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Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

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Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#81

Post by imp0cat »

zwieback wrote: post #46

Has anyone here tried the baking soda trick? I've read about it but can't imagine the flavor would be any good

Yes, it works. Do not use too much of it.

If you don't mind the pureé-like consistency, you can further speed-up the whole process in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). Follow the steps 1-3 from this recipe: https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/pressure-cooker-beef-cur...

--- 1) Prepare Pressure Cooker: Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté button) over medium heat. Ensure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT). 2) Pressure Cook Caramelized Onion Purée: Melt 3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter in pressure cooker. Add in sliced onions, shallots, ⅓ tsp (1.3g) baking soda. Sauté until moisture starts to come out of the onions (~5 mins). Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes, then Quick Release. Open lid. 3) Reduce until Caramelized (takes roughly 16 – 17 mins): There will be lots of moisture from the onions. Reduce until most moisture has evaporated over medium high heat (Instant Pot: press cancel, Sauté button and Adjust once to Sauté More function). Stir constantly with a silicone spatula. Once most moisture has evaporated, adjust to medium heat (Instant Pot: press cancel and Sauté). Stir until onions are deep golden brown and all moisture has evaporated. Season with kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste. Remove caramelized onion purée and set aside.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#82

Post by rob74 »

kragen wrote: post #71
mc32 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re right but that flour would have to be out (unsealed) for a while. Boy, weevils!

flour here is sold in paper bags, which are glued shut but not waterproof or beetleproof i have not had weevils in a number of years but I have recently had red flour beetles or confused flour beetles they suck

Well, you can always put the flour in another container which can be closed airtight (or at least bug-tight)...

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#83

Post by Larrikin »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #74
Larrikin wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Name the brand and model of your amazing 5 dollar slow cooker and give us some recipes to use in it. Or people could just read dozens of reviews of a hundred year cooking vessel where they always complain about the price but reluctantly admit its better. Spending lots of money on cooking supplies as a novice is fraught with landmines of people wasting money, but out right dismissals of spending any money is also usua…

The OP wrote: bought at a goodwill for $5 The person made no other claims about this slow cooker except caramelizing onions.

My point was >Maybe you got lucky and your 5 dollar slow cooker really makes good caramelized onions. But my experience trying recipes over the years, there are a few good sources of free recipes from a few places on the internet, and nearly everyone, without a team of testers backing them, is at best mediocre and usually sucks.

The 15 minute caramelized onions, the cheap slow cooker onions, and other such things are nearly always lies, despite how much I wish them to be true.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#84

Post by sublinear »

yamtaddle wrote: post #36
explaininjs wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spices in a stew will only ever possibly reach 212. When blasted on dry heat they can get higher. The tablespoon of olive oil is to kickstart the process, after that enough fat will render out of the meat to keep it going.

> The tablespoon of olive oil is to kickstart the process, after that enough fat will render out of the meat to keep it going. Agreed on meat, but I consistently see way-too-small amounts of oil suggested for cooking veggies, too. It's like every recipe writer online got together and decided that 1) they must specify oil quantities for those steps, but 2) the quantity must never exceed one tablespoon.

Vegetables can release a lot of water. The amount and how much it affects the other ingredients varies significantly on which you put in, in what order, how much, and in what size of pan. If the pan is crowded, has high walls, or a lid, that can also affect how much water stays in the pan.

I can't think of any situation where I would want more than a literal tablespoon of oil for cooking the first veggies thrown in (usually onion). By the time the onions have begun to caramelize there's is enough water that the original tablespoon of oil is no longer significant.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#85

Post by ars »

chongli wrote: post #39

The trick to caramelizing onions (without leaving them overnight in a slow cooker) is to add a bunch of water to the pan and steam them until they’re completely wilted, then boil off the water and add oil. This will cause most of the onion cells to burst, releasing their water, allowing that water to quickly evaporate so that the oil can do its job raising the temperature of all the onions to the point at which the s…

I just add the some oil and a lot of salt (all the salt the dish will use) at the start and cook on high. Once they release their water lower to medium-low and let it cook.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#86

Post by ars »

WheelsAtLarge wrote: post #64

Saw a show the other day that added a bit of baking soda to caramelize them in a fraction of the time. I tried it a few days ago and it worked. Here's a page about it: https://www.onions-usa.org/onionista/faster-caramelized-onio...

