Caramelized onions are great to have on hand to add to dips, burgers, pizza, grilled meats, sandwiches, focaccia and more. It is a first step to know if you are cooking Indian curries, like goat meat.
While caramelizing onions isn’t a difficult process, it does take a bit of time and a little patience. It’s important to cook them over medium low heat until the sugars in the onions turn golden (caramelize).
What you’ll need
Onions: Yellow onions are the most common onion in grocery stores and work perfectly, but you can also use sweet onions (like Walla Walla or Vidalia).
Butter & olive oil: I like cooking my onions in a mixture of olive oil and butter for lots of flavor. If you’re cooking 4 onions, you’ll need about a tablespoon of each.
Salt: You’ll need a little salt for onions.
Red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar (optional): You can choose to deglaze the pan with some vinegar at the end of cooking, but this is totally optional.
Caramelized onions can be kept at room temperature for up to two hours while serving. Or refrigerate them in an airtight container and they will keep up to one week. You can then use them as is in recipes, or you can reheat them gently on the stovetop to serve.
They freeze very well, just divide into small plastic containers and wrap in foil or put it in ziploc bag to avoid onion odor seeping into other frozen goods.
Ingredients
- 4 medium yellow or sweet onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3-3/4 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Peel the onions, halve them, and cut into slices (don't cut too thin).
- Add the oil and butter to a large frying pan set over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and stir to coat in the oil. Add the salt and stir again.
- Cook on medium-high for 10-12 minutes. If the onions starts to stick and brown, add a splash of water and stir.
- Stir and continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and soft. (don't let them crisp/char). At the end add balsamic vinegar and stir. Cook for a few seconds.
- Allow the onions to completely cool then store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months! Just thaw in the fridge and use as necessary.
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