I add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to 300ml water, the alkalinity breaks down the cell walls much faster and they get caramelised super quick too.
I have to be very careful with this one as the various kinds of onions may dissolve into mush if too much baking soda is added. I've ruined onions for french onion soup before by misusing this method. It definitely works, just sometimes too well
When using SS it’s important to start with a hot pan to reduce sticking, STB cannot be migrated to SS without modification. Step 1: Heat the pan Step 2: Add oil and bring it to temp Strap 3: add onions with salt to draw moisture Strap 4: add boiling water to steam and then follow steps till onions are caramelized.
I think it's often faster and more efficient if you microwave them first (depending a bit on the power of your stove). That way you don't have to add water to steam them and they heat immediately. You can then transfer them into a pan for browning. You can apparently cook them entirely in the microwave if you add bicarbonate of soda, but I haven't done back-back comparison of pan onions and microwaved onions.
I recently tried microwaving some as an experiment. I added a tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt to 3 large onions in a glass bowl uncovered and nuked them stirring them approximately every 4 to 5 minutes. Worked well. Definitely do it uncovered as the moisture doesn’t evaporate as fast as stovetop. It’s faster than stovetop but not quite as nice finished product. Perfectly acceptable though.
Hi Helen , this is the first time I see your channel, this video is really full of important information to get a great result. Could you please make another video making macaron with all instructions? That would be awesome. Thanks in advance. Greetings from Florida USA 🇺🇸.
Thank you Helen, I really admire your work. Unfortunately I live in europe and can not attend your classes, I sure would! If you heat up the stainless pan first put in the water before the onions then you will get less stickiness of the pan, I think.
I was able to accomplish in a cast iron by using a few tablespoons of oil, frying the onions until the cast iron was hot and aoaked up the extra coat of oil, then steam, then caramelize. It didnt ruin the seasoning on the pan and the onions didn't stick. Took less than 30 mins still
Just found your channel, 🎉and I LOVEIT!!!!!❤ i was look for eclairs troubleshoot, and trying to fix as you advice, you got girl im your follower now ❤️❤️❤️❤️🎂
Bonjour Helen J’ai découvert tes vidéos récemment. J’adore ce que tu fais. Comme par exemple dans cette vidéo qui explique la « la science » derrière la technique. Tu es parmi mes 2 youtubeurs préférés sur la cuisine l’autre étant le Chef Jean-Pierre. J’aime quand on parle à mon intelligence. Comme nous sommes presque des voisins en Amérique du Nord, j’espère que tu viendras un jour découvrir les traditions culinaires du Québec. Bonne continuation.
Hay helen love your videos, I'm curious have you done a video on cooking mushrooms in water instead of oil? My method is I add just a little bit of water at the bottom of the pan (usually cast iron but stainless works too) and I simmer the mushrooms until they start to brown. I let them brown as I stir consistently and then I deglaze and repeat through multiple deglazings you get a nice browning on the mushrooms and it's very similar to this method with the onions just with no oil at all?
I wonder if it would work to use a light white wine or a little bit of sherry to help deglaze. I'm wondering if it would impact flavor. I might need to try it, just to see.
@stephenleblanc4677 I'm asking sincerely, why? I'm a self taught home cook and most recipes I've seen say to deglaze with wine at the end, so I'm confused on why it wouldn't work here. But I'm always looking to learn so if there's a good reason why not to, I'd love to know.
if you are using wine in the end, that should be fine, but I wouldn't use wine in the beginning because it would make your onions less soft. Watch the video I link to in the description -- I do a comparison of wine and water for this technique.
Along the lines of cookware and how it helps browning, I wonder if its purely a conduction thing or different metals would act as a catalyst. I know they have high end silver pans that conduct heat insanely well but I have to wonder if platinum would cause faster reactions.
When cleaning the pan, I use minimal water and give a good old scrape with a wooden spatula, and reduce. Depending upon what I am cooking, I may then add this liquid gold to the stock.
I've been using the STB in stainless steel with multiple deglazings for years. I learned it from a Cook's Illustrated recipe. When I saw that they now claim you *must* use a nonstick surface to caramelize onions, I found it ironic. [Pun intended.] They seem to re-invent their methods every 10-15 years.
Does using the STB method with aditional oil result in the richer results from the traditional method, and also the additional speed of the STB method?
