Onions are almost always cooked in some kind of fat, although they can be softened in a small amount of liquid. Usually this fat is a neutral oil such as grapeseed oil, but can also be olive oil, butter/ghee, or bacon fat.
Cooking onions longer at a lower heat results in soft and golden brown onions. This breaks down the natural sugars, so the onions taste extra sweet. We recommend using butter for the best flavor.
Olive oil: I love cooking with this very flavorful oil, and since we're cooking the onions over medium heat, I don't worry about its relatively low smoke point. However, if you prefer, you can use butter or ghee instead. Both are delicious.
You want to use a neutral vegetable oil like canola because it can cook at higher heat without smoking, and won't impart any flavor—the goal here is to let the rich essence of the caramelized onions shine through.
Heat a medium size nonstick pan over low - medium heat. Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain, and gently heat, add onions. Cover pan and let cook over low heat, stirring periodically so the onions cook evenly. Continue to cook until the onions are evenly browned and caramelized.
It's incredible at absorbing and carrying other flavours, as well as teasing out and amplifying the taste of other ingredients that are cooked in it.
While you can make caramelized onions with only one of either butter or oil, the best result will be if you use a bit of both. If you have to choose just one, choose a high quality oil (extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil). Cooking in only butter may burn the onions too quickly because it has a lower smoke point.
Oil is usually added to jumpstart the browning process, but we found it's not essential (which is great for those of you looking to reduce or omit oil from your cooking!). The secrets to oil-free caramelized onions? Keep the pan covered (this helps them cook more evenly and brown!)
Adding oil is optional but recommended for better browning. Add the sliced onions in portions to not overcrowd. And use a wooden spoon, a spatula, and stir. Let it brown for several minutes.
2) How often can I use onion oil on my hair? A. An onion oil treatment can be used on your hair once or twice a week, never more than that. This is because, if overdone, the high sulfur content of onions can sensitise your scalp to other hair products, sometimes even causing irritation and itchiness.
The oil will keep at room temperature for 1 week or refrigerated for up to 3 months. Transfer the fried onions to a plastic container, cover, and refrigerate. They will keep for up to 3 months.
Never add the onions in less hot oil. They will not become crispy afterward. Fry on high heat for 8-10 minutes. Frying on high heat initially is important to get rid of the moisture in the onion slices.
Add salt to help onions cook down and brown
The salt helps bring the moisture out of the onions. It will help them cook down and brown up a little bit faster, so you get a nicer, deeper, browner flavor. They sweat a little bit with the salt.
Cooking onions in water (or watery substances like tomatoes) triggers the release of smelly and unpleasant-tasting sulfur compounds (boiled onions, anyone?). But when oil coats the onions during cooking, it protects against the reaction with water, so that fewer of these objectionable molecules can form.
Melt the butter with the canola oil in a large cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and sprinkle with the kosher salt and fresh thyme leaves. Cook the onions for 5 minutes or until they start to soften, stirring so they don't crisp or brown in spots.
Onion plants require adequate water to produce high yields, but it doesn't take much over watering for your onions to become diseased and rot in the ground. There are several methods to watering your onions including furrow irrigation, drip tape, and overhead watering.
Step 3: Heat fat in a skillet.
You can use butter, olive oil, a combination of both or even rendered bacon fat. Neutral cooking oils like canola or vegetable oil can also be used, but they won't add nuanced flavor the way butter and olive oil will.
Caramelizing onions, by slowly cooking them in a little olive oil until they are richly browned, is a wonderful way to pull flavor out of the simplest of ingredients.
Olive oil has a lower smoke point-the point at which an oil literally begins to smoke (olive oil's is between 365° and 420°F)-than some other oils. When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially health-harming compounds form.