Boil then saute onions.

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callmaker60

Senior Cook
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Dec 8, 2012
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Camp Hill, Pa.
I was watching a recent foodnetwork show, where the restraunant boiled then sauted the onions for sandwiches. Any one do or try this?
 
The only time I can remember boiling onions was to pickle them.
 
It just occurred to me - they may have been sweating the onions. That would soften them without browning. Otherwise, I can't think of a reason to boil them first.
 
Blanching them is supposed to take some of the sharpness out. I've heard that - but never tried it, so I'm not speaking first hand.
 
Blanching them is supposed to take some of the sharpness out. I've heard that - but never tried it, so I'm not speaking first hand.

But sautéing turns any sharpness to sweet anyway, so blanching still wouldn't seem to make a lot of sense unless it was simply to precook them so that sautéing them for smaller portions wouldn't take as long?
 
If I'm in a hurry I will put the sliced onions, fat and enough water to barely cover the bottom of the frying pan. I cover the pan and the water creates steam that quickly wilts the onions. I remove the cover, allow the water to evaporate, and fry the onions.
 
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But sautéing turns any sharpness to sweet anyway, so blanching still wouldn't seem to make a lot of sense unless it was simply to precook them so that sautéing them for smaller portions wouldn't take as long?

Maybe it doesn't make sense to someone who one who knows everything, but I'm only saying that it is one of several methods purported to reduce the bite of onions. Another way (supposedly) is to soak in either ice water or an acid like vinegar or lemon juice.

But since I don't know everything, I could be very wrong. All three methods make some sense to me, but admittedly I've never tried any of them. But then, I don't know everything about everything, or maybe anything about anything.
 
I'm pretty sure they are just par cooking them as part of their prep.

That way sautéing to done is much faster.

Not anything a home cook needs to worry about.
 
Actually, I think I found aa better way

In the recipe that Kathleen posted for Faux French Onion Soup, it said to use 4 oz. of butter (I used oleo) to simmer slices of onions until translucent.

I've been making this recipe over and over and aside from making sure the onions are completely cooked and tender, I found that when I left them a little too long before stirring, I ended up with a fair bit of carmelization. Whooo-ee was that ever a really tasty soup.

I do boil onions when cooking ground meat. I place the onions in the bottom of my frying pan and just barely cover it with water. I crumble up the ground meat and spread it over the onions in water, then simmer covered, until the meat and onions are done.

When draining the meat and onions, the water helps to float off the grease so the meat and onion mixture are less greasy.
 
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But sautéing turns any sharpness to sweet anyway, so blanching still wouldn't seem to make a lot of sense unless it was simply to precook them so that sautéing them for smaller portions wouldn't take as long?

Maybe it doesn't make sense to someone who one who knows everything, but I'm only saying that it is one of several methods purported to reduce the bite of onions. Another way (supposedly) is to soak in either ice water or an acid like vinegar or lemon juice.

But since I don't know everything, I could be very wrong. All three methods make some sense to me, but admittedly I've never tried any of them. But then, I don't know everything about everything, or maybe anything about anything.

Where did I ever give you that impression? Note the question mark at the end of my sentence in that post. I was just suggesting. I've sautéed a lot of onions and they always come out sweeter and less sharp than raw, therefore I drew a conclusion. Not sure what I did to get your ire up.
 
I'm not that good at making caramelized onions for sandwiches yet. First of all, I think I need to cut my onions differently. I usually just chop them up into small pieces like for stews and other recipes. I've read the posts here and from Google and I think I need to cut my onions differently for steak sammies. I'm going to try (as mentioned somewhere) to simply slice the onion into fairly thin rings and fry them up in butter at medium high heat at first and let them separate and then lower the temp and cover and cook for another 20 minutes.

Is there anyway faster? Probably not. It's just that my thin steaks take about 30 seconds to fry up. :neutral:

Some site mentioned they caramelize a batch of onions and freeze them? That might go faster making my steak sammies, not having to spend 20 minutes caramelizing onions. I KNOW fast food places can't spend that much time carmalizing onions for a steak sammie. They must get them frozen and already partially caramelized?
 
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No, caramelizing onions is one of those things that just takes some time. The onions are typically trimmed, peeled, cut in half and then thinly sliced. It's much easier to slice them thinly if they have a flat side.

Yes, if you have a slow cooker, you can fill it with about three pounds of sliced onions, a couple pinches of salt and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Divide into snack-size freezer bags put those in another, larger bag for storage.
 
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I am a little late, but hotdog vendors will boil the onions in salted water because the salt draws the sweetness out (not out of the onion, but makes the onion sweeter). They can then throw them on the flat top and the onions will brown because onions contain a bit of protein, so the Maillard method works. Not exactly the same as caramelized onions, but danged close. The cooking time is also reduced to achieve the desired result. For burgers, the onions can be cooked in the juices/fat from the burger on the flat top to deepen the flavor.
 
No did not say why, I am thinking to make large qty. for restaurant use.

I asked Pirate. He has worked in restaurant kitchens. He didn't know why. I wonder if Powerplantop would have an answer for us. He is a pro chef.

The only reason I could possible think that would make sense to me, is to speed up the cooking process for sautéing onions for burgers, hot dogs, etc. when a lot are going to be needed throughout the day. To keep them sitting on the back of the grill taking up valuable needed space.

But yet on the other hand, if using olive oil and butter when just sautéing , wouldn't the butter release enough water to replace some of the water you would use if boiling first? :angel:
 
That makes sense. I would think it's the sugar rather than protein in onions that browns with the heat of the flat top.
As I understand it, it is the protein in the Maillard method that makes them brown, the same way that meat does. You're making me stretch my brain, GG!
 
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