Helen, I watch most of your videos, and have notifications on, but received a notification that I won something and since I don't remember you doing a giveaway, so I'd say that it is some kind of a scam. Just wanted you to know, I'm technology challenged so I don't know what else to do but leave a comment here and hope you read it. Thanks for all the great ideas and no nonsense instructions for a cullanary challenge old bachelor🤠
My husband likes them crispy, so they take 45 minutes sometimes, then i lay them out on paper towel to cool and crisp up. It is a pain. I do not use a microwave at all due to the melecular disintegration microwave causes. I have heard that adding sugar helps crisp them but there is such i fine line between crisp onions and burnt ones. Any suggestion about crisping them up from you? Thanks.
A bit off topic, but I'd like to use these to make a Wellington using onions instead of mushrooms. Do you think this is possible, and do you have any thoughts or suggestions?
I don't think there is an industry standard. For the last few years I've used OXO because Cook's Illustrated reviewed them favorably and so far so good. Any non-stick pan needs to be renewed fairly regularly. They last about 2 years for me (that would be around 3-4 years for most home cooks).
Honestly, the extra couple of minutes to use a stainless steel pan outweighs the fact that using stainless is much better for you as it’s not being cooked in a toxic polymer 😅
@@helenrennie Yes, but boiling water will drop the skillet's temperature less than cold water, which *could* arguably reduce the increase in cooking time, though I can't be too sure by what extent. It is of note that water has a much higher specific heat capacity than metals, though, so they need way more heat to reach the same temperature.
I take it people are not hearing the facts about 3M and a toxic chemical they made back in the1930 and all the while knew what they had done? No , well it may be too late but I've always hated those cheap non-stick pans. Gimme a cast iron anything and I'm happy. And stronger for it. Especially with those dang lidded dutch ovens .
Life is too short to use Stainless Steel. LOL. BTW: After using my non-stick pan I add disk soap & cold water while still hot. This cleans out the pores fast. Then in the dishwasher.
normal’s relative. i love helen’s energy and narration. if it upsets you, i’m sure there are several other cooking channels out there that might be more your speed :)
"Manipulative narration"? She talks like a presenter ... which she is .... Not to mention all presenters aim to convince viewers of something which means they always employ some degree of manipulation.
This is a good comparison, and helpful for those of us who wish to avoid teflon.💕💕
I add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to 300ml water, the alkalinity breaks down the cell walls much faster and they get caramelised super quick too.
Definitely trying this tip next time I want to caramelize onions!
Great idea!
I have to be very careful with this one as the various kinds of onions may dissolve into mush if too much baking soda is added. I've ruined onions for french onion soup before by misusing this method. It definitely works, just sometimes too well
@@adedow1333
TYVM for the heads up!!
Onion are super porous, I tried, adding a tiny bit of bicarb to caramelised onions, and it completely broke them down into mush. 😅
When using SS it’s important to start with a hot pan to reduce sticking, STB cannot be migrated to SS without modification.
Step 1: Heat the pan
Step 2: Add oil and bring it to temp
Strap 3: add onions with salt to draw moisture
Strap 4: add boiling water to steam and then follow steps till onions are caramelized.
Since your first video on Faster Caramelized Onions using water, I have tried it twice, and both times were a success. TY
thanks for giving it a try! so glad it worked well.
I like both of those methods but I "STB" caramelized onions using my cast iron skillets.😊 Great video as always.
I think it's often faster and more efficient if you microwave them first (depending a bit on the power of your stove). That way you don't have to add water to steam them and they heat immediately. You can then transfer them into a pan for browning. You can apparently cook them entirely in the microwave if you add bicarbonate of soda, but I haven't done back-back comparison of pan onions and microwaved onions.
I do that too (no bicarbonate though). This being said, onions in the microwave do smell a bit funny (but not funny "ha ha"... )
I recently tried microwaving some as an experiment. I added a tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt to 3 large onions in a glass bowl uncovered and nuked them stirring them approximately every 4 to 5 minutes. Worked well. Definitely do it uncovered as the moisture doesn’t evaporate as fast as stovetop. It’s faster than stovetop but not quite as nice finished product. Perfectly acceptable though.
My mum has been microwaving then browning in the pan for years. They always cook so fast and are great.
