JANUARY 2020 39
COVER
Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until
onions have collapsed to half their height and
a pool of liquid has collected in bottom of skil-
let, about 10 minutes.FOLD
Fold onions with a spatula, scraping bottom of
pan to ensure they don’t stick or scorch. Cook,
stirring every 5 to 6 minutes and reducing heat
as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until
liquid has evaporated, about 35 minutes.SCRAPE
When pan looks dry, increase heat to medium,
and scrape bottom and sides of pan with a
rubber spatula, shaping mound of onions into an
even patty pulled away from edges of pan. This
careful shaping will help the onions cook evenly
and prevent scorched bits around the edges.
DEGLAZE
If onions start to stick to bottom of pan, or if
fond on bottom of pan darkens more quickly
than the onions, add a splash of water, and stir
and scrape to loosen any browned bits. Stir
onions well until they are uniform in color, and
reshape into a patty.FINISH
Continue cooking, stirring, splashing in addi-
tional water, and reshaping into a patty as
needed, until onions are the color of bourbon,
35 to 45 minutes. Remove onions from pan,
and use as desired. (See serving ideas on
op p osite pa ge.)6 7 8
4 5
COOK ONIONS
Cook onions, tossing often with tongs, until
hot and sizzling, about 3 minutes. Add salt
(to help draw moisture out of the onions),
and toss to combine.
SLICE ONIONS
Peel the onions. Halve and slice lengthwise
into uniform pieces (about^3 / 8 -inch-wide slices
are ideal, but a little larger or smaller is fine).HEAT OIL
Heat oil in a 10- to 12-inch high-sided skillet
over medium-high. Add half the onions; turn
to coat. Cook until sizzling, about 2 minutes.
Add remaining onions in handfuls, folding with
tongs to coat in oil. (Pan will be very full at
this point.)3
1 2
Be sure to choose a heavy-bottomed
skillet with a light interior—it will
make it easier to monitor the
browned bits in the bottom of the
pan to avoid scorching the onions.
CARAMELIZED ONIONS,
STEP BY STEP
TOTAL 2 HR; MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
INGREDIENTS
2 lb. red onions (about 3 large
onions)
2 lb. yellow onions (about 3 large
onions)
2 tsp. neutral oil (such as
grapeseed)
2 tsp. kosher salt