How do you melt onions?

Melt the butter in the stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions. Keep your eye on the onions and stir often at the beginning to allow all the slices to have contact with the bottom of the pot so they start to release their liquid. In about 45 minutes they should have released a good amount of liquid.

How do you melt onions quickly?

Points to remember Melt a small amount of butter and oil in a shallow pan over a low heat. Let the butter melt until it starts to sizzle. Add the finely chopped onions. Ensure the onions are coated in the oil and butter and allow to sizzle as it cooks. After about 12 minutes, the onions will become almost translucent.

Do onions melt when cooked?

Onions lose their bite and melt in your mouth when they're sliced and roasted with butter and fresh herbs and then tenderized further by braising in broth . Serve alongside roasted chicken or cook them in vegetable broth for an easy, elegant vegetarian side dish.

What is the best way to make onions taste sweeter?

Submerge Them in Cold Water Soak them for at least 15 minutes (longer is even more beneficial), properly drain, and eat away! Submerging them in cold water takes away that intense, sharp bite from the raw onion. The cold water helps the enzyme that causes onions to have their pungent flavor to leach out.

How do you increase the flavor of onions?

How you treat them changes their flavor: Macerate them in vinegar and they become acidic yet sweet. Lightly cook them in a pan without browning them for about 10 minutes and they're subtle and savory. Sweat them like this even longer and their flavor gets more complex and concentrated. More items... Jun 6, 2021

How do onions become sweet when cooked?

When cooked, the heat raises the temperature in their cells until at a certain point, the complex chain molecules break down into simple sugars . This reaction … called pyrolysis (pie-rawl-asis), is what causes sautéed onions to brown and develop a sweeter flavor.

What is the best way to soften onions?

To soften the taste of raw onions, slice them thinly or cut them into larger chunks and soak them in very cold water for about 15 minutes. This will soften the taste, making them ideally suited for a salad.

Can you soften onions in the microwave?

Instead of spending 15 minutes trying to soften onions in a pan (only to scorch them!), try this microwave method. Pop chopped or sliced onions in a bowl, add a spoonful of water, cover with a plate and microwave on high for 3-4min . Carefully remove (the bowl will be very hot) and uncover.

What happens when you microwave onions?

Yes, you can cook onions in the microwave without any oil or butter. Onions naturally contain a high water content, so they will steam and cook in their own moisture . This method is a healthier option and can still yield deliciously cooked onions.

How do you melt onions in gravy?

Slice the onions to about ½ inch thick, try to make them the same size so they cook evenly. Melt 4 TBS butter in a pot over medium heat and add the sliced onions. Cover partially and let them simmer, soften, and reduce for about 25 minutes . Stir every few minutes and reduce heat if they start cooking too quickly.

Melted Onions Recipe on Food52 (2024)

5 Ingredients or Fewer

by: Lindsay Maitland Hunt

October5,2020

4.5

8 Ratings

Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 1 hour
Serves 4 to 6 as a side

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

I love how onions become meltingly tender and sweet after a long roast in the oven, but it’s not such an elegant look to plop roasted onions on a platter. Here the petals stay together in a pretty rosette, thanks to a muffin pan. If you don’t have one, use a small rimmed baking sheet or an ovenproof dish and pack the onions tightly together.

To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Tip: If the stem is the North Pole, you’re cutting through the onion’s equator.

Excerpted from HELP YOURSELF © 2020 by Lindsay Maitland Hunt. Photography © 2020 by Linda Pugliese. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. —Lindsay Maitland Hunt

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

6 medium onions (each 3 inches in diameter / 2 1/2 pounds total), halved crosswise through the center (not the root and stem), ends trimmed by 1/4 inch
¹/₂ teaspoonkosher salt
3 teaspoonsfreshly ground freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoonsghee or unsalted butter, melted, or your preferred cooking oil

Directions

Heat your oven to 425°F with a rack in the top position.
Place the onion halves cut-side up in the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin. Sprinkle the onions with the salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes, until the onions have softened slightly and sunk into the cups. Brush with the ghee and return to the oven. Bake until extremely soft and golden brown, about 40 minutes more.

Tags:

American
Onion
5 Ingredients or Fewer
Thanksgiving
Holiday
Vegetarian
Side

See what other Food52ers are saying.

FrugalCat
Ann Murray
See Also
Instant Pot Vortex Recipes (and Omni Recipes) - Instant Pot Cooking Tomatoes In The Hole | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes Balsamic Roasted Cabbage Steaks Recipe Apple Cider Glazed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Carrie Szako Hodges
Victoria Newton

Popular on Food52

18 Reviews

[emailprotected] March 3, 2024

I may be blind but where is the temp?

bobbi September 25, 2023

Has anyone made these ahead in the freezer? I think this would be great for Thanksgiving

Jewell August 11, 2023

Served with pintos and cornbread

FrugalCat April 11, 2022

I made these when I was already roasting a sheet pan dinner. I have a silicone muffin pan. There was no ghee to be found in my fridge, so I used butter flavored popcorn oil. The onions came out great- we ate a couple with dinner and I saved the other 4 to use in cooking new dishes- it's good to have cooked onions in reserve.

Paula J. March 15, 2021

Do you peel the onions?

Jennifer S. March 15, 2021

Yes :)