Hi Helen , this is the first time I see your channel, this video is really full of important information to get a great result. Could you please make another video making macaron with all instructions? That would be awesome. Thanks in advance. Greetings from Florida USA 🇺🇸.
Thank you Helen, I really admire your work. Unfortunately I live in europe and can not attend your classes, I sure would!
If you heat up the stainless pan first put in the water before the onions then you will get less stickiness of the pan, I think.
Fantastic videos!! A plastic squeeze bottle full of water could make the deglazing easier.
I was able to accomplish in a cast iron by using a few tablespoons of oil, frying the onions until the cast iron was hot and aoaked up the extra coat of oil, then steam, then caramelize. It didnt ruin the seasoning on the pan and the onions didn't stick. Took less than 30 mins still
Thank you Helen, that was a wonderful video. Thank you
Just found your channel, 🎉and I LOVEIT!!!!!❤ i was look for eclairs troubleshoot, and trying to fix as you advice, you got girl im your follower now ❤️❤️❤️❤️🎂
Bonjour Helen
J’ai découvert tes vidéos récemment. J’adore ce que tu fais. Comme par exemple dans cette vidéo qui explique la « la science » derrière la technique. Tu es parmi mes 2 youtubeurs préférés sur la cuisine l’autre étant le Chef Jean-Pierre. J’aime quand on parle à mon intelligence.
Comme nous sommes presque des voisins en Amérique du Nord, j’espère que tu viendras un jour découvrir les traditions culinaires du Québec.
Bonne continuation.
Your voice is so sweet, like Music! These onions will be amazing!
I'm in love with this recipe
You could have used those additional tablespoons of liquid for deglazing to add flavor or umami by using a stock, brandy, etc. instead.
And you could also use cabbage instead of onions.
0:00 - Exactly what I was thinking... 😂🤣😂
I have a huge crush on Helen Rennie.
Great Thank you
Hay helen love your videos, I'm curious have you done a video on cooking mushrooms in water instead of oil? My method is I add just a little bit of water at the bottom of the pan (usually cast iron but stainless works too) and I simmer the mushrooms until they start to brown. I let them brown as I stir consistently and then I deglaze and repeat through multiple deglazings you get a nice browning on the mushrooms and it's very similar to this method with the onions just with no oil at all?
Yes, I do this for the mushrooms too. If you google for any of my mushroom videos, it uses this method
I use butter
Món ăn đặc biệt từ hành tây. Very beautiful
I love carmalized onions! 🫶🙏😁
Excellent
I wonder if it would work to use a light white wine or a little bit of sherry to help deglaze. I'm wondering if it would impact flavor. I might need to try it, just to see.
OMG, NO NO NO. No one ever deglazes with wine! /j
@stephenleblanc4677 I'm asking sincerely, why? I'm a self taught home cook and most recipes I've seen say to deglaze with wine at the end, so I'm confused on why it wouldn't work here. But I'm always looking to learn so if there's a good reason why not to, I'd love to know.
if you are using wine in the end, that should be fine, but I wouldn't use wine in the beginning because it would make your onions less soft. Watch the video I link to in the description -- I do a comparison of wine and water for this technique.
@@rumbleinthekitchen_Amy Sorry, sometimes I just gotta let my snark flag fly. I was thinking just of deglazing at the end of the cooking.
Along the lines of cookware and how it helps browning, I wonder if its purely a conduction thing or different metals would act as a catalyst. I know they have high end silver pans that conduct heat insanely well but I have to wonder if platinum would cause faster reactions.
When cleaning the pan, I use minimal water and give a good old scrape with a wooden spatula, and reduce.
Depending upon what I am cooking, I may then add this liquid gold to the stock.
Another great video!
The pan doesn't look that bad. It's possible that a dishwasher would clean it if you add extra detergent for prewash cycle.
на хорошей кухне для разных операций нужна разная посуда и спасибо что проверили теорию практикой
I've been using the STB in stainless steel with multiple deglazings for years. I learned it from a Cook's Illustrated recipe.
When I saw that they now claim you *must* use a nonstick surface to caramelize onions, I found it ironic. [Pun intended.] They seem to re-invent their methods every 10-15 years.
Does using the STB method with aditional oil result in the richer results from the traditional method, and also the additional speed of the STB method?
