Too many onions
August 17, 2020 4:37 PM   Subscribe

I have a lot of yellow onions right now (like, at least 5 pounds). What should I do with them?

I'm open to any suggestions. Other than caramelizing them I can't really think of anything else to do with them.
posted by toastyk to Food & Drink (34 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
OMG! Onion butter ! It's the best!!
posted by Floydd at 4:43 PM on August 17, 2020


Here's a very simple recipe: "I just made the most amazing onion soup" [link to reddit]

A quote from the author "It was better than the best french onion soup base I've ever had, without needing garlic, herbs, liqueur, beef broth, or anything else."
posted by anadem at 4:47 PM on August 17, 2020 [4 favorites]


Quiche!
posted by Melismata at 4:47 PM on August 17, 2020


Onions also keep, you can just...not use them immediately
posted by larthegreat at 4:49 PM on August 17, 2020 [13 favorites]


You can ferment them, like sauerkraut.

You already mentioned caramelized onions and you may already know this, but if you have a crockpot, caramelizing is really easy! Slice, toss in a little olive oil and salt, put in crockpot, leave on low overnight. (If you don't want the delicious delicious smell of onions to permeate your house, avoid this method.)
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:50 PM on August 17, 2020


"Quick pickled" onions are great for sandwiches, salads, etc. (and the technique works with yellow onions just fine).
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:51 PM on August 17, 2020 [2 favorites]


Where are they from? Given the recent contamination outbreak you may want to toss them.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 4:52 PM on August 17, 2020 [9 favorites]


Chop and freeze them.
posted by pinochiette at 4:53 PM on August 17, 2020 [5 favorites]


Onion bhajis. I've made several batches recently from our garden. Just mix with a paste of gram (chickpea) flour and water, along with spices and coriander leaf or curry leaf. Deep-fry balls of it until they're a deep golden brown. Serve with Indian chutneys or mint yogurt.

Caveat: for me, the answer to any food surplus is 'deep fry it'.
posted by pipeski at 5:01 PM on August 17, 2020 [4 favorites]


If you cook fairly often, you can go through 5 lbs of onions reasonably quickly, and likely before they go bad at all. Onions need a cool, dry, dark space, and with airflow around them. Take a gander through the onions and remove any that have soft spots already, and you'll be fine.

If you don't want to hold onto them for a month or so as you use them up, then in your position, I'd dice them up and throw them in the freezer. Try to freeze them on a tray if you can, so they can stay as separate pieces. After they're frozen, then you can place them into a bag or other container for long-term storage. When you need them for cooking, just add the frozen onions directly to the hot pan.
posted by hydra77 at 5:02 PM on August 17, 2020 [7 favorites]


Caramelized properly, they'll freeze up super well. I keep a stock of frozen caramelized onion blocks to throw in soups, stews, sauces, etc. I use them as a garnish for a bunch of different dishes. Indispensable kitchen staple over here. I use a method similar to David Chang's recipe in the Momofuku cookbook. You can get brown onions more than one way, but really deeply roasted caramelized buddies take time, can't be rushed, and are far superior to other brown onions.
posted by furnace.heart at 5:02 PM on August 17, 2020 [12 favorites]


Seconding bhajis. So good.

These Onion "Yorkshire puddings" are also really delicious.
posted by Mchelly at 5:10 PM on August 17, 2020 [2 favorites]


Make a giant Curry base theN freeze in batch-per-container sizes.
posted by janell at 5:17 PM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


Seconding furnace.heart! Caramelize them! Five pounds will really cook down, and you can freeze whatever you don't eat immediately. Freeze them in individual portions that you can pull out to add depth to stews and virtually anything savory. Make sure you keep going and get them properly caramelized rather than stopping too soon, which is the rookie mistake I used to make.
posted by ClaireBear at 5:17 PM on August 17, 2020 [3 favorites]


Triple the onions in any recipe, as mentioned in a recent ask! Especially in any soup/stew.

Also make French Onion Soup.

Onion tarts can be very fun and different but that's a tall order imo.

