Know Your Ingredients: Onions


Updated 04/04/12 11:55 AM · Posted by · 0 comments

Onion Types

With so many different types of onions, a full, comprehensive guide would be more than a little tedious, so we've put together a short, simple list of all the must-know points — from taste variation to shelf life to quick cooking tips. Not sure which onions to use in which dish? Learn these basics to boost your knowledge: Colors Onions come in a large variety of types, tastes, and colors, the Read more

How to Chop an Onion


Updated 03/27/12 3:06 PM · Posted by · 9 comments

How to Chop an Onion

Hate chopping up a storm in the kitchen? Don't let the act of cutting an onion frustrate you to tears. There is, in fact, an efficient way to cut small, evenly sized pieces every single time. Watch this video to learn the right way to chop an onion — then grab a sharp knife and your favorite onion variety to try out our foolproof method yourself! Read more

Rainy Day Roast Chicken With Sweet Potatoes and Onions


Updated 03/19/12 4:30 PM · Posted by YumSugar · 9 comments

Tyler Florence Roast Chicken

This weekend was nothing but rain and the perfect time for comfort food. Browsing through Tyler Florence's Dinner at My Place, I found myself drooling over a whole roasted chicken recipe. Since the weather was bad, I didn't want to leave the house, thus I improvised his recipe with items I already had on hand. Rather than Meyer lemons and fingerling potatoes, I substituted regular lemons and Read more

Soup's On: Easy French Onion Soup


Updated 02/10/12 2:45 PM · Posted by · 3 comments

Fast French Onion Soup

My new favorite weeknight meal is a soup recipe that comes together in minutes. It's a very abbreviated version of French onion soup, which traditionally begins with yellow onions, cooked down and reduced for hours until dark and sweet. This quick and dirty version begins with our butter-braised onions, which I always keep on hand, and calls for little more than broth, bread, and cheese. It may Read more

12 Days of Edible Gifts: Butter-Braised Onions


Updated 12/08/11 3:00 PM · Posted by · 0 comments

Butter Braised Onions Recipe

It's nice to imagine a perfect world in which everyone's a meticulously detailed home cook, but the truth of the matter is, even a frequent kitchen dweller like myself is often simply looking to make the speediest dinner possible. So when it comes to homemade edible gifts, I'm fond of gifting my friends what Thomas Keller has called "lifesavers" — those flavor-filled building blocks that add Read more

Good-For-You Reasons to Love Red Onions


Updated 10/14/11 5:53 AM · Posted by · 1 comment

Benefits and Nutrition of Red Onions

Onions may stink up our kitchens, give us bad breath, and make us cry when cutting them, but despite these minor annoyances, they are actually full of healthy goodness. Onions contain a high amount of polyphenols, a type of phytonutrient, which includes disease-protecting flavonoids and tannins. In fact, onions are one of the most polyphenol-packed foods you can eat. Keep reading to learn more Read more

Stop the Tears: Chop an Onion Without the Waterworks


Updated 10/11/11 6:23 PM · Posted by · 6 comments

How to Chop an Onion Without Crying

Chopping an onion is one of the most basic skills every home cook should have under her belt. If you're interested in a simple method, be sure to check out our onion chopping tutorial. While no tears are shed in the video, I know this problem plagues more than a handful of folks. I, for one, used to see my tears well up in mere anticipation of the task at hand. Here are a few tips and tricks to Read more

What's Your Go-To Onion?


Updated 05/31/11 9:48 AM · Posted by · 11 comments

Most Popular Onion Varieties

Onions are the ultimate aromatic and always in my larder. I add them to everything, from scrambled eggs to sautéed greens. But I confess to having allegiances. When a recipe doesn't call for a specific onion, I always use the yellow varieties; in my opinion, the golden-skinned beauties are softer, sweeter, and not as harsh as their red and white counterparts. What's your personal favorite? Read more

Irish Onion Soup Is a St. Patrick's Day Must Make


Updated 03/11/11 1:13 PM · Posted by · 10 comments

Irish Onion Soup Recipe

You're probably scratching your head wondering why this picture, which looks strangely like French onion soup, is labeled Irish onion soup. Well, let me explain. It's a jazzed up variation of the classic onion and bread-topped soup that uses two important Irish ingredients: Guinness and cheddar cheese. It has the same flavors as the traditional rendition, but the beer provides a delicious Read more

How to Prepare Onions the Scott Conant Way


Updated 03/02/11 2:45 PM · Posted by · 0 comments

Scott Conant of Food Network's Chopped Doesn't Hate Red Onions

When I met Scott Conant of Food Network's Chopped and 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, the first question out of my mouth had to be about the onions. The chef and restaurateur's notorious criticism of raw, red onions is so well-documented that even Facebook runs rampant with pages like, "Shut up, Scott Conant, we don't care if you have an aversion to raw onions!" But Conant wants to set the record Read more