My son got me 50 lbs bag of red onions for fathers day. Any suggestions ?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

larry_stewart

Master Chef
Joined
Dec 25, 2006
Messages
6,169
Location
Long Island, New York
My family always says Im the most difficult person to buy a gift for. I don't believe that. Im a simple person with many hobbies. Anyway, the other day my son and I were at a local farmers market where we saw large bags of veggies ( onions, potatoes, corn ....). So, I mentioned to him that I'd love to get one of those big bags of Onions.

So, to my surprise, he presented me with this as a gift for fathers day.

Now, I have to figure out what to do with so many onions.

Any suggestions ??
 
Big batch of French onion soup and freeze. Caramelized and freeze in portions. Our onion and garlic sauce and spinach pasta. Onion tart with herbed crust. Those are just off top of my head, will have to think about it for any more.
 
I just thought it was cool to buy so many onions at once, didn't quite think ahead.
I did the same thing a few years ago with corn. I bought a bag of 55 ears of corn, not really thinking ahead of what to do with them.
 
Slice them thin on a mandolin, and stuff them into a crockpot. Plug in the crockpot *OUTDOORS and let it rip till you have caramelized onions. As I recall it took about 14 hrs.
*the smell in the house is too much to take after several hours.
 
Chopped frozen onions are fabulous. No muss no fuss, 1 cups of onions, right out of the freezer.
 
If you use red onions for salads, the pickled onions are a great idea. If you need them to look like perfect little square chops, then hand chopping is most appropriate before freezing. For cooking diced onions, peeling them and letting the food processor do most of the work, and they won't be perfect squares but that won't matter, then freezing them. I've done 30 or so lbs, but not 50, that's quite a lot to deal with.

I have about 20 lbs of cooking onions that are looking at me, from the bag in the kitchen, from the garden last year, begging me to chop them and freeze them. I may get to it yet.
 
Slice them thin on a mandolin, and stuff them into a crockpot. Plug in the crockpot *OUTDOORS and let it rip till you have caramelized onions. As I recall it took about 14 hrs.
*the smell in the house is too much to take after several hours.
I was going to suggest Bolas's onion goop, but you beat me to it.
 
Do you have a dehydrator? I haven't tried dehydrating them yet myself, but I plan to. You can make your own onion powder. From what I have read, dehydrating onions is best done outdoors due to the smell.
 
Freezing some like other members said is a great option. I freeze mine in ziplock bags for easy use and storage. The flattened packets take up little room. I also love making sweet curry onions with any extra onions I have. White and red both work well.
 
My curry onion pickle
1 cup white grape vinegar
1 cup water
1 t of sea salt
1 to 2 tsps of curry powder or paste ( to taste really)
half a cup of light brown sugar. Use a bit less if you prefer white sugar.
Chop onions and simmer barely covered in water till soft. Bring the rest of you ingredients to a gentle boil in another pot. Pack drained onion into jars and pour over pickle liquid while hot. Refridgerate till needed.
 
These onions last for months in the fridge. You can also use chopped fresh chillies and a dash of paprika instead of curry for something a bit different. If using regular glass jars just turn upside down till they cool. It sucks the seal back in. Delicious with all grilled meats and on sandwiches and grilled cheese anything.
 
Red Onion Ideas:

1) I agree on the frozen packets for smoked salmon, salads, etcetra ..

2) French Onion Soup ..

3) Kebabs on skewers ( need sliced in thick wedges )

4) Tartare ( Beef tenderloin or Salmon )

5) Lentils ..

6) A tagine ( Moroccan ) or Tajine ( Berber) which is a conical ceramic earthenware that you place in oven with Lamb, Chicken or Fish ..

7 ) Couscous ..

8) Roasts ..

9) Stuffing ..

Just run under cold wáter before slicing or mincing or dicing to aide against teary eyes !!

Have a lovely father´s Day too and nice weekend.
 
Last edited:
Whole roasted onions make a great side dish on their own. Just peel, slice off the top, and put them in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt. Pop them in a 400F oven for 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of the onions. They turn sweet and tender.

I'd probably also think about making a big pot of French onion soup and inviting the neighbors.
 
Back
Top Bottom