Real deal caramelized onions do not need sugar. The sweetness in caramelized onions is achieved by patiently cooking onions over low heat so that the natural sweetness of the onions are released.
This is the most well known method to make basic caramelized onions on the stove top. Check out 3 more ways to make caramelized onions here.
Stovetop Caramelized Onions
Servings
1 Servings
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large red or Spanish onions peeled and cut into thin slices
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat a pot or pan large enough to hold onions, on medium heat. Add evoo, onions and salt and cook over medium heat for ten minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 50 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so.
- Once that time is up, you can further cook the onions if you would like them even more caramelized.
LOL, love this comment, so glad it worked well, and yes they shrink down so much too, you learn that you have to always make more than you think.
This worked beautifully! They were sweet and beautifully caramelized. The only issue you didn’t address in your instructions was how to NOT eat half of them “just tasting” as they cooked. That was a serious issue here. Next time, I guess I’ll have to make twice as much.
PS. I did not add sugar and so glad I did not! Mine were so sweet, my son actually asked if I had added some.
Good day James Ryan.
there is no need for added sugar to caramelize onions. Maillard Reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. Seared steaks, pan-fried dumplings and other kinds of biscuits, breads, and many other foods undergo this reaction. It is named after French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard. Think of bread in a toaster and how the bread gets a sweet and complex “TOASTED” aroma. No sugar in my baguettes and they smell sweet when the natural sugars heat up to a certain temperature to undo the Maillard Reaction.
one does not need to add sugar to a steak to achieve a caramelized crust, nor does any hamburger recipe I would suggest have the addition of sugar in it ( i don’t want my kids, or yours, eating that much sugar!). one of my favorite recipes is Caramelized Green Beans and Mushrooms. heat a saute pan, lightly coated with extra virgin olive oil, over medium high heat.
add 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 2 sliced shallots and saute for about 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms are caramelized (deep golden brown with crispy edges) and the shallots are caramelized and deep brown. add 2 cups fresh green beans and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until beans are tender and slightly wrinkled. add seveal cloves of chopped garlic and continue cooking for about 2 minutes. Season with kosher or sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Enjoy!
Real deal caramelized onions DO need added sugar, I too am a Pro Chef, Jamie. The concept of caramelization is using sufficient sugar to glaze the onions with caramelized sugar. Onions dont contain that kind of sugar, they have fructose. Telling people this fake news will prevent them from enjoying the real deal, which is 100 times better than these FRIED ONIONS. We Chefs have an obligation to protect food culture by being honest and accurate in what we tell people. Shame on you!