Show of hands. How many of you have burned onions while trying to caramelize them?
I certainly have. Eventually, I figured out that it was my impatience and cranking up the heat on the stove that killed my onions.
Since then, I’ve figured out a couple of tricks that have allowed me to make perfect caramelized onions every single time.
Let’s jump right in, shall we?
Start by heating two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. We like to use a non-stick skillet that way clean-up is a breeze.
Peel four medium Vidalia or sweet onions and slice them in half. Turn each onion half flat side down and thinly slice. Make sure your slices are thin or it will take much longer for your onions to cook.
Add your onions to the heated oil and stir occasionally. If you don’t stir them, your onions will darken too much on one side and potentially burn.
It may look like your onions are bursting out of the skillet but don’t worry. You’ll be surprised how much the shrink once they cook down.
Once your onions begin to turn light brown, add in two tablespoons of white sugar. Stir so the sugar mixes with the onions.
At this point, it’s really easy to become impatient and turn up the heat. Don’t do it!
The longer you cook your onions on medium heat, the more caramelized and sweet they will become. If you raise the heat, there’s a good chance they will burn.
It should take your onions about forty-five minutes to cook down completely.
One of my favorite ways to eat caramelized onions is to put them on our Gouda Stuffed Cheeseburgers. Caramelized onions are also really good on pizza and with steak.
NO-FAIL Caramelized Onions
Equipment
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 Medium Vidalia or Sweet Onions
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
- Peel onions and cut in half through the middle.
- Turn onion halves flat side down and thinly slice.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add onions and slowly cook, stirring occasionally.
- When onions begin to turn light brown, add sugar and stir.
- Continue to cook over medium heat until onions are a deep caramel color.
