Caramelized onions are a true delight and are a staple in our house. They are used as a condiment usually with burgers or as a side dish with liver and onions. Caramelized (carmelized) onions are easy but somewhat time consuming to make. The reason for this is the onions need to be cooked long and slow to allow the sugar content to caramelize giving them that wonderful flavour and colour. I discovered that caramelized onions reheat nicely and can be made in advance then frozen,
canned or dried for later use.
By far the vast majority of caramelized onions that we eat are cooked fresh along with the meal. This past weekend I did just that to have fresh caramelized onions as a condiment for the burgers. Surprisingly there were left-overs so I popped them into a bowl and covered with tin foil. The following evening we grilled steaks for dinner so I inverted the bowl so the onions were in the tin foil and reheated them on the grill in the foil. It was a very easy reheat method for using up the left-over caramelized onions. Some recommend adding a bit of sugar to help the onions caramelize quicker but I don't do this. Here is my basic way for making caramelized onions.
Caramelized Onions
1 - 2 large Spanish onions
2 - 4 tbsp butter*
Peel the onions. Cut in half then into slices. Melt the butter on medium then add the onions. Cook until translucent stirring occasionally. At this point you may have to add a bit more butter. Continue cook on low heat until golden brown and nicely caramelized.
*If intending to can the caramelized onions follow the instructions in the above link.
I use onions in nearly every meal that I cook. I didn't know that they get sweeter when you cook them slower and longer. Thanks for these tips.
ReplyDeleteThis way also works for frozen veggies too! Gives them a nice smoky flavour and doesn't heat up the kitchen too!
ReplyDeleteGG's daughter
I don't know if this would interest you at all, but we do big batches (especially since here we can only get vidalia a few months of the year and those are our faves- or we mix several varieties- in the slow cooker or crockpot. Fill as much as you want that fits, toss a stick of butter on top and put it on low.
ReplyDeleteIt can take anywhere from about 4 to 8 hours depending on how fast your machine cooks, and I like to stir every 2 hours, although my friend who tried this said she forgot to stir and only thing that happened was a little darker at the top but still good, then put on a parchment lined cookie sheet in portion sizes, freeze for a couple hours then bag them up and they are ready whenever we want them.
It's wonderful to know when I just want a quickie meal I can add to anything and add that special touch.
Hi Vickie and thanks for visiting. I'm glad you found the tips useful and enjoy :)
ReplyDeleteHey :) Thats a good thing to know about the frozen vegetables. I'll try it the next time we fire up the grill. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteHi dddiva and thanks for visiting. I'm not really fond of using the slow cooker or crockpot especially for this purpose although I have heard of others doing so. I will make it a point to try this method to see how it compares to the method I use. You are right that they do freeze well. Isn't it nice to be able to add that extra special touch?
ReplyDeleteHey, I DID find the recipe! I'm still wondering on processing time though. Thanks ahead, Dawnb
ReplyDelete