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11
COOKING TECHNIQUES & TIPS
W
hen it comes to onions and burgers, there are different layers
of oniony deliciousness.
A thin slice of raw onion adds a certain layer of hot, acidic flavor.
Shards of grilled onions bring a mellower version of that zestiness.
But a
caramelized
onion is pure magic — a secret weapon in your
arsenal of burger toppings.
Most standard recipes have some variation of “chop 2 medium-sized
onions, sauté for 3-5 minutes, then…” whatever comes next. But if
you’re blessed with patience behind the burner (or can somehow
develop that skill), you’ll go beyond the 5-minute mark and see
an amazing transformation. Here’s how to achieve a simple (yet
fantastic) culinary mastery.
Stage One: Raw to Lazy
For a sizeable batch of oniony goodness, chop up 8-10 medium-
sized white onions, and toss with 3/4 to 1 cup of vegetable oil (nothing
fancy here, but a little bacon grease thrown in wouldn’t hurt either)
and a couple of tablespoons of kosher salt. Put it all in your biggest,
lidded Dutch oven and crank the heat to medum-high. Get ready
for lessons in attention and patience.
Most cooks only see the first phase of onion cookery: when the
little nuggets or shards of onion go from cloudy yellow/
white to clear.
This is the process where an onion turns “lazy” — all
the onion juices heat up, burst thought their cell walls,
and mix with hot oil in the sauté pan. If you’ve got a
good stove, you’ll get there without too much trouble,
and think that that’s the end.
Stage 2: Gold to Tan
Go a few minutes beyond lazy, and you’ll see subtle but
important changes. The watery onion mixture starts to
take on a light amber hue — a yellowish gold that lets
you know that things are (literally) cooking. The color
comes from the onion juice starting to cook and change
— as the sugars start to darken and get more complex in
flavor. It’s the beginning, flavor-wise, of the really good
stuff.
Stage 3: Deeply Browned
It’ll take another 10 minutes for the onions — now a
mix of pasta-like shreds and golden liquid — to proceed
to the next level of deliciousness.
Somewhere in the 10- to 15-minute range, you’ll
watch the oil mixture start to turn from yellow-gold to
goldish-tan to beige to transparent brown as the sugars
break down and gather up increasingly deep flavors.
And here’s where your patience will be sorely tested.
If you grew up with a grandmother making gumbo,
remember her lessons: “Turn down the heat, keep
stirring and, for goodness’ sake, pay attention.”
It’ll seem like forever, but it’ll be worth it.Think of it as
kitchen meditation — a chance to concentrate and stir
as the onion takes on more color.
Stage 4: Fully Caramelized
When the once-crunchy onion chunks cook down to a medium
brown, you’re getting to the Zone of Pure Deliciousness. Just like
with caramel, the darker the shade, the more incredible the flavors.
You can stop here (like on all the TV game shows), or you can keep
going — going for a darker shade of brown and deeper shades of
sweetness.
If you’re just starting out with the wonders of deep, dark, jammy
onions, I’d play it safe here. Don’t go for the full-on mahogany
brown on your first few tries. Add a little water or wine every once
in awhile to dissolve any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Adjust
your salt to taste. Maybe a little black pepper.
Turn off the fire, back away and let it rest. You’ll have a good-sized
batch of deeply browned, fragrant onions that can be slathered on a
burger or used in a million different ways.They’ll keep in the fridge
for a week and in the freezer for a couple of months.
Be forewarned: They probably won’t last long. Once you get a bite
of onion-laced beef, all self-control goes out the window. But when
this batch is gone, you’ll have another chance to practice your
patience — with another batch and another and another …
Caramelized
Onions
by
Pableaux Johnson