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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)

#121

Post by sublinear »

AlotOfReading wrote: post #103
sublinear wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 (…

The first step in carmelization is to remove most of that water so the onions can reach maillard reaction temps. Try doing it without oil and an equivalent amount of water instead. It's much more temperamental.

> The first step in carmelization is to remove most of that water

Where did I say it wasn't?

Anyway, about adding water, I respectfully disagree. The oil is necessary and it really is a tablespoon in a shallow and uncrowded pan with the lid off.

EDIT: I'm specifically talking about browning some onions when called for as an initial step in a recipe, not for making a huge batch of them for use as a condiment. Cutting the onion into finer pieces also speeds things up.

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

#122

Post by egman_ekki »

bruckie wrote: post #110

Recipe writers are still lying about cooking time in 2023. I signed up for a Hello Fresh promo recently to get some new meal ideas, and it's making me feel like the slowest cook on the planet. I reliably exceed their stated prep and cooking times by 100-200%. Tonight's "40 minute" recipe took about 70 minutes, and that was with a family member helping out with some of the prep and cooking. I wonder if they collect an…

You should watch a couple of Iron Chef episodes if you want to feel extra slow :D

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

#123

Post by firstlink »

explaininjs wrote: post #24
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.

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.

> Spices in a stew will only ever possibly reach 212. When blasted on dry heat they can get higher.

Some claim that this is a thing when making rice too. I've tried toasting the grains for a few minutes before adding the water to boil, but I can't say I can tell the difference. Maybe that's a time issue like the onions, or maybe it just doesn't do anything...

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

#124

Post by kstenerud »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #73
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…

Can you share the make and model of your slow cooker? It might generate some interesting discussions. If anyone else uses this "one trick" (joke), please post your make and model here.

I bought it over a decade ago, and have since left it behind when I moved to Europe. It was a Hamilton Beach brand but don't ask me what model. It had a shutoff timer, which was nice because I could set it to cook a roast while I was at work, and not have to worry about what time I got home (it would stay on "keep warm" after cooking).

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

#125

Post by wenc »

drekipus wrote: post #22
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.

You actually don't want too much oil when cooking steaks, otherwise they splatter everywhere. That's something I'm glad to learn.

You can cook steaks without adding any oil at all -- in fact, this is how to cook steak in an apartment without getting it all smokey.

According to America's Test Kitchen, do this: Pat dry. Start cold in nonstick/cast iron — no preheat, no oil. Flip every 2 mins. Start high, after few flips, turn heat down to medium. Keep flipping every 2 mins until done.

Most cuts worth eating have some fat on them (filet mignons might not but they are very dry anyway -- to me they're not worth it). This fat is enough to brown and cook the steak on. It's completely unnecessary to add oil.

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

#126

Post by wjnc »

bruckie wrote: post #110

Recipe writers are still lying about cooking time in 2023. I signed up for a Hello Fresh promo recently to get some new meal ideas, and it's making me feel like the slowest cook on the planet. I reliably exceed their stated prep and cooking times by 100-200%. Tonight's "40 minute" recipe took about 70 minutes, and that was with a family member helping out with some of the prep and cooking. I wonder if they collect an…

Do you prepare following the steps in the guide? I’ve found that it’s much quicker to prepare based on what hits the pan when. If you do that the first items hit the pan sooner and you are in a nice rush to keep up the cutting with the cooking. Massive efficiency gain. And do some YouTube based cutting training. But that was coming from total beginner level.

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

#127

Post by mattlondon »

Hmm I dunno. Are people using a stone-cold pan or something?

You can brown (I presume this is what most recipes mean when they say "caramelise") onions brown fairly quickly in ~5 mins or so on a good induction hob and normal (i.e. not absurdly weighty) day-to-day saute pan. It was equally as fast on gas hobs when those used to be a thing too.

A non-induction electric hob of course is a total different matter as they are total utter garbage, so if they are using those then yeah it probably just takes 10 minutes to get to the right temperature to cook at all!

Maybe the onions you bet in Europe are easier to cook? Wouldn't surprise me if there is some different variety that is common here but not there etc.

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

#128

Post by dj_mc_merlin »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #118

For the same reason devs lie about installing arch linux without any problem. When you are good at something, you don't realize how much you do anymore. This article is unrelated, but has a good explananation of the problem in one section : Why not tell people to simply use x https://bitecode.substack.com/p/why-not-tell-people-to-simpl...

This is different. If you learn enough about Linux, you can install Arch in 15-20minutes no problem. Especially since learning about Linux means reinstalling your OS many times until you finally learn how to keep it clean and rescue it from any situation.

You are not going to be able to cook chicken in 3-4minutes per side like so many recipes claim. It's just not possible to have a good outside temperature and a good inside temperature no matter how you cook it if you only have that amount of time. They're lying to make it seem easier and to get more clicks on their recipes.

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

#129

Post by peter_retief »

I had to google because I forgot the term for sauteed onions, had the term braised in my head.

https://www.platingsandpairings.com/sauteed-onions/

The main difference between sauteed onions and caramelized onions is the cooking time. Caramelized onions are cooked at a lower temperature, for a longer period of time, resulting in super sweet, tender onions.

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

#130

Post by tourmalinetaco »

rob74 wrote: post #82
kragen wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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)...

The issue isn’t that bugs get in, but that bugs are already in. Weevils will lay their eggs in with the flour, which are impossible to sift out. Unless you bake them at 140°F/60°C, freeze them at 0°F/-18°C, use pesticides, or deprive them of oxygen, they’ll eventually hatch and eat your flour/grain.
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