How To Caramelize Onions

Onions are amongst the main ingredients that are used in majority of the main course dishes, especially in the Asian cuisine. One of the ways of cooking onions is known as caramelizing. It involves cooking them until they attain a deep brown color. Apart from giving them a rich color, the process also makes onions attain a sweet flavor. During the process, the natural sugars in the onions caramelize, imparting them an intense flavor. You can use caramelized onions in onion soup, tarts and onion dip or on top of steak and pizza as well. In case you don't know how to cook caramelize onions properly, the following recipes will surely come handy.

Caramelized Onions Recipes

Recipe 1

Things Needed

2 Yellow Onions
3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Nonstick Heavy Frying Pan
Wooden Ladle

Instructions

First of all, you need to peel the onions and then, dice them in roughly the same size and shape. This is to make sure that they will cook evenly.
Place a pan over medium heat and let it get a bit hot. Now, pour oil in the pan and heat it.
After the oil becomes hot, add the onions, making a sizzling sound as you go about doing it.
With the help of the wooden ladle, stir the onions together, coating each piece with some of the oil.
Now, let the onions cook. However, you need to stir them every now and then, to make sure that all the pieces get evenly cooked.
With a few minutes, you will see that the onions have lost around two-thirds of their volume.
As soon as the onions start turning brown, you may lower the heat. Though it will take a bit more time to caramelize the onions, there would be lower chances of their being burnt.
Soon enough, the sugar in onions will starts caramelizing, making them go from light tan to golden to deep brown.
You can stop cooking the onions as soon as they reach the desired color. Thereafter, transfer them to a cool plate or bowl.
The caramelized onions are ready.

Recipe 2

Things Needed

Onions
Butter
Vinegar
Skillet/ Fry pan
Knife
Sugar (optional)

Instructions

Slice the onions to make ¼-inch wide rings out of them.
Heat butter in a heavy skillet or fry pan.
Now, add the onions to the melted butter and also, put a small amount of sugar. Cook the onions over medium heat.
Let the onions cook for a period of 30-40 minutes, or until they are caramelized. Keep stirring quite often, so that they don’t stick to the pan.
If you want to add flavor, consider adding a dash of vinegar at the end of cooking and stir.

Other Tips

Large, mild-flavored onions are the best for caramelizing.
Caramelized onions can be stored for around 3 months, by freezing them in an airtight container.

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