're even more pressed for time."

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The saucy touch

For a quick dip, try this recipe from a former Denver restaurateur: 12 ounces Frank's Original Hot Sauce, 1/2 stick butter, 1 tablespoon vinegar, squeeze of fresh lemon. Coat cooked - preferably fried - wings in sauce.

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