by Lauren Haslett

Created on: January 12, 2009   Last Updated: June 11, 2010

The scent of caramelized onions wafting through a kitchen is like nothing else, and those sweet and savory little veggies are an excellent way to add taste and nutrition to almost any meal. They work particularly well with meat dishes, but can also be added on top of many soups and salads or to side dishes for an extra kick of flavor. Caramelizing onions is also a relatively simple process, so it becomes easy to add a dash of flair to your favorite recipes and impress your family and friends without giving yourself a lot of extra work to do in the kitchen.

Caramelizing onions is basically just cooking sliced onions in some type of fat until the starches in the onion begin to break down, making the onion taste much sweeter than it would in its raw state.There are, however, several different things to consider if you want to make the perfectly caramelized onion.

First, think about the type of onion you're choosing to choose. While you can technically use whatever onion you like, different varieties have extremely different flavors. Red onions, for example, have a lot more bite to them then other types, and that bite will not entirely disappear, no matter how long you cook them. For this reason, I tend to use sweet Vidalia onions when I want to add caramelized onion to a dish. Since this variety already has a little natural sweetness, cooking with simply bring out those sugars and that delicious, sweet flavor.

There are also many different spices and flavorings you can add to your onions to give them even more zest and to make them work even better in your favorite dishes.

For some classic caramelized onions that taste delicious as a topping for steaks, pork chops, burgers, or any kind of sausage, simply heat some olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add your onion (I prefer mine in thin slices, but you can slice or chop them however you like them best) and cook until they become golden and soft, usually about 10-15 minutes. However, if you choose to use thick slices of onions, you may  need to cook them a few minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper near the end of cooking time, and for even more sweetness, throw in a few teaspoons of balsamic vinegar as well. The onions caramelized in vinegar also work extremely well in pastas, pizzas or other Italian-style recipes. Simply throw them on your noodles or dough of choice with your favorite cheese and a variety of other sauteed, grilled or roasted vegetables (such as tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>