What's the worst part about caramelizing onions?
Could it be that it takes forever to achieve the final result?
If you'd like to spend more time eating and less time stirring onions, keep watching to
learn some tricks to speed up the process.
Like baking, cooking can be a science and an art.
However, cooking can be less exacting and more forgiving than baking.
Of course, not everyone agrees; some claim that baking can be as much an exercise in
creativity and flexibility.
But have you ever tried to improvise baking a batch of gluten-free cookies based on a
recipe that calls for ordinary wheat flour?
There's more room to improvise in cooking.
For example, there isn't one correct way to caramelize onions.
Rather, many variations exist, as J. Kenji López-Alt points out in his analysis, via
Serious Eats.
And while López-Alt does make some strong scientific arguments about why his process
makes the best caramelized onions.
We'd argue you could still make the "best" caramelized onions while improvising on his method.
In his Food Lab column for Serious Eats, López-Alt suggests several science-based hacks for making
the best caramelized onions.
What becomes immediately apparent, however, is that when he says "best," what he really
means is fastest.
In this particular column, López-Alt does acknowledge that caramelizing onions traditionally
requires as much as 45 minutes of cooking over very low heat.
In fact, as Serious Eats has stated, recipes that call for less time should be used with caution.
"I like to live dangerously."
We too, like to live dangerously.
But, nevertheless, López-Alt points out that there's something to be said for getting the
same results in less time.
The managing culinary director of Serious Eats spent a week coming up with a science-based
method for caramelizing onions that takes a mere 15 to 20 minutes.
That method involves adding actual sugar to the onions.
Scientifically speaking, when you caramelize onions, you're getting those onions to release
their sugars into the sweet and jammy end result.
Accordingly, adding sugar should help make up for some of the natural sugar that won't
be released from the onions in a mere 20 minutes of cooking.
"How 'bout that!"
Of course, you'll need the right onions for the task.
"Of course, I knew that!"
López-Alt's science-based method for making the best caramelized onions in quick time
involves using an ordinary yellow onion, as opposed to a sweet onion.
The reason is that, as López-Alt explains, yellow onions possess, quote, "pungent irritants"
that add depth to the sweetness of the onions as they caramelize.
Yellow onions also contain higher levels of natural sugars than say red onions.
Using a yellow onion will also replace some of the depth that cooking the onions slowly
over a much longer period of time would otherwise have produced.
Next comes the addition of actual sugar.
López-Alt says he found a "touch" of sugar is all you need.
The added sugar will stand in for some of the caramelization that won't take place because
of the quicker cooking time.
But don't worry, there are other methods to achieve the caramelization and coloring that
would have occurred over 45 minutes.
Caramelization begins when most of the liquid has cooked out of the onions, and the sugar
breaks down into smaller compounds that are sweeter than actual sugar.
"Neat."
But how do these things happen when the cooking time is halved?
J. Kenji López-Alt's process uses a secret ingredient: baking soda.
Baking soda is a base, and the addition of a base encourages the Maillard reaction to
take place more quickly.
All you need is a pinch, or if you want to get scientific about it, no more than a quarter
teaspoon per pound of chopped onions.
With the pH of the onions now raised by the baking soda, you can now…
Turn up the heat!"
Yes, it's the opposite of low and slow, but López-Alt says it works —
"But if it begins to heat up…it'll become volatile."
Right!
But no need to panic.
Just make sure to add water to the skillet when it starts getting too hot.
Adding water cools the onions slightly, but since caramelization can begin at as low as
230 Fahrenheit, the onions will continue to caramelize faster because the heat source
is more intense.
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