The caramelized onions make a wonderful side dish for roasts
The patience and using the proper technique are important to transform harsh, raw onions into sweet.
One of the first tasks I had to perform as a student in cooking school was to caramelize onions. After 15 minutes I asked the chef if they were ready, and I continued to do so every 15 minutes for about an hour.
Each time his response was, "No."
I couldn't believe how long it took to transform harsh, raw onions into sweet, buttery, caramel deliciousness.
The lesson taught me patience and that using the proper technique is important to achieve good results. Onions are mostly water with sulfur compounds and fructose sugar chains. The sulfurs released into the air when the onion is cut are responsible for the tears we shed while chopping. They evaporate and dissolve when heated, which is why cooked onions don't make you cry.
When onions are cooked over a long period of time (usually 40 to 45 minutes), the water evaporates and any remaining sulfurs break down to form new, very sweet- tasting-compounds.
Caramelized onions make a wonderful side dish for roasts or grilled fish, atop burgers and pizzas, folded into mashed potatoes, or tossed with pasta and cheese. They also are the first step in making French onion soup. I usually make a large batch with about three large yellow onions (don't waste Vidalia onions here because they aren't any sweeter than regular yellows when cooked) and… continue reading
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