Taming the Onion!
Most families or people have a limited number of core recipes. I define core recipes as the 12 to 15 recipes that we use on a regular basis. Onions are an ingredient in many of those recipes. Cutting a raw onion releases a powerful odor that is difficult to contain. As a result, I decided that I would explore my options on how to deal with these plants.
There are a few ways to deal with onions,
• A knife – about the only time I use this is when the recipes call for the onion to be sliced a certain way, (for example some curry dishes call for onion slices). Our friend Pam uses a knife, goggles and a towel wrapped around her face to cut onions. I tried it, and it scared the kids.
• A grater box
• A food processor – I do put onions through the processor for meatballs. We like the onion flavor, but chunks of onion just don’t work for us.
• A chop box – my choice in most cases.
Many of our recipes call for diced onions, so first I will show you how I dice onions and then I will explain how I store those onions.
I start by peeling the onion and cutting it either halves or quarters, depending on how large it is. If it is exceptionally large or one of the kids is helping, I cut it into smaller pieces.
I use my trusty dicing box to finish it up. It takes less than 30 seconds.
I do prep several ingredients for future use, as you can see scrapes of jalapeno peppers, mushrooms and now I am ready to do onions. I like to use my cutting board and simply ‘sweep’ the garbage into the baking pan.
Now I can quickly dice an onion. I decided it would be nice to have some ready when I need one. I had some hard lessons to learn. Containing the odor proved harder than I thought. First I tried a food storage bag, the odor permeated it, and the whole refrigerator smelled like onions. So I double bagged it, no better. I tried Tupperware same results as the bags. Next, I tried the glass jars with a rubber ring and a mechanical closure; nope the odor permeated the rubber ring and escaped into the fridge. Finally, I tried a mason jar, and it worked.
I typically keep 2 to 2 1/2 cups in the fridge, ready to be used at a moment’s notice.
I would point out that there are several types of onions. I did try an onion that was determined ‘sweet,’ but it had a ‘flatter’ shape, and it proved a little more difficult to cut into pieces to use the chop box.
I do ‘cook large,’ and several of those recipes call for diced onions. It is easy to dice 5 or 6 large onions in a short period. Sometimes I like to puree the onions, to add flavor but not texture to the dish (meatballs).
This strategy works for me.
A quick story, my son, had an aversion to diced onions. No matter how small I diced/chopped it he could pick it out. He could be just about done with a meal, enjoying it and find a very small piece of onion. He would not eat that meal. So for about six or seven years, all onions went through the food processor.
© 2016 T.K.Frawley