\n<\/p>\n
While following a weeknight pork rag\u00fa recipe from a celebrity chef who shall remain nameless, I came across the following, offending phrase in the method: \u201cCook onions until caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t seem to matter how many articles, books, or cooking shows try to set the record straight. Even the experts among us cling to the hope that it\u2019s possible to caramelize onions in 20 or 30 minutes, when in reality it takes about an hour to do it properly.<\/p>\n
Perhaps we\u2019re loath to commit so much time to an ingredient that always plays a supporting rather than starring role in recipes (unless you count this beloved braised onion pasta<\/a>). Or maybe we\u2019re playing a little fast and loose with the term \u201ccaramelize,\u201d which at its simplest means the browning that occurs when foods containing sugar are introduced to heat. Searing sliced onions in neutral oil over high heat will indeed soften and make them deliciously brown in places in as little as 10 minutes.<\/p>\n But these are not Caramelized onions with a capital C: that intoxicating, mahogany jam that lends sweetness and rich, savory depth to everything it touches. Caramelized onions are \u201can onion transformed,\u201d as chef and award-winning cookbook author Tamar Adler describes them\u2014and they\u2019re only achieved with time, attention, and patience.<\/p>\n Onions contain an impressive amount of sugar: some 4.7 grams (1.2 teaspoons) per medium (roughly 110-gram) onion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a>. As food scientist and author Harold McGee writes in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen<\/em><\/a>, onions store their energy in chains of fructose sugars. Cooking them slowly for a long time breaks down these structures, coaxing out their inherent sweetness. As moisture is released\u2014fresh onions are nearly 90 percent water\u2014and the onion\u2019s natural sugars slowly heat up, they caramelize, while the onion simultaneously undergoes a chemical reaction known as Maillard browning. (An important distinction: Caramelization only requires the presence of sugar, while the Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars.)<\/p>\n In my experience, it takes at least<\/em> 45 minutes for the onions to start to really relent, melt, and deepen in color. But if someone asks, I usually round up to an hour\u2014or better yet, as long as they can stand to be there, babysitting a slow-cooking heap of onions.<\/p>\n Adler sympathizes with the home cook\u2019s hesitancy to devote so much time to such a mere component of a dish. \u201cI found a kind of loophole in talking about how long it really takes to caramelize onions,\u201d she says. \u201cI wrote in my first book An Everlasting Meal: Cooking With Economy and Grace<\/a><\/em> just about caramelizing onions\u2014like, just doing that, rather than making it part of a larger dish. The way I approach it is, if you\u2019re going to be a bear, be a grizzly bear\u2014meaning if you\u2019re going to take the time to caramelize onions, do enough so you have the ingredient around for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n This brings me to Adler\u2019s caramelized onion recipe from An Everlasting Meal<\/em>. It\u2019s one of my favorites because it\u2019s simple, yet just finicky enough to demand my regular attention throughout the process. Most importantly, it confidently asserts that \u201cthis will take 45 minutes to an hour.\u201d Here\u2019s the method:<\/p>\n Adler tells me she prefers the biggest yellow onions she can find for this recipe to minimize peeling. She favors equal parts olive oil and butter\u2014oil to keep the butter from burning, butter for its round flavor and the sheen it gives the onions. She doesn\u2019t always add sugar, a variable she looks to more for boosting sweetness than encouraging caramelization. She likewise can\u2019t give an exact measurement of water. \u201cAdding a few drops at a time lets you understand the rate at which water evaporates,\u201d she tells me. \u201cIt\u2019s a little absorbing lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n She hadn\u2019t tried (much less heard of) the so-called baking soda hack, in which a few pinches purportedly speed up the caramelization process to a mind-boggling 13 minutes, according to the National Onion Association\u2019s successful attempt<\/a>. Adding baking soda makes the onions more alkaline, increasing the speed of the Maillard reaction so they brown more quickly. But it also imparts a chemical-like bitterness to the end result. Adler hasn\u2019t tried caramelizing onions in the oven on moderate heat, either (another method I unearthed that seems to work reliably well, at the expense of up to several hours).<\/p>\n Instead, her straightforward technique calls us to the stove with the task of observing, learning, and reacting\u2014stirring periodically, adjusting the heat, covering and uncovering the pan, and sprinkling in water droplets if the bottom of the pan starts to burn. We can almost hear her voice in our heads as we go, reassuring us that the whole mass will look \u201csoggy and unconvincing\u201d right up until the onions are ready.<\/p>\n When the onions do finally melt into that elusive golden jam, we can keep it on hand to transform fried rice, soup, scrambled eggs and even sliced toast with broiled Gruy\u00e8re and a few magical spoonfuls. Adler\u2019s favorite method of late involves adding caramelized onions and smashed raw garlic to yogurt, which she tosses with short pasta in a nod to the traditional Turkish dish Manti, or lamb-filled dumplings in yogurt sauce.<\/p>\n Of course, we don\u2019t have to worry about making any of that until tomorrow. Today is just for the onions.<\/p>\n \n
\n
\nWhat’s your favorite way to use caramelized onions? Tell us in the comments!<\/em>
\n<\/center>\n <\/div>\n