How to avoid onion sweetening when sautéing?

Question

As you know if you sauté onions they'll start to get sweeter the more they stay in the frying pan.

So is there a trick to avoids this sweetening, maybe keep more of the onion taste?

What do you mean by “the onion taste”? Both the sulphuric bite of fresh onions and the sweetness of gently sweated onions are part of the onion? — Stephie, Dec 29 '20 at 17:57
In the US, onions have gotten milder and sweeter over the past 20 years. If you want something that'll make you cry when you cut into it, go to an ethnic store. — Wayfaring Stranger, Dec 30 '20 at 00:39

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 29 '20 at 18:06

2

Add a hint of tanginess:

Adding lime juice can to your dish can balance out the sweetness. In case, you don't want too much of tanginess in the dish you can also add vinegar white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar.

answered Dec 29 '20 at 18:06

Anastasia Zendaya

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Thank you so you're taking about after Cook and on the dish directly? – FabioSpaghetti Dec 30 '20 at 09:18
@FabioSpaghetti No, during the cook, though after the cook might work too. – Anastasia Zendaya Dec 30 '20 at 13:01

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 31 '20 at 00:00

When you cut into Allium like onions or garlic a chemical reaction occurs which gives you that fresh onion smell/flavor. As time goes by that reaction will continue, unless it's stopped by heat or acid. Basically if you wait, start with 15-20 minutes, after chopping your onions you can maximize the pungency. Which I think could help in masking the sweeter taste.

How to avoid onion sweetening when sautéing?

2 Answers2