I finally found a trick to stop my onions from turning bitter in the pan

So last week I was making French onion soup for a special and kept getting that weird burnt bitter taste halfway through caramelizing. I was about to toss another batch when my prep guy mentioned it might be my pan getting too hot too fast. Turns out starting with a cold pan and a splash of water before the butter actually works - I did 3 pounds of onions on medium low for 45 minutes and they came out sweet as candy. Has anyone else tried this or am I late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana2011d ago

Cold start is fine but I disagree about the water. I skip the water and just use a heavy pan on low heat from the beginning. Water steams the onions which changes the texture and keeps them from browning the way I want for soup.

gavin_kelly9111d ago

Started doing this exact thing a few years back. Game changer honestly. That cold start with water lets the onions sweat instead of sear right away. Keeps all that natural sugar from burning before it even has a chance to break down. I'll even add a tiny pinch of salt at the beginning to draw out more moisture. Your prep guy saved you a lot of wasted onions.