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Questions tagged [onions]

Use this tag for questions about selecting, identifying, storing, preparing, replacing or cooking with onion as a star ingredient.

Onions are a white or yellow root vegetable with a sharp sulfur taste when raw. When cooked, they can develop a darker color and sweeter flavor. Use this tag for questions about selecting, identifying, storing, preparing, replacing or cooking with onion as a star ingredient. Questions about dishes which include onion, but are not focused on onion, should not use this tag.

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Why do red onions turn blue or green when cooking sometimes?

I cooked a pot of beans with some red onions last night. Today for lunch when I got them out of the fridge, all of the onions had turned a blue/green colour! They still taste ok, but sure looks unappetizing! Any ideas what's going on here?
Chris AtLee
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(Why) do onions taste sweeter when cooked at lower temperature?

I use onions to add a sweeter taste to some dishes, for example in tomato sauce for pasta. I cook them in oil, with some salt, before adding the other ingredients. It seems to me that when I turn the temperature too hot, the onions don't become…
Hanno Fietz
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How can I store chopped onions in the fridge without the smell?

I am cooking for a large group and am trying to do as much as I can in advance. One thing I would love to do in advance is chop several onions. I have done this before with a single onion; I stored the chopped onion in a plastic storage container…
Rebecca Chernoff
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First onion or first minced meat?

When making e.g. spaghetti sauce, do I: first sweat the onions and then add the minced meat? first brown the minced meat and then add the onions? do both at the same time but in different pans and add them together afterwards? What are the…
BioGeek
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What can I substitute for onions?

I love onions; however, someone that I cook for does not. Absolutely hates them and can tell whenever they are in the dish. That said, so many recipes call for onion to be added. What can I use instead that would have a similar but less…
ist_lion
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How do I tone down the intensity of raw onion?

How can I tone down the intensity of raw onion? Some onions have a more acute taste and smell than others of the same type, and I would like to avoid them in salad dish, or making dips with raw onion. If effectively none, an alternative solution…
KMC
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How much is a small/medium/large onion?

By size or weight - I never seem to know ...
ScottR
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What is the Purpose of Using Onions in (Almost) Every Soup Recipe?

Almost every soup recipe seems to call for sauteed onions. For instance, I'm looking up recipes for squash soup, and every single one calls for onions -- but every soup recipe I can think of uses onions, so it's not just this type. So what's the…
The How-To Geek
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What's the best way to peel an onion?

I'm a pro at dicing an onion. My issue is always peeling it. The papery skin is so tough to get off, and I'm never sure just how many layers to peel off. Does anyone have any sure-fire tips on how to peel an onion in 2.5 seconds every time?
Pirripli
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Which onions to use and how to cook them for an Indian curry recipe that specifies "fry until deep pink"?

One of the curry recipes in the book "50 great curries of India" says "Heat the oil in a cooking pot and fry the onions until deep pink." I think I know what it means when a recipe says "until deep brown" (which is what many Indian curry recipes…
Rinzwind
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A definitive method of dicing an onion

It bugs me that I've just sort of self-taught a method of turning a whole onion into a nicely diced pile. I'm going to assume my method is inefficient and wasteful. Could someone explain how I should be dicing a whole onion? Unusual and clever…
Codebeef
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If you 'caramelize' an onion, does an onion contain sugar?

I love the taste of lightly fried sliced onion. I've heard this referred to as 'caramelizing' the onion. Is there sugar in the layers of an onion that is changed to caramel, or is this just a phrase? My question is: If you 'caramelize' an onion, do…
hawkeye
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How can I peel pearl onions quickly?

I love pearl onions, but I'm always put off by the idea of peeling every single one. Are there any shortcuts to peeling pearl onions?
Goodbye Stack Exchange
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How do I cut a blooming onion?

A blooming onion is a deep fried onion which opens up during frying to resemble a flower. Obviously, I start with a giant onion. How do I cut it?
txwikinger
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Is it ok to skip onions in a recipe?

so this yet another attempt of mine to start cooking and yet again I'm frustrated by the perverse need of every single recipe to include onions. I hate onions, their flavour, their texture etc. and I can even taste it in soups. So my question is, if…
onionhater
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