uses of onions

I know that all onions are not created equal nor all uses for onions the same. Can someone please categorize by use or arrange
by order of hotness for me the onions called yellow, spanish, bermuda, red, white, sweet, and boiler. These are the only ones that I can think of now. When I go to the grocery I never know what to buy for the use I have in mind.

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I"m getting some help. In her show today Capriel said red onions had a mild flavor.

[m brown]

onions are yummy.
red onions i use fried in a light egg dip and flour with some cornmeal. great on top of warm goat cheese salad. or on top of a steak, fish etc.

red onions with lox and cream cheese, looks great and has a kick.

yellow onions for everything, like caramelizing and baking on puff pastry with calamata olives and tyme. or chop and throw on top of pizza dough with stilton and olive oil, bake ....mmmmm. soup, stock, baked chicken. your everyday onion.

white onions, don't use them often but the really little ones must be served creamed at thanksgiving!!!

vadalia, use on salads, soups and cakes. yes there is a dessert cake that uses these onions, they are that sweet.

scallions, great raw or tossed into miso soup at the last second. top nachos. mix with soy and ginger.

chives, great in biscuits, salad, top a baked potato. dip, etc. big flavor for a little blade.

just a quick note on onions from a dough head.(baker)

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Thank You,
mb

[lynne]

My take on onions:

Bulb onions(red, white, yellow): can be deep-fried, roasted, grilled or poached, etc. and are a major component in mirepoix and the cajun trinity.

In theory, larger onions are supposed to be milder while white & yellow medium sized onions are supposed to be more potent -- it seems to me that in the past couple of years, they're all getting stronger! The south's beautiful Vidalia or Texas' 10-15s are sweeter than the average onion and are perfect for salads and make an awesome onion ring!

Pearl onions can also be prepared in almost any manner, roasted, sauteed, boiled and are often seen in soups and stews (M. Brown, we have them with peas on Thanksgiving).

Speaking of onions, don't forget one of my favourites, the leek. Sweeter and milder than onions, leeks can add wonderful flavour to a dish!

Scallions are really just baby onions. They are milder than the bukb variety. Use in stirfries, salads, egg dishes. I love them in a wonderfully pouffy basil frittata!

Shallots look more like garlic in that they have cloves. They are more mild and add a nice dimension to your dishes.

Garlic: the Mexican pink is usually more robust while elephant garlic is larger and milder. Longer cooking time makes the garlic milder than does a short time.


Hope this helps! Use a variety for an awesome French Onion soup or sweat them with fresh thyme, reduce with some cream and spread over a puff pastry tart shell and you have a wonderful onion tart!

[Nicko]

Hey lynne and mbrown are right on the money. One thing I would recommend is that onions are cheap enough. Go out and buy several different types of onions and to a tasting to get a feel for the difference. Taste them in different states, cooked, raw, sliced, grated. Invite a friend who loves to cook, and have a good guide book to read the descriptions of each onion as you taste. Some onions are clearly better for certain preparations and they are very distinct in characteristics.

Hope that helps.

[chefjohnpaul]

Also to keep in mind is that the strength of the onion has partially to do with the sulpher and mineral content of the soil, that is why onions like Vidalia and Walla Walla need to be grown in the specific region they are grown in because of soil composition.

[chefjohnpaul]

Also to keep in mind is that the strength of the onion has partially to do with the sulpher and mineral content of the soil, that is why onions like Vidalia and Walla Walla need to be grown in the specific region they are grown in because of soil composition.