Yah, but then they taste bad - I can taste even small amounts of baking soda, and I hate it.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#87

Post by genocidicbunny »

Larrikin wrote: post #66
kstenerud wrote: post #4

The best way to carmelize onions is in a slow cooker. I used a cheapie one for years that I bought at a goodwill for $5. Chop up enough onions to fill the vessel 1/2 to 2/3, leave it running overnight (8-10h), wake up next morning to perfectly carmelized onions. Now drain the juice, portion them out and store them in the freezer (store the juice too for onion soup). Now any time you need carmelized onions, take a por…

For the home cook, its usually a better strategy to spend money up front on quality, but ignore specialized tools, than try to cheap out. Alton Brown's advice about unitaskers is terrible, except for the first time you start cooking at home and don't know what you need. Someone could spend days looking for the specific slow cooker you found and maybe your onions from it are good. The idea of saving 50 dollars by buyi…

> I guess this is just a long winded way of saying that maybe your cheaply made onions are good, but after being a home cook for so long I think it is more likely the caramelized onions in my Le Creuset are going to be better.

I can guarantee you that I can make caramelized onions that are better than pretty much anything you have ever had in your life, but it won't be because I have fancier tools. It will be because I'm using delicious homegrown onions that you can eat raw like apples, that you would be hard pressed to replicate.

What's my point with that anecdote? Don't really have one, much like yours.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#88

Post by paranoidrobot »

jcrash wrote: post #69
pbj1968 wrote: post #20

Sifting flour. Sautéing spices “to release the flavor” and then adding them to stew where they’ll simmer for an hour or more. Pretending “restaurant quality” is anything besides twice as much butter and salt as you’d dare use at home. “One tablespoon of olive oil” to brown absurd amounts of meat at high heat. Once you start recognizing recipe BS, you see it everywhere.

Nah dude, sifting flour totally makes better pancakes. They rise so much easier. I'm sure it helps for other baked goods as well

I'm going to bet that this one is going to depend in part on the particular product, and it's freshness/storage conditions, your location relative to the source mill, and ambient weather.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#89

Post by diffeomorphism »

richk449 wrote: post #60

Recipes are terrible when it comes to time. I have this one open in a tab so I can try it soon: https://www.seriouseats.com/lamb-biryani The first step is the prep step, which it says takes 5 minutes. In that step, I have to: - trim the fat from, and cube (1in) 2 pounds of lamb - peel and chop 6 cloves of garlic - peel and grate 2 inches of ginger - mix with yogurt and salt in a zip lock bag That looks like at least…

No, that is not the prep step. The prep step starts with all of these done and is mixing all of these together in a zip lock bag and putting it in the fridge. So 5 minutes seems even a bit high.

The time for recipes is always "with all ingredients washed, peeled, chopped and set ready to go in a bowl. Start!". Also note that step 2 is to put the onions into the pan (but no step says to cut onions) and that the ingredient list says "garlic, peeled, finely grated" and not "garlic" and "onions, sliced thinly".

You might not like that convention of "time" or would like "actual time" in addition, but it is a pretty universal convention. And it makes sense: the prep time can vary wildly (e.g. peeling and chopping veggies) making the "actual time" quite useless and in professional kitchens other people do this prep work.

So hard disagree from me. The time seems pretty spot on.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#90

Post by nvy »

Larrikin wrote: post #66
kstenerud wrote: post #4

The best way to carmelize onions is in a slow cooker. I used a cheapie one for years that I bought at a goodwill for $5. Chop up enough onions to fill the vessel 1/2 to 2/3, leave it running overnight (8-10h), wake up next morning to perfectly carmelized onions. Now drain the juice, portion them out and store them in the freezer (store the juice too for onion soup). Now any time you need carmelized onions, take a por…

For the home cook, its usually a better strategy to spend money up front on quality, but ignore specialized tools, than try to cheap out. Alton Brown's advice about unitaskers is terrible, except for the first time you start cooking at home and don't know what you need. Someone could spend days looking for the specific slow cooker you found and maybe your onions from it are good. The idea of saving 50 dollars by buyi…

I have a le creuset and cook with it often. I also have lots of cheap kitchen stuff.

Specifically what aspect or quality of yours do you think makes better caramelized onions?

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