Onions, subtle or strong have played a key role in culinary history. Here is a guide to cooking with onions.
Yellow storage onions:
Probably the most familiar of all onions, you see em all the time at your local grocery store, sold in red net bags. These are hot and make you cry. Good in any heated dish or where subtlety is not an issue.
White storage onions:
Hot with a slightly cleaner flavor than yellow onions. Often used in Mexican dishes. Sold in blue net bags or individually.
Spanish onions:
Larger, less hot, more sweet, incorrectly referred to as Bermudas. Can substitute for sweet onions. Sold individually.
Red onions:
Sharp, sweet flavor. Raw, these can be added to any salad. When cooked, they tend to lose some of their flavor. Sold individually.
Boiling onions:
Small, about 2 inches in diameter, yellow or white storage onions. Hot before cooking, they are best left whole. Good in soups and stews. Sold in bulk.
Pearl onions:
These sweet onions, about 1 inch in diameter, are good marinated or pickled. Boiling onions can be substituted for them. Sold by the pint.
Green onions:
Young bulb onions picked before maturity. Good raw or cooked. A great substitute for red or sweet onions. Sold in bulk.
Sweet onions:
Sold as Bermuda, Maui, Texas 1015, Vidalia, Sweet Imperial, Wall Walla and other regional names. These onions are low in heat, high in sweetness. The smaller ones tend to be hotter then the larger ones. Excellant raw, delicate when cooked. Great for making bloomen onions or onion rings. Avaiable individually.
Leeks:
Tend to be very hot, course and chewy. Cooked, they develope an oniony flavor; sauteed, they become buttery in texture. You can substitute a yellow storage onion, however it wont taste the same. Sold indiviually.
Scallions:
The white bulb is mild, good cooked or raw. The chopped greens add flavor, as well as color, to any recipe, use as a substitute for chives. Available in bunches.
Shallots:
Like tender, delicate onions? These are great as a base for sauces, excellent in omlets too. Great for braising and roasting. Recommend you don't eat'em raw. Generally sold by the pound.
Well there you have it, "A Cooks Guide to Cooking With Onions". If you would like more information about onions and/or cooking with onions, visit the following websites:
http://www.sweetonionsource.com A website for all things oniony. Recipes for appetizers to desserts. Hosted by Oregan based Jan Roberts-Dominguez, author of "The Onion Book".
http://www.onions-usa.org National Onion Association, headquarters in Greeley Colorado. I've lived in Colorado since 1991, just recently discovered that Colorado is one of the nations top 10 onion producing states. Onions are grown in three areas of Colorado, the Front Range, the Arkansas Valley (25 miles from where I live) and the Western Slope.
About the Author
Frank Flohr (aka Chef Phronc) is passionate about cooking and is a self proclaimed "Chef". Frank shares his passion for cooking at http://www.recipecorral.com/blog where you will discover some of the best recipes and culinary resources available on the web today. Unleash the hidden "Chef" inside you!