I do the original method in a cast iron pan. No complaints.
Helen, I watch most of your videos, and have notifications on, but received a notification that I won something and since I don't remember you doing a giveaway, so I'd say that it is some kind of a scam. Just wanted you to know, I'm technology challenged so I don't know what else to do but leave a comment here and hope you read it.
Thanks for all the great ideas and no nonsense instructions for a cullanary challenge old bachelor🤠
My husband likes them crispy, so they take 45 minutes sometimes, then i lay them out on paper towel to cool and crisp up. It is a pain. I do not use a microwave at all due to the melecular disintegration microwave causes. I have heard that adding sugar helps crisp them but there is such i fine line between crisp onions and burnt ones. Any suggestion about crisping them up from you? Thanks.
What about using a well seasoned cast iron?
A bit off topic, but I'd like to use these to make a Wellington using onions instead of mushrooms. Do you think this is possible, and do you have any thoughts or suggestions?
I don't see why not :) go for it!
Don't forget to let us know how it turned out!💖
@@robine916 Will do! 😊
@@krippenknittle 🙂
They make Teflon coated stainless steel pans too.
Ive Been Caramalising Onions For 30 Yrs.
Stainless the same as high carbon?
Evan a non stick skillet will have fond stuck to the sides.
Hello I wanted to ask you, on how to go about teaching new cooks I'm a sous chef. I asked friends and family, but I could use some insight
Which brand teflon pans do you / chefs use as industry standard?
I don't think there is an industry standard. For the last few years I've used OXO because Cook's Illustrated reviewed them favorably and so far so good. Any non-stick pan needs to be renewed fairly regularly. They last about 2 years for me (that would be around 3-4 years for most home cooks).
@@helenrennie thanks i thought there would be go to brands like there are with knives
@@megaman2016HexClad is all the rage right now but they are seriously expensive. They have a lifetime warranty though!
@@Iconoclast1919 thanks I'll check them out
What a fine technique for caramelizing onion 🧅🧅
Honestly, the extra couple of minutes to use a stainless steel pan outweighs the fact that using stainless is much better for you as it’s not being cooked in a toxic polymer 😅
Could you use boiling water to deglaze, though?
the temperature of the water doesn't matter. It's such small amount that it boils on contact with the skillet.
@@helenrennie Yes, but boiling water will drop the skillet's temperature less than cold water, which *could* arguably reduce the increase in cooking time, though I can't be too sure by what extent. It is of note that water has a much higher specific heat capacity than metals, though, so they need way more heat to reach the same temperature.
Sure you don't need a non-stick pan but it's certainly a lot easier.
Slow cooker, low and long. No attention needed. Maybe stir once or twice, if you desire. I'm so done doing stovetop carmalized onions. Jayman...
Oven cleaner = looks-like-new stainless cookware.
FYI, every time an add comes up during your video, just press the mute bottom. Period!
I take it people are not hearing the facts about 3M and a toxic chemical they made back in the1930 and all the while knew what they had done? No , well it may be too late but I've always hated those cheap non-stick pans. Gimme a cast iron anything and I'm happy. And stronger for it. Especially with those dang lidded dutch ovens .
nah, the quickest way to make caramelised onions is to freeze the raw onions first, they'll break down faster when you cook them afterwards
Life is too short to use Stainless Steel. LOL. BTW: After using my non-stick pan I add disk soap & cold water while still hot. This cleans out the pores fast. Then in the dishwasher.
onions
I don’t like eating anything cooked in Teflon. My health comes before everything else.
deglaze with armagnac and you will never go back to Teflon again!
(hiccup!)
Teflon is not safe
First
please keep being stuck on caramelized onions god willing there will be a fool proof way discovered for fools such as i
Can you pls stip with the Manipulative Narration? Talk Like normal people
Don’t be a HATERRRRR🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮SUNY! You have the wrong name. You should call yourself cloudy!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
normal’s relative. i love helen’s energy and narration. if it upsets you, i’m sure there are several other cooking channels out there that might be more your speed :)
"Manipulative narration"? She talks like a presenter ... which she is .... Not to mention all presenters aim to convince viewers of something which means they always employ some degree of manipulation.
Can you pls stip with the Stupid? Think like normal people
Why are you watching? If you don't like how she presents, watch someone else.