How to make caramelized onions: the low-down on cooking on low

In the age of the Instant Pot and kitchen hacks, it’s tempting to try and shave off time in every kitchen project. I’m all about saving time — but not when I’m caramelizing onions. There really isn’t a short-cut here.

Melt the butter on medium-high to start, then add onions and cook for 1–2 minutes. Then, put the onions on low heat to fully develop flavor. Don’t try to increase the heat to get them to cook faster; you’ll lose out on the depth and complexity caramelized onions offer! The whole process can take me anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how dark I want my onions. To save me time overall, I make large batches, using multiple pots at once. (I keep my kitchen well-ventilated for this!)

Let me emphasize this next point: While you don’t have to stand over the pot the whole time, this is also not a time to go into the other room and catch up on your latest Netflix binge. Stay by your onions! Watching and stirring every few minutes will ensure they don’t burn and that you get the level of caramelization you want.

How to make caramelized onions: simmer until brown

As the onions cook, their chemical makeup changes. They get sweeter and softer, and the flavor deepens. How dark you want to cook them generally depends on what you plan to do with them, but it’s really up to you. “Blonde” onions are lightly caramelized, a light golden-brown, with a bit of onion bite left. I like them in vinaigrettes and warm salads.

Golden-brown onions, with a deep golden color and gloss, are my favorite all-purpose caramelized onion. They take about an hour, maybe a little more. Fantastic flavor, and great for French onion soup. This is usually the result I aim for. Deeply caramelized onions get very dark brown and have a slightly jammy texture. If you choose to cook them this long, remember to use liquid to deglaze and watch them carefully and stir often to prevent burning. This becomes a great condiment at a cook-ou

Freeze leftovers … if there are any

Caramelized onions freeze very well. You can freeze them in ice cubes if that works for you. I like to freeze them in quart-size freezer bags laying flat, then when they are frozen solid, stand them upright in my freezer. This saves on storage space and thawing time, and makes it easier to use only what I need for a particular recipe. You’ll find the technique similar to freezing herbs in oil .

Summary:

Cut onions; cook in butter on low until brown. Freeze leftovers.

1) Gather onions; you’ll need 3x the amount raw onion than caramelized (if you want 1 cup caramelized onions, you’ll need to start with 3 cups raw onion slices, or about 2 large onions).

2) Cut onions, either pole-to-pole (leaving the root end intact if desired) or cross-grain.

3) Place onions and butter or other preferred oil in a pot, about 1 tablespoon of oil or butter per 2–3 onions. Heat on medium-high and cook for 2 minutes.

4) Turn heat down to low. Cook onions, stirring occasionally and deglazing as necessary, 35–90+ minutes, or until desired color and flavor are reached. As onions get darker, stir more frequently.

5) Store in a covered container in the fridge for about a week or freeze using this technique .