Stash sauteed onions ahead

[primsong]

Just a tip if you happen to be, as I am, a person who really dislikes the taste of commercial dried onion powders or flakes yet still wants onion in their cooking.  

I watch for sweet onions to go on sale and then buy 5-6 big ones at a time.  Take them home and slice thin (you can slice them in your sink under a little running water and your eyes won't sting, btw) and then cook the whole heap in a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil.  I cook it with occasional stirring and draining off excess liquid until they begin to carmelize.

Cool the resulting batch and then divide it up into about as many portions as you had onions.  I keep them in either little tupperware cups or in ziploc sandwich baggies labeled "1 Onion, Sauteed" and pop them into the freezer.  They keep great and when you need one for cooking it's a real time-saver to just pull one out and zap it in the microwave for a moment.  The flavor is a big improvement and there's no more problem with onions sprouting in my pantry while I get around to them as a bonus.

Comments

[dorothean]

Can I ask you about the running water tip? I've heard that before but I'm not sure how to do it. Does the onion need to be submerged? In that case do you strain the water off afterwards, and do you need to pat the slices dry with a cloth or something, too? If not submerged, how do you recommend preventing the slices from going down the drain?

[primsong]

I have a little plastic cutting board that fits inside my sink, I slice them on that and just catch the occasional escapee from the cutting board by hand. You just keep where you are actually slicing under a little running water, it doesn't even have to be that much, and the onion gets a little wet but isn't submerged. I don't bother patting them dry because it'll all cook off as steam shortly anyway.

I've also sliced them just in the metal sink by itself, wiping out the sink first and fishing large bits out of the sink strainer when in a hurry, though it's less sanitary. I guess I rely on the heat to kill anything that's lurking in the sink in that case, lol...

[dorothean]

Thank you (and to the other people who have added suggestions!). Onion-cutting has always been a very painful experience for me, but I love eating them, so your post has made me more likely to cook with onions for two reasons. :D

[freya46]

I peel and then put under cold water. Once I've sliced half an onion, I pop the slices into a bowl and cover it with a plate. Put the second onion half under the water and repeat.

I like the idea of sauteing them first. Never thought of that one. :-) Thank you.

[miome]

I've had good luck with putting a bit of bread in my mouth and using it like a breathing filter.

[onyxlynx]

This is a terrific idea (I hate the sprouted onions and chopping them).

dorothean, I don't know about anyone else but I just lop off the top of the onion and rinse it for about 30 seconds under cold running water, which seems to work (I've never tried submerging them! For one thing, the inner layers are sllppery).

[moizissimo]

FYI, I also saw a "make caramelized onions in the slow cooker" thing that seemed useful. I do think it's funny that the recipe is one that's "works best outside!" though...

http://www.mnn.com/food/recipes/blogs/recipe-slow-cooker-caramelized-onions