by Arlene Wright-Correll

Created on: February 08, 2010

As someone who has been cooking for at least 64 years out of 75 years I think by now I “know my onions” as the old saying goes.  Onions are one of the worlds oldest vegetables tracing them back to 5000 BC and foragers could easily find them growing in the ground and eat them raw.

 I have kept my kitchen stocked with all different kinds of onions over those years and even plant them in my gardens. 

 Onions come in all different sizes, flavors and colors and which is the best often becomes the basis of serious debates.

 The similarity between white and yellow onions is that yellow onions are usually labeled as sweet onions.  These onions have a higher sulfer content and sulfer content is what gives onions their pungency.

 Mostly shoppers buy yellow onions because they are usually the cheapest, have the strongest and most complex flavor and usually make you cry when you peel and cut them up because they contain more sulphur.  Eaten raw their flavor will totally overpower you, but once they are cooked their flavor mellows out and as I said they are really the most inexpensive of all onions.  Sweet onions are usually available from March to August.  Sweet or yellow onions are usually larger than white onions. Yellow onions are best for storage as they last longer in storage since they have less water storage and they are less prone to mold thus making them available year round.

 If you want a more tangy onion then purchase the white onion, but store them in a dry, well ventilated place or they will mold quickly.  Hispanic dishes usually call for white onions.  The Western White onion is of a milder varitity.

 Small white onions are called pearl onions and are usually used for pickled onions or creamed as they are sweet and mild.  Another type of small white onions are called boiling onions and are usually cooked whole and served plain or creamed. These are slightly larger than the white pearl onions and both varities are often confused.

 When looking for sweet yellow onions look for Vidalia which is my most favorite or Spanish onions, Maui onions or Walla Walla onions.  These are all great raw in salads or on sandwiches and for those who eat them like apples.  When you cook these types of onions, do not overcook them, just lightly cook them over medium heat and cook them to a light brown color.  These types do not keep as well as stronger onions.  Peruvian Sweet, Empire Sweet, Mexico, Texas 1015, Imperial Valley Sweet, and Vidalia are all milder-tasting varieties.

 Both white and yellow onions are healthy for you.  Long ago it was discovered that of all the varieties of onions tested, the more phenols and flavonoids they contain, the more antioxidant and anti-cancer activity they provide.

 Western Yellow, pungent yellow such as the New York Bold, when tested against liver and colon cancer cells, were most effective in inhibiting their growth.

 When one slices or eats both white and yellow onions, cells are broken, allowing enzymes called alliinases to break down amino acid sulphoxides and generate sulphenic acids.

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