December 12, 20187 yr So I make French Onion Soup. It's damm tasty. But, it lacks that great brown color. I cook the onions until I'm blue in the face in a dutch oven. I've added salt, I've added sugar, etc...nothing works. I want my onions to be nice and brown. What am I doing wrong?
December 12, 20187 yr Isn't it just time . . . like 45 minutes or more in butter & oil over fairly low heat? I know I've burned them by trying to short circuit the process. It's like barbecue -- low and slow.
December 12, 20187 yr time. it takes a long time to do it the traditional way, especially if your'e adding butter and onions in stages. but when i don't have the patience i add a T each of ketchup, worcestershire, and soy sauce.
December 12, 20187 yr These guys are right on. Time time time. Start with butter, add salt and pepper and keep stirring. I use medium to medium-low heat.
December 12, 20187 yr I do onions for 30 minutes on medium. After melting the butter, the first 10 minutes is just the onions. Stir once or twice to keep things even. Next 10 minutes with Salt, a shitload of Black Pepper, and a shot of Red Wine Vinegar. Stir once or twice to keep things even. Next 10 minutes with Honey added to make it gooey and help carmelize. Stir 2 or 3 times to keep from burning until desired color. They turn out amazing every time.
December 12, 20187 yr Disregard that the link says it’s for French onion dip, he really breaks down caramelizing onions. https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/01/the-food-lab-real-french-onion-dip-homemade-super-bowl-recipe.html Edited December 12, 20187 yr by formermav43
December 12, 20187 yr Onions + vegetable oil + flattop + 45 minutes = Allsome OnionsI may have to try some of the shortcuts. I probably caramelize close to 100lbs of onions per year.
December 12, 20187 yr After initially adding butter, I add stock, cook it off, add more stock, cook it off, repeat as needed. Gets them nice and brown.
December 12, 20187 yr Build the chopped onions into a mound and let the heat and the moisture from the onion work their magic in the center of the pan. A chef showed me one time and it’s completely changed the quality of my caramelized onions. It takes patience for sure.
December 12, 20187 yr 3 hours ago, 52-80 said: thomas kellerman says you gotta cook the onion for like 10 hours Thomas Kellerman is the man. The Ranch Raundry is also badass.
December 12, 20187 yr In a time crunch, I've used honey instead of sugar. Tends to give it a nice golden color much quicker.
December 12, 20187 yr Julia's Child's method has worked very well for me. Melt 2T butter with 1T vegetable oil,. Mix in the onions, cover, and cook over med-low for 20 mins until tender. Then add 1/2t sugar and 1t salt, bump up to med-high, and cook for another 20 mins, stirring frequently. The video is for onion soup, but the method produces wonderfully browned, caramelized onions for all applications. Edited December 12, 20187 yr by Dutch
December 12, 20187 yr butter, time, don't stir much because you need the contact with the pan to keep the temp up, and don't cover it either.
December 12, 20187 yr French dressing is the magic ingredient you're missing. Edited December 12, 20187 yr by Beau Vine
December 13, 20187 yr I have begun to deglaze with a splash of apple juice. Adds a delightful touch of additional sweet.
December 13, 20187 yr No sugar or honey at all. A splash of red wine or balsamic is acceptable in my book, as the acid offsets the sugar in the vinegar.
December 14, 20187 yr I've obviously been doing this wrong for lack of complication. My method has always been: melt a little butter, put onions in, make them hot but not too fast, and stir them so all surfaces hit the heat over the course of, say, 20 minutes. Fin. But that's just for general burger, tex-mex, or steak sandwich purposes.... I imagine there's much more refinement needed for FO soup.
December 14, 20187 yr Are you using enough caramel?I use a Mrs. Prindible apple in mine. Plenty of caramel and the chocolate and nuts add a delightful taste. Don't forget to take out the stick.
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