SEEING-TO-BELIEVE
Head Chef
i always got mixed messages regarding this..... 
feel free to elaborate on sauteing onions in general as well....
feel free to elaborate on sauteing onions in general as well....
How often to stir sauted onion?
- Thread starter SEEING-TO-BELIEVE
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karadekoolaid
Head Chef
I think it depends on 1)how much onion you´re cooking at a time, 2) whether you want the onion browned or not 3) what type of pan you´re using
If you´ve got a whole sauté pan full of onions, then obviously, you´re going to have to move them around fairly frequently to ensure that all the onions are cooked evenly. If you´ve only got a single layer of onions, you probably don´t need to move them around too much.
If you want the onions browned,or crispy, then I´d say you need higher heat, to allow the onions to caramelise properly before you start moving them around. The higher the heat, however, the more chance of burning, so again, you need to be watchful and stir from time to time. There´s an Indian korma dish I make which requires the onions to be cooked gently until they are really soft, but without browning. The dish is a white korma, and the onions are blended with nuts after they´re soft. In this case, I move the onions about far more frequently so they don´t brown.
Finally, the pan you use is important. If you use a large sauté pan or a wok, then you don´t actually need to stir at all: you just flip the pan from time to time in order to move the onions about. If you´re using a saucepan, you´ll have to stir.
If I were to make a huge generalisation, I´d say that experienced cooks tend to stir thing LESS than inexperienced ones. Just an impression.
If you´ve got a whole sauté pan full of onions, then obviously, you´re going to have to move them around fairly frequently to ensure that all the onions are cooked evenly. If you´ve only got a single layer of onions, you probably don´t need to move them around too much.
If you want the onions browned,or crispy, then I´d say you need higher heat, to allow the onions to caramelise properly before you start moving them around. The higher the heat, however, the more chance of burning, so again, you need to be watchful and stir from time to time. There´s an Indian korma dish I make which requires the onions to be cooked gently until they are really soft, but without browning. The dish is a white korma, and the onions are blended with nuts after they´re soft. In this case, I move the onions about far more frequently so they don´t brown.
Finally, the pan you use is important. If you use a large sauté pan or a wok, then you don´t actually need to stir at all: you just flip the pan from time to time in order to move the onions about. If you´re using a saucepan, you´ll have to stir.
If I were to make a huge generalisation, I´d say that experienced cooks tend to stir thing LESS than inexperienced ones. Just an impression.
OP
OP
SEEING-TO-BELIEVE
Head Chef
it was insightful
thank you
thank you
