Caramelized onions can be a delicious way to top or enhance many dishes, while helping to increase the amount of vegetables you eat each day. However, some methods of caramelizing onions will also add more fat to your diet. Onions themselves are low in calories and contain a spectrum of vitamins, minerals and fiber and no fat.
Peel and chop an onion. You may chop it into half-inch square pieces or longer strings to suit your recipe.
Place onions into a pot along with salt and any seasonings you wish to use. Use approximately 1 teaspoon per large onion. The salt is important to help draw the liquid out of the onion and allow it to caramelize, rather than steam.
Cover the pot and cook on medium-high heat to draw the majority of the water out of the onions. This will take approximately 15 minutes depending on the amount of onions added and their water content.
Uncover the pot and continue to cook until the water reduces and the onions begin to caramelize. Stir to prevent the onions from sticking. Onions will begin to turn from a translucent white color to a golden color and will continue to darken as you cook them.
Deglaze the pan with one-half cup water when the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, but before they begin to burn. Scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly. Repeat until the onions reach your desired level of caramelization.
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Things You Will Need
- Pot with cover
- This slow caramelization is necessary, as the onions will burn quickly with no oil present. As onions caramelize they turn darker and take on more of the savory flavor of caramelization and less of the flavor of onions. They will also become softer. Stop the caramelization process sooner if you wish to keep more onion flavor or preserve their texture in the finished dish.
- Onions are more likely to burn when caramelizing without fat. Keep a watchful eye on them while cooking.
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