This is for Will who, after reading my piece on artichoke pizza with caramelized onions, wrote: “Caramelized onions are the best thing that have happened to my burgers since cheese” and “that it takes fooorever”.
Here’s a tip. Start the onions first. While they are caramelizing, move to the rest of the preparations for your meal. You’ve got 30 minutes.
Heat a little olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot (I love Le Creuset for this) , add the sliced or diced onions, quickly sauté over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Lower the heat, cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes. Stir from time to time to evenly distibute the browning. Your onions should be deliciously wilted, caramelized to perfection.
Oh, and by the way, Onions are a member of the lily family and have been around since 3000 BCE. They have sulfuric compounds that are known to inhibit cancer. Remember, browning occurs at 300 degrees or more, so refrain from adding liquid which will forestall the browning.
Here are some pics , before, during, after.
5 Comments
One more thing that I learned through my caramelized onion experience was to use A LOT more onions than you think you need. I used three onions for four people and that was pretty good. I could have probably even added another.
That’s a great point Will. In fact, 1 large onion, about 10 ounces, will yield about 5 ounces of caramelized onion. That’s a little over 1/2 cup. So one onion per person is about right.
Ahh – keep it covered – I realize that is the secret to avoid burning or drying out – seems so obvious but I never thought about it for onions.
Now I have no excuse for not preparing it correctly but what else do I use them with besides hamburgers ?
Caramelized onions can be an awesome accompaniment to pork chops with sauteed apples, or tossed with pasta & cheese, or diced and added to sauteed mushrooms. Let your imagination & taste buds be your guide!