Onions have it all: They are cheap, they are vegetarian (smaller footprint...), and they are available this time of the year (just be a bit picky when shopping them), and they are delicious! Onion time!
Onions are probably one of the most popular foods in the world (which is peculiar considering that the piquant flavors are there to stop humans and other animals from eating them). Onions deserve to be the main dish, for example in soups or in gratins, more often.
Useful knowledge when treating your guests to this tasty, popular and healthy ingredient:
There are (at least) 3 ways to fry onion
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Sweated onion. "Sweating" means frying in butter or oil at a low enough temperature that the onion doesn’t brown. This way you draw out the sweet, fruity flavors hidden in the onion’s layers.
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Browned onion. You brown onions at a slightly higher temperature, resulting in the Maillard effect and roasted toffee flavors when the sugars in the onions slowly caramelize in the butter. And the onions turn a gorgeous golden brown.
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Caramelized onion takes even longer than the two methods above. To get a highly flavored “tangle”: thinly slice the onion and fry in oil or clarified butter for up to an hour at a medium temperature. Stir as little as possible, but turn them two or three times.
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