These buttery sweet caramelized onions are super easy to make and are amazing when they are added to a burger.
Which onions will make the best caramelized onions?
We have 3 main varieties of onion that you can choose from when making these caramelized onions and they are white sweet yellow and yellow cooking. There are also red onions but we will not be using them for this recipe.
Is there much of a difference between these three varieties.
Lets break them down and see.
White onions
White onions tend to be milder in flavour than other varieties of onion. They have more of a savoury flavour to them. They can be enjoyed raw within a salad
Yellow cooking onion
This is probably the most popular kind of onion and the most readily available to most of us. It has a strong pungent smell and flavour that is best when cooked down.
Yellow Spanish onions
These onions look like a large yellow cooking onion and are easily mistaken for each other. The flavour and uses are pretty much the same as the cooking onion. They tend to be firmer though and hold up when cooking them. These onions are my favourite when making carmelized onions but the other two varieties work really well too.
Should you use butter or oil?
You can use either butter or oil to cook down your onions but beyond a doubt butter is far superior.
So why butter? Butter just brings out the creaminess of the onions they are also a lot less greasy. It also tends to cook down nicer.
Maybe its just me but when I use oil in a recipe like the one here if the heat isn’t high enough the ingredients get more slimy and greasy, so with that the heat need to be higher.
If you are wanting to make crispy fried onions then oil is perfect but here we are making creamy caramelized onions and so we want to be able to cook them down slower. bringing out the juice within the onions.
Do we add sugar to caramelized onions
For this recipe yes we do.
Which sugar should you use? Honestly the best is a brown demarera. If you don’t have this kind of sugar then you can substitute it for a white or cane sugar.
If you do choose to use white or cane sugar then you will need to reduce the amout as they tend to be a lot sweeter and the onions really don’t need that
Sugar technically isn’t necessary but it does bring out al lot of the flavour, it acts a lot like salt does. Think of it as seasoning.
How to make these caramelized onions
Begin by cutting the onions. I recommend that you cut them the same way you would for onion rings.
Try to cut them at a medium thickness. They do not need to be super thin or precise. If you want to you can use a mandolin like this one
Once the onions are cut just put to one side.
In a medium saucepan over a medium heat melt the butter and add in the sugar
Mix the butter and sugar together until the sugar has melted.
Add in the onions and mix them into the caramelly like mixture.
Now I add a lid at this point. I have found it helps the onions to soften and give off their own moisture. Check them after 8 minutes if the onions look like they are softening and are quite runny then remove the lid and increase the heat to a medium high heat.
We are wanting to thicken them up and cook off that moisture. Keep an eye on it from now on don’t leave it for too long.
You do not need to stir them often leave them to cook. It is ok if the onions catch slightly on the bottom it will add to flavour and colour. This doesn’t mean we are wanting to burn them we just want a slight char.
Once the onions look nice and soft. The mixture has thickened then they are ready to use.
They will keep in the fridge for around a week in an airtight container.
To reheat them just place them either in a small saucepan on a low heat or in the over at 350 for around 10 minutes. Just till they are warm and soft again.
Caramelized Onions
These buttery sweet onions are a fantastic complement to any burger or pizza
Ingredients
- 1 Large Spanish sweet onion
- 2 Tbsps Brown demerara sugar
- 3-4 Tbsp Unsalted butter
Instructions
- Begin by cutting the onions. I recommend that you cut them the same way you would for onion rings.
- Try to cut them at a medium thickness. They do not need to be super thin or precise.
- Once the onions are cut just put to one side.
- In a medium saucepan over a medium heat melt the butter and add in the sugar
- Mix the butter and sugar together until the sugar has melted.
- Add in the onions and mix them into the caramelly like mixture.
- Now I add a lid at this point. I have found it helps the onions to soften and give off their own moisture. Check them after 8 minutes if the onions look like they are softening and are quite runny then remove the lid and increase the heat to a medium high heat.
- We are wanting to thicken them up and cook off that moisture. Keep an eye on it from now on don't leave it for too long.
- You do not need to stir them often leave them to cook. It is ok if the onions catch slightly on the bottom it will add to flavour and colour. This doesn't mean we are wanting to burn.
- Once the onions look nice and soft. The mixture has thickened then they are ready to use.
Notes
- They will keep in the fridge for around a week in an airtight container.
- To reheat them just place them either in a small saucepan on a low heat or in the over at 350 for around 10 minutes. Just till they are warm and soft again.
- You can use white or cane sugar but I would suggest you reduce the amount they tend to be sweeter.
- You can also use a basic yellow cooking or white onion in place of the spanish sweet onion. Due to its size I would use 2 small medium cooking onions in its place.
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