Peeling Back the Layers

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Peeling Back the Layers

Imagine an ingredient that has been around as long as
civilization itself, and is used heavily in almost every culture
and cuisine in the world. The builders of the pyramids of Egypt
ate it for nourishment. At other times in world history, it was
considered so valuable that people would pay their rent with it,
or give it as gifts. Ancient Greek athletes would eat it in the
belief that it enhanced their athletic prowess. Roman gladiators
would rub it all over their bodies to firm up their muscles.
Doctors prescribed it to alleviate snakebites, coughs, and
headaches.*


In modern cooking, it helps to give many of your favorite dishes
a depth of flavor that can't really be achieved by substituting
any other ingredient. Behold, the mighty onion!


Wait, I'm sorry. Did you think I was going to say bacon? Or chile
peppers, quinoa, kale, or goji berries, or any number of other
fad food items that have gained and lost popularity over the
years? Interesting as they may be, so much has already been said
about them. And none of them have the staying power of the simple
onion, nor are there many other ingredients so universally
incorporated into so many cuisines. I wanted to take some time
today to talk onion. I'm going to focus on the bulb varieties
commonly found in the United States, and not so much green onions
(scallions), shallots, or other close relatives.


Many people seem to have a love/hate relationship with onions. I
count myself among them. I was that kid that would always find
the tiniest bit of onion in something my mom had cooked and
refuse to eat the rest of the dish (even if I had already eaten
most of it already without complaint). While my opinion has
changed on cooked onions, I still can't stand eating raw onions.
Put raw onions in a salad or on a burger and you've practically
ruined it in my mind.


But I understand the power of the onion. There is a reason that
every major cuisine in the world uses it extensively. There's a
reason why it's part of the "holy trinity" of cajun cooking,
or one of the primary ingredients in mirepoix in French
cuisine, or soffrito in Italian cooking. In order for you to
harness the savory powers of onions, it's helpful to know the
four main varieties of bulb onions and their uses.
Yellow (or Spanish) Onions

The yellow onion is the most commonly used variety in American
cuisine. When you see a recipe that calls for onion, yellow onion
is most likely what you need. Thin-skinned and mild, yellow
onions are great for all around use, and are the onions I use
more often than the others, by far.


Sweet Onions


Sweet onions often look like the common yellow onion mentioned
above, but are usually less round and more squat and oval shaped.
They contain less sulfur than yellow onions and therefore
taste much sweeter. There are several well known varieties of
sweet onions, including Walla Walla, Vidalia, Maui, Bermuda.
White Onions

Delicious when lightly sauteed, white onions are the go-to onion
when cooking Mexican and Latin American cuisine. Next time you
whip  up fajitas use a white onion along with your peppers.
Red Onions

Sharp-flavored and colorful, red onions are often used raw as
additions to chili, salads, or any dish that could use a
pop (or rather a punch in the face) of pungent flavor. I
rarely use red onions as I don't care for my onions raw, but if
you do then this is the onion for you!
No More Tears

One of the reasons many people dislike working with onions are
the tears and stinging eyes that come with chopping them. There
are dozens of tips (some more effective than others) on the
internet about how to solve this problem, and some are downright
crazy (chopping onions under running water? Yeah that sounds
easy). My favorite trick if you have this problem is to put your
onion in the freezer for 10-15 minutes prior to chopping. Don't
leave it in too long or it will be too hard to cut! A nice sharp
knife will help as well, as you'll do less shredding on the onion
and therefore reduce the amount of irritants that make it to your
eyes.
Onion Recipes

How to caramelize onions - My method for perfectly rich and sweet
caramelized onions.


Beer battered onion rings - My first attempt at onion
rings at home turned out pretty darn good!


French onion soup - Not my recipe, but a staple for onion lovers.


Swiss onion tart
A Word About Knives

If there is one kitchen tool that can vastly improve your time
spent in the kitchen, it's a good quality knife. No other tool is
used more often on a regular basis, and having a poor quality
knife can do a lot to turn a person off to cooking at home (not
to mention they can be a safety hazard). While good knives aren't
cheap, they will last you a long time if properly cared for. Save
up for a good knife, or perhaps now would be a good time to write
Santa a letter letting him know how good you've been all year!
What to Look For in a Good Kitchen Knife

Knife preference is subjective, and different people have
different preferences in types and brands of knife. However,
there are a few qualities in a knife that I think are
non-negotiable:


High quality steel

Solid handle construction

Well balanced and good weight



There are many excellent quality brands widely available in
the United States; J.A. Henckels and WÜSTHOF are two of the most
common. Both are German companies and their knives are very
well made. Though not cheap, the investment will start paying off
immediately over a cheap knife. My personal favorite knife is the
WÜSTHOF Classic Series Cook's Knife. I most often use the 6-inch
version, and I use it for almost every cutting task in my
kitchen. For bigger jobs I have an 8-inch Henckels Santoku
knife, but I seldom use it.


WÜSTHOF Amazon Page


Regardless of the brand you choose, you should avoid any knife
that:


"Never needs sharpening." These are never top-quality knives,
and usually have a blade that is somewhat serrated.

Is sold on TV in the middle of the night. Again, these are
never top-quality blades, no matter how many rusty pipes and
tomatoes it looks like the knife can cut through.