How do you best make 'em?

I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized onions,
not deep fried onion rings. I tried some today and they were less than
sterling.

So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
days on rfc. What say you?

nb

notbob > wrote:

> How do you best make 'em?
>
> I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized onions,
> not deep fried onion rings. I tried some today and they were less than
> sterling.
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
> days on rfc. What say you?

Considering your location, you are wasting your time. To achieve the
desired result it is imperative that you find yourself on Mount Carmel,
in Israel.

Otherwise, you might want to consider section 4.5 of the rfc FAQ.

<http://vsack.homepage.t-online.de/rfc_faq0.html#4.5>

Victor

On Thu 14 May 2009 09:39:20p, notbob told us...

> How do you best make 'em?
>
> I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized
onions,
> not deep fried onion rings. I tried some today and they were less than
> sterling.
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every
30
> days on rfc. What say you?
>
> nb
>

I suppose there are many answers to this, but what works for me is enough
oil to thoroughly coat the onions plus a tablespoon or two depending on
quantity, plus a light sprinkling of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Cook
slowly over moderate to moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasinally.
Cooking slowly and covered controls the rate of moisture evaporation and
eveness of browning.

--
Wayne Boatwright
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sugar is a type of bodily fuel, yes, but your body runs about as
well on it as a car would. ~V.L. Allineare

On Fri, 15 May 2009 04:39:20 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>How do you best make 'em?
>
>I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized onions,
>not deep fried onion rings. I tried some today and they were less than
>sterling.
>
>So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
>carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
>days on rfc. What say you?
>
For real caramelized onions, you need long (a good half hour), slow
heat. For what you're talking about, make sure the pan isn't too hot
(medium will do), throw in the onions and brown. It works for me.


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

notbob said...

> How do you best make 'em?
>
> I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized onions,
> not deep fried onion rings. I tried some today and they were less than
> sterling.
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
> days on rfc. What say you?
>
> nb


My teaser: http://i43.tinypic.com/wja06v.jpg (zoom up at least 200%)

And what Victor said!

Andy
--
Eat first, talk later.

notbob wrote:
> How do you best make 'em?
>
> I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized onions,
> not deep fried onion rings. I tried some today and they were less than
> sterling.
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
> days on rfc. What say you?

That depends on how well you want them cooked and caramelized. Usually
they are more or less stir fried over a medium heat. they have to be
moved around frequently in order to cook them without burning. That
makes them bitter. They do need quite a bit of oil. However, if you
want them truly caramelized, you need low heat for a long time, twenty
minutes or more. It helps to add a little bit of sugar and to cover
them, but they need to be stirred around occasionally.

notbob said...

> How do you best make 'em?
>
> I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized onions,
> not deep fried onion rings. I tried some today and they were less than
> sterling.
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
> days on rfc. What say you?
>
> nb


My teaser: http://i43.tinypic.com/wja06v.jpg (zoom up at least 200%)

And what Victor said!

Andy
--
Eat first, talk later.

On May 15, 12:39*am, notbob > wrote:
> How do you best make 'em?
>
> I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized onions,
> not deep fried onion rings. *I tried some today and they were less than
> sterling. *
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? *This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
> days on rfc. *What say you? *
>
> nb

Cut into rings, no smaller. Enough oil to cover the pan, plus extra
if you have a large amount of onions (you want to be able to get them
all lightly coated).

Other than that, keep a lower heat and stir ocassionally. It's
tempting to go with a higher heat just to get them done, but it won't
give you the desired effect.

Oh, and salt them (some add a little sugar too but I don't always).

Good luck!

Kris

notbob wrote:
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
> days on rfc. What say you?

I just use a splash of oil. I slice the onion from pole-to-pole
and make subsequent slices in more-or-less the same direction,
so I end up with spear-like onion pieces, not rings or dice.
I always use yellow onions for this.

I start at medium heat, and I may cover briefly to help get
everything hot, but I do not cover for long if at all because
I do not want to steam the onions. That turns them into mush.
That's also why I don't start on low or medium-low. Onions
have a lot of water in them, and you have to drive it off
before caramelization can begin.

After several minutes of frequent stirring, if the onions seem
properly dried out, then the heat can be throttled down if
you want to make very uniform golden brown onions. At low heat
and occasionally stirred for a long time, maybe an hour, you
can get some very nice crunchy onions that way which can
be whizzed in a coffee grinder or powdered in a mortar and
pestle to make a very nice additive for soups.

However, I'm usually in a hurry to make a filling for wraps,
so I just keep it on medium until I've got enough browning
for flavor. When it's done, I sometimes dump in diced
Chinese eggplant or sliced shiitake mushrooms and give
them a quick cook. In these cases, I'll cover the pot
and turn the heat all the way down, stirring occasionally.

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> How do you best make 'em?
>
> I'm talking "steak n' onions" or "liver n' onions" kinda carmelized
> onions,
> not deep fried onion rings. I tried some today and they were less than
> sterling.
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every
> 30
> days on rfc. What say you?
>
> nb

Very low heat, couple of tablespoons of oil, perhaps a tsp or 2 of butter.
20 minutes. Stir lots once they begin to brown.

On Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:21 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>It helps to add a little bit of sugar and to cover
>them, but they need to be stirred around occasionally.

Noooo! You *don't* need sugar. Sugar burns. Even if it doesn't, it
will make your onions way too sweet! No added sugar. Use low heat
and a lot of time (to the point of watching grass grow).



--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.