Finally caramelize and freeze in ice cube trays is a good option if you really like those, then you can have them ready as a quick ingredient/condiment.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:19 PM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


2nding that you could just chop and freeze some and use as required.
posted by koahiatamadl at 5:38 PM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


I like the eGullet onion confit recipe a lot. It's nicer if made in a Dutch oven in a low oven than in a slow cooker.
posted by Lexica at 5:48 PM on August 17, 2020


You can fry them: slice them super thin and then add to hot oil until they're crispy and golden. Or make onion rings and freeze them. Or make onion cream.
posted by mezzanayne at 5:55 PM on August 17, 2020


I've made three or four batches of Alton Brown's Onion Dip over this quarantine and haven't regretted it once. It is awesome.
posted by Betelgeuse at 5:58 PM on August 17, 2020


Can’t link correctly on mobile, but I make the NYT French Onion Grilled Cheese (basically, caramelize a bunch of onions and stir in Gruyere at the end, put between bread and fry in a skillet) this afternoon and it was great. Used about two pounds of onions which produced enough for 4-6 sandwiches, but didn’t need that much so I froze the remainder.
posted by exutima at 6:16 PM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


On the curry front, go look up do piaza, which is particularly oniony.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:48 PM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


I have three words for you:

Bacon Onion Jam
posted by briank at 7:01 PM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


Onion masala! If you like Indian food, it's very convenient to make up a big batch and freeze it in smaller quantities suitable to toss into a pot with your other ingredients to make getting dinner ready fast.

My heart beets
(my fave blog for Indian food) has a version for instant pot and a whole slew of recipes that use it. Other bloggers have their versions, too.
posted by zorseshoes at 7:04 PM on August 17, 2020


I used to make Onion Tart pretty often, as a quiche with grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese. Pillsbury rolled pie crust from the refrigerator section is easy and tasty. Use several onions, sauteed until soft and translucent, at least 15 minutes. Quiche mix - 4 eggs and 1 cup milk. Use salt and be lavish with pepper. The onions are really sweet and the quiche is good hot or cold. I wish I could still eat dairy.

Risotto with a lot of onion is delicious. The onion mostly dissolves but adds texture, flavor, and depth. Onion is great in stirfry.
posted by theora55 at 7:21 PM on August 17, 2020


I have been meaning to make seeni sambol for a while. It uses a lot of onions.
posted by hought20 at 7:32 PM on August 17, 2020


Make British Indian Restaurant-style curry gravy, freeze it, and then use it as the base for like 95% of BIR-style meals.
posted by caek at 9:07 PM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]


I'm surprised that no one has suggested onion rings.

Two tips for onion rings to rule them all:
1) After slicing the rings, tear the papery outer layer off from the inside of the ring. That's what makes the whole onion slide out of the breading when you try to eat only half of it. (Props to KLA for that tip.)
2) Keep it simple - use tempura batter. I like this one: https://www.justonecookbook.com/vegetable-tempura/

Salt generously after deep-frying, and you're golden (brown and delicious)!
posted by Citrus at 9:13 PM on August 17, 2020


toastyk, what do you like to cook or eat? Do you have any other ingredients you'd like to use up? I'm getting a serious case of blank page problem trying to answer this question, because most things I cook start with onions and having 5 lb in my fridge just means I went to the store recently.

I agree with SaltySalticid that soups and stews are a good category to look at. Chili, lentil soup, jambalaya, red beans and rice are a few dishes that can use 2 onions (even if a recipe only calls for 1). Also, name any vegetable and it's probably good simply sautéed or braised with an onion and some garlic.
posted by aws17576 at 9:46 PM on August 17, 2020


Carmelize them...then puree them and use that as the base "sauce" for pizza.

Carmelized Onion Galette is very delicious.
posted by mmascolino at 7:55 AM on August 18, 2020


Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions! I actually don't know where the onions are from; my mom keeps giving me absurd amounts of food based on whatever "gets rid of bacteria/covid/virus" story she gets from WeChat or her friends each week.

If I cook the onions, will that still affect anything? If it's cooked I should be fine right?
posted by toastyk at 8:14 AM on August 18, 2020


Beef Goulash (the real kind, not the Americanized beef+macaroni version) will use 2 of those onions for you. You can go up to 3 onions very easily if you'd like.
posted by hydra77 at 9:03 AM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]


If you don't know where they are from, you probably shouldn't use them raw. But there are so many uses for onions, I rarely eat a meal that doesn't contain some sort of onion.
There are great suggestions above, but onions are also very good just baked or roasted, like you would bake a potato or roast any winter vegs. Even now, a roasting pan full of onions, carrots and turnips marinated in olive oil, lemon, thyme, salt and pepper and baked till tender (depends on the size and age of your veg) is a glorious meal in itself or a perfect side. Make a green sauce or a spicy mayo to compliment it. Sometimes when I make roast meat, I throw onions in the pan with the meat, and they come out delicious, with some flavour from the juices from the meat and the other things I put in, like carrots, wine, herbs and general seasoning.
posted by mumimor at 11:17 AM on August 18, 2020


Pissaladière, the not-pizza from Nice. The recipe tells you to precook the onions in a pan, and while this is perfectly acceptable, I've found that a slow cooker is a lot less pain to manage.
posted by snakeling at 12:44 PM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]


Freeze them or carmelize them.
posted by stormyteal at 11:14 PM on August 18, 2020


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