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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)

#131

Post by isaacfrond »

My sister in law writes recipes. She has a recipe column in a newspaper and wrote a few high quality recipe books. I saw them in a bookstore. So she's reasonable successful. Her pieces are charming, her recipes inspiring.

The thing is. At a birthday party when I was talking to her, she confessed to me that she never actually tries her recipes. When it's time to do a new piece, she sits down at her computer and makes up a recipe. She is experienced and knowledgeable she it usually turns out ok. But if you make her recipe you may well be the first one to do it. What is worse, she claims that virtually all recipe books are made like this.

So if you cook from a recipe you'll have to adjust to realities and modify it were needed, because the recipe writer sure as hell didn't do it for you.

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

#132

Post by wpm »

mattlondon wrote: post #127

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…

Sauteed onions are not the same as caramelized onions.

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

#133

Post by wenc »

jonstewart wrote: post #26
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 can conceivably get a Maillard reaction with toasting some spices (e.g. cumin seed) where you wouldn’t just by throwing them in a stew. But I agree with your overall point. The 1-2 tbsp olive oil is -everywhere-. Also, better to use canola oil for browning meat.

Toasting spices can flavor your oil, but the Mailard reaction really only happens when amino acids react with reducing sugars, so nothing to do with spices at all.

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

#134

Post by episteme »

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…

I had the same problem with Hello Fresh. I dreaded doing all the prep. However, we tried one called Green Chef and found it much more realistic. The cost of any of these services is too high for me to stomach without some sort of discount but we actually enjoyed cooking the recipes with this one while it lasted.

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

#135

Post by onion2k »

mattlondon wrote: post #127

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…

You can turn onions brown fairly quickly in ~5 mins..

Caramelized onions are not the same as browned onions. Going from raw to brown takes 5 minutes, and going from brown to caramelized takes about another 25 to 45 minutes.

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

#136

Post by brnt »

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…

Absolutely! I think I am especially slow at cutting veg, which is a compromise between my motorically undeveloped and untrained self not cutting my fingers (happens every few weeks) and speed. Multiplying by 1.5 is a safe lower limit for me.

I did learn a few things through it though (how to use vinager and not to be afraid of more than 5 ingredients), which is a great outcome. Apart from a bigger selection of recipes I know.

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

#137

Post by tourmalinetaco »

xxs wrote: post #119
wussboy wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would wake up with a ravenous hunger as the smell would have permeated the house! What a delightful problem to have!

...unless you have curtains or other fabrics that soak up the smell.

So my house constantly smells like caramelized onions? Win for me!

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

#138

Post by peepee1982 »

mattlondon wrote: post #127

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…

Heat is not the problem. I don't think you understand what browning onions well means. Which is understandable, because getting them "brown" in a few minutes is pretty easy, and that's the way it's explained in most recipes.

Browning usually means at least partial (noticeable in taste) caramelizing. That just won't happen in five minutes.

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

#139

Post by Larrikin »

genocidicbunny wrote: post #100
Larrikin wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You named no brands for comparison and ignored a specific call out for comparison. Wanting something to be true doesn't make it true and as a novice cook this was the most obvious time I learned it.

Brands of what? Comparison of what? What specifically would you hope to be able to compare between either slow cookers or knives that would have any serious effect on how good the food you can use them to make is?

The most popular pots and pans for cooking do actually have a brand associated with them, even if its as big as Teflon. Not being able to name any, with a good or bad opinion, is comparable to not having a good or bad opinion about a novel. An old medium where its possible they have a valid new opinion, but usually a good indicator of the level of their opinion.

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

#140

Post by licebmi__at__ »

Larrikin wrote: post #93
genocidicbunny wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Money does not necessarily buy you quality, or if it does, a worthwhile amount of it. I have some nice knives that cost a decent amount, but guess what, my day to day knives are from a $15 ikea knife set that I bought half a decade ago. Are these knives going to last me decades? No, but with relatively minimal upkeep over the years, they're just as sharp as my nice knives. I will probably eventually throw them out wh…

You named no brands for comparison and ignored a specific call out for comparison. Wanting something to be true doesn't make it true and as a novice cook this was the most obvious time I learned it.

Have you ever used a slow cooker? You seemed obsessed with naming brands and call it a specialized tools makes me think you have never used them.

It’s just the simplest tool which actually shines best to be used for everyday general cooking. You know when you don’t have the time to do fancy cooking and just need a tasty home made meal with minimal effort.

Yeah, you could probably get better caramelized onions if you know how to cook them, if you have time to prepare them, and if you give them your full attention, but I would bet for the regular person cooking for himself, they are likely to get better results with 1/10 of effort just doing what OP mentioned, with ANY slow cooker.

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