How and how much to cook onions?

Before carrying out any preparation of onions, the heads must be peeled from the husk. This is done easily. It is necessary to cut off the root and upper part and remove the excess shell with a knife or hands. It is recommended to moisten the knife in cold water, which will allow, when cutting onions, to get rid of the release of a pungent odor that irritates the mucous membranes.

The nuances of cooking onions:

• the method of slicing the onion and the time of its cooking must be chosen depending on the planned dish (onions are used not only as an additional ingredient, but also prepared in the form of original snacks);
• you can cook onions not only in a regular saucepan, but also using a microwave, multicooker, pressure cooker or double boiler;
• if before cooking, pour onions with cold water and let it brew for 20 minutes, then during cooking it will be more saturated and cooked faster;
• if the goal is to change the consistency of the onion and soften its taste, then you can not cook it, but pour it over with boiling water (the crisp structure will remain, but the aroma will become less pungent, and the taste more pleasant);
• you can cook onions not only in water, but also in broth, in liquid with the addition of wine or sour cream (such experiments allow you to change the taste of onions if they are used as a side dish or snack);
• while boiling onions, it is better to add a small amount of olive or any vegetable oil to the water (such an ingredient will help make the onions soft, but it will retain its shape);
• it is recommended to cook onions in boiling water (if you put them in a cold liquid, and then start the cooking process, the onions will become too soft and may boil over);
• you can cook the onion as a whole, chopped with a knife, cut into strips or rings, and even grated in a blender (the latter option is often used when making mashed potatoes or original onion-based pates);
• water can be salted at the initial stage of cooking onions or salt can not be added (this ingredient does not change the taste of onions too much, therefore, most often the dish is salted at the final stage of its preparation);
• the cooking time of onions depends on its size (if the onion is chopped, then it will cook as quickly as possible, whole heads or onions cut into 2-4 parts can be cooked within 7-10 minutes);
• if the onion is cooked after freezing it, then it is not necessary to defrost it (a briquette or a head of onion should simply be dipped in boiling water and cooked in the same way as fresh onions).

Cooking onions in cold water is a separate way of cooking it. Put the cold liquid on the fire, add onions, spices (optional), boil, but do not bring to a boil. As soon as bubbles appear in the liquid, characterizing the boiling process, the onion is removed from the water and cooled.

How much to cook onions

On average, the cooking time for onions is no longer than 10 minutes. This nuance must be taken into account, for example, when preparing soup. Onions are added last to other ingredients. If it was previously fried, then the subsequent cooking time is halved.

If onions are cooked to soften the taste, then the cooking time should be minimal. It is enough to put the head or chopped onion in boiling water for 1 minute to make it softer and more delicate in taste.

When using a microwave, double boiler, multicooker or pressure cooker, onions are cooked for 3-5 minutes, depending on the subsequent use of the ingredient. If you need the onion to boil, then cook it longer, but a maximum of 5-6 minutes. If you just need to get rid of the characteristic pungent taste, it is simply blanched for a few minutes.