Earlier quoted context omitted.
She's thinking of browning. Most people simply don't know what caramelization is.
I’m not sure five minutes is even enough for browning
[deleted]
Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
671–680 of 747 posts
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#672After looking at the recipes in question, I suspect that some of these writers are merely using the term Caramelized in a loose, informal (or, if you prefer, "technically-incorrect") sense. When what they more-precisely meant is lightly softened, translucent - a state of onionhood used in no shortage of recipes as an intermediary step during the cooking process. The writers are therefore perhaps guilty of casual synt…
I suspect this is correct. I find softened onions preferably for a number of uses. Caramelized onions can be too sweet, and soggy/limp. I've even found that leaving a trace of crunch is better in many cases (eg beef bolognese). But don't listen to me, I've never really figured out the difference between cooked yellow, white, and sweet onions, and just buy whatever is available and has the least mold and soft spots. E…
tl;dr When cooking, use yellow. They're cheaper and you need less.
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Yellow onions have a stronger flavor, even after cooking. (Though cooking of course lessen it a lot.)
White and sweet are essentially the same, with the latter being slightly sweeter.
In the end they do taste similar cooked. Biggest difference is price. Yellow is usually 20% cheaper than white and 40% cheaper than sweet.
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#673Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even better is a reverse sear in stove on an elevated rack on a baking sheet at 230 degrees for 30 minutes, then you finish the steak off on a hot oiled (avocado or maybe peanut oil) skillet for 1 minute on each side.
> at 230 degrees for 30 minutes In my oven, 230deg is just about maximum temperature; cooking anything that hot for 30 minutes will result in cinders. I take it your oven is calibrated in Fahrenheit?
Sorry, its farenheit
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#674[deleted]
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#675Earlier quoted context omitted.
The real issue is simply a vague use of the word "caramelize," not that they expect you to be at the stove a half-hour longer than they say. The vast majority of recipes that say "caramelize" simply mean "cook until softened and sweet." No, technically the onions won't be caramelized after 15 minutes, but very few recipes actually want you to caramelize the onions. Take an Italian pasta sauce. As an Italian who has c…
The confusion comes in the color versus the process. I've seen some recipes call for "cook down onions until translucent and caramel in color". This is the most accurate definition of what most recipes want when asking for caramelized onions. However the true use of the word "Caramelized Onions" are onions that have gone through the cooking process of caramelization. This process requires three things: sugar, heat, a…
So the lie isn't in the time they say it takes to carmelize onions, but in that they say the recipe calls for carmelized onions at all?
That's even worse. And it begs the question: why are they lying about this?
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#676Earlier quoted context omitted.
The real issue is simply a vague use of the word "caramelize," not that they expect you to be at the stove a half-hour longer than they say. The vast majority of recipes that say "caramelize" simply mean "cook until softened and sweet." No, technically the onions won't be caramelized after 15 minutes, but very few recipes actually want you to caramelize the onions. Take an Italian pasta sauce. As an Italian who has c…
Luckily, in German, there are three completely different words for preparing onions in a pan: 1.) Anschwitzen, literally "sweating up", means putting them in a pan on low heat for around 10 minutes until they are translucent ("glasig", literally "glassy"). This is how to get a starter for many sauces, and is the standard way to prepare onions for many, many meals and sauces (e.g. a standard tomato sauce). They should…
I am sure that Germany has many more words on how to describe cooked onions. Likewise, we have at least a dozen words in the English language for how to cook onions, that also translate directly to the German oddly enough. Unfortunately people who write on-line recipes have latched on to the caramelized onion notation and are not particularly explicit in what they actually want. Having gone through four years of culinary training, I now look at recipes on-line with a very critical eye and much like how you can identify the copy & paste code and architecture of a junior developer, you can also identify the recipe borrowing and construction of people who are better at blogging than they are at cooking.
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#677After looking at the recipes in question, I suspect that some of these writers are merely using the term Caramelized in a loose, informal (or, if you prefer, "technically-incorrect") sense. When what they more-precisely meant is lightly softened, translucent - a state of onionhood used in no shortage of recipes as an intermediary step during the cooking process. The writers are therefore perhaps guilty of casual synt…
This is so clearly true I wonder if the author intentionally “misunderstood” the situation so they could rant. Bonus points for commenters years later making the same “mistake”. No, they don’t really mean caramelization. No, no one else cares.
It's not clear to everyone. Until I read that comment, I had exactly zero idea of that. When a recipe says "carmelized", I foolishly thought it meant "carmelized".
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#678After looking at the recipes in question, I suspect that some of these writers are merely using the term Caramelized in a loose, informal (or, if you prefer, "technically-incorrect") sense. When what they more-precisely meant is lightly softened, translucent - a state of onionhood used in no shortage of recipes as an intermediary step during the cooking process. The writers are therefore perhaps guilty of casual synt…
This is exactly it. We don't have a short snappy term for onion where you have fried it just enough to burn off the harsh chemicals, so recipe writers went for "caramelize" instead of a clunky construction like "lightly softened, translucent".
This means that when a recipe says "carmelized", I have to guess what it really means? That seems unhelpful.
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#679Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
yes but see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36048781
Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
#680Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I think a book like that would be really helpful to a lot of people. It's called The Joy of Cooking.
How to Cook Everything would be a more modern alternative that's just as good IMO.
How to Cook Everything, I'm Just Here For the Food, and On Food and Cooking are my big three. The first one for the breadth of recipes, the second to learn a bit more about the physics and chemistry of cooking, and the third for the truly deep dive into everything we know about food.
Then Modernist Cuisine just for the pictures. Actually I learned a bunch when Mhyrvold spoke at my company- we talked about how to make BBQ ribs. His suggestion: sous vide, then immerse in liquid nitrogen, then deep fry.