A YouTube cooking video mentioned using baking soda to carmelise onions more quickly, so I thought i would check it out. The claims are that the cooking can be done in ten minutes, which sounded impossible to me. It was about a decade ago I came across an article that gave me great comfort, reassuring me that those recipes calling for carmelised onions quickly were a lot of hooey. In fifteen minutes, the best one could hope for was to burn them. Carmelising took 45 minutes or more. As I love these little things dearly, whether in long thin crispy strips or mushy piles of tiny snakes, I resolved to start making them more often, now that I knew how, and knew that I was in for a longish time preparing.
No problem, really. White wine goes well with carmelising onions. In the cook, I mean. And that is the way it has been for a decade. I occasionally make a double batch and give some to my daughter-in-law, because the others in her family don't like onions.
I thought the experiment run by National Onion Association could be relied on for objectivity. They were skeptical but agreed that the carmelising was much quicker, from 45+ minutes to about 13. Mine went almost 20 when I usually go an hour, so I thought it a success. Flavor excellent. Texture a little mushy. Sometimes that doesn't matter, sometimes it does. It depends on what you are using them for. Site bookmarked. Key point: Very little baking soda, 1/8 tsp per pound.
The home page has lots of video display of onions being harvested, sorted, and moving along conveyor belts to be packaged in order to make their way to me. It warms the heart to see them.
It takes a long time to do it right, but that's ok; just keep some black iron on a low heat on the back of the range, stirring and adding water or stock as necessary. The best trick I've found for them, by the way, is homemade turkey stock that you're careless about skimming for fat. The turkey fat works wonders, but there's still enough water in the stock that you don't have to worry about burning them like you do if you try to caramelize in butter or oil. It stays right at 212 as long as there's water to cook off.
ReplyDeleteAn article on caramelizing onions, from experimental research conducted by the National Onion Association? It sounds so much like a Bob & Ray skit I am forced to check it out ("....ly Ballou here at the National Onion Association"...)
ReplyDeleteI know! I had the same thought!
ReplyDeleteI'll try the baking soda version. I find it easier to use the oven: https://whatscookingamerica.net/vegetables/caramelizedonions.htm
ReplyDeleteOr the instant pot: https://www.marthastewart.com/1540713/instant-pot-caramelized-onions
@Cranberry: "Repeat this 15 minutes process for approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours."
ReplyDelete!!!
But you aren’t required to stand in front of the stovetop for 2 hours. It’s easy to work the check and stir process into an evening cleaning the kitchen or playing a board game. The process doesn’t last 15 minutes; you stir the pot every 15 minutes.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely going to try the baking soda method. Normally, I use a large non-stick skillet with a lid and a variation of the 2 1/2 hour method using salted butter and olive oil. I cook them on medium high until they are translucent, turn the heat to LO (electric stove) put the lid on and go do whatever. When I return, I turn the heat back to medium high and cook them for maybe 5 minutes, then the lid and return to low heat. If I think I might get distracted for too long, I turn the burner off. I've never timed any part of this process and I've never added any liquid.
ReplyDeleteInteresting link! I'm going to try the beer battered pickled onion rings... by that I mean I'm going to talk my son-in-law into trying them.