For a busy cook, caramelized onions pose a conundrum. We love the rich, deeply savory flavor they add to everything from creamy pastas to burgers, but caramelizing onions — truly caramelizing them — requires more time than many of us have for your average weeknight recipe. I have a two part solution: First, make a huge batch and freeze most of it to have on-hand for future meals. Second, get out your slow cooker. The traditional way to cook caramelized onions is to cook them ever-so-slowly on the stove top over low heat until their sugars caramelize, turning the onions golden-brown and completely tender. Low and slow? This sounds to me like a job tailor-made for the slow cooker! Indeed, the slow cooker takes the lengthy task of caramelizing onions and does all the work for us. Fill the cooker with enough sliced onions to make it 1/2 or 3/4 full, about 3 to 6 onions depending on the size of your slow cooker. Put the lid on, set the timer for the longest, slowest time allowed, and let those onions simmer away. It's almost impossible to overcook these onions, but I've found that 10 hours makes soft, lightly browned onions that still have a bit of bite. These are perfect for soups and topping sandwiches. For jammier, even more deeply caramelized onions, continue cooking for another few hours, but this time, leave the lid ajar so the liquid can evaporate. (Any liquid remaining after cooking is fantastic added your next soup or risotto, by the way.) Given the uber-long cooking time, I've found that it's easiest to let the onions cook overnight. Choose a night when you'll be around in the morning in case you want to cook the onions an extra few hours. If you're planning to freeze a portion of your batch (and you should!), I recommend freezing them in containers of multiple sizes: ice cubes of caramelized onions are great for last-minute burger and sandwich toppings, cup-sized portions can be used for pizza and pasta toppings, larger containers are perfect to throw directly in a soup. Even if you don't have immediate plans for your caramelized onions, having a few bags stashed away in the freezer is never a bad thing. I go by the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. You never know when those onions will save the day — and your dinner. Much like caramelizing onions on the stove top, a slow cooker can cook onions low and slow until they reach caramelized perfection. How To Caramelize Onions in the Slow CookerMakes several cups What You NeedIngredients Equipment Instructions
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Tuesday, August 13, 2013
How To Make Caramelized Onions in a Slow Cooker — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn
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