
What are the best ways to use raw onions?
Raw onions can add a nice bite to salads, from a green onion sliced and added to a simple green salad to easy creations based almost entirely on the sweetness of Vidalia onions.
Can you put onions in a salad?
Onions in Salads: Soak Them in Water First. There’s nothing wrong with a good hunk of onion in a salad: it’s crunchy, and filled with pungent flavor. However, when that strong flavor takes over the dish, not to mention the next few hours of the victim’s mouth, that’s when one starts to push those crisp onion slices off to the side of the plate.
Are raw onions good for You?
Raw onions can add a nice bite to salads, from a green onion sliced and added to a simple green salad to easy creations based almost entirely on the sweetness of Vidalia onions. Sadly, they can also be too pungent for plenty of people.
Can raw onions be made less pungent?
Raw onions can add a nice bite to salads, from a green onion sliced and added to a simple green salad to easy creations based almost entirely on the sweetness of Vidalia onions. Sadly, they can also be too pungent for plenty of people. Luckily, making raw onions less pungent is as easy as 1-2-3:
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Yellow & Brown Onions
The most commonly used onions are yellow onions, which are also called brown onions because of their thick brown skin. They work in almost anything, which is why they're often referred to as all-purpose onions. If you don't know which to use or the store doesn't have the type you need, these are the safest alternative.
White Onions
White onions can be used in a lot of the same dishes as their yellow counterparts, but they have a more pungent flavor and thinner, papery skin. They have a high water content, which makes them very crisp.
Sweet Onions
There are several different types of sweet onions, but some of the the most popular varieties are Mauis, Walla Wallas, and Vidalias. They don't have the sharp, pungent flavor that other onions do, which makes them great raw in salads or on sandwiches.
Red Onions
The prettiest of all the onions, red onions have deep purple skin and a mild flavor. They're best raw in salads, salsas, and as a toppings on burgers and sandwiches because of how mild they are. They can be used in cooked dishes as well, but the onion flavor isn't nearly as strong when they're cooked.
Green Onions
Green onions, also called scallions, are most commonly used in Asian and Latin American cooking, but they're great in a wide variety of dishes because they have a very mild flavor. Spring onions are very similar and look almost the same, but they have larger bulbs and a stronger flavor than green onions.
Shallots
If you've never used shallots in your home cooking, you're missing out. In Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain says that shallots are one of the ingredients that make restaurant food taste better than the average person's home-cooked food.
What Are Your Personal Onion Tips?
So now you know which onion to use, but what about how to chop it up? If you need a refresher on your knife skills, check out our guide to slicing and dicing onions like a pro. And if you have any super secret tips on more or better ways to use this onion for that dish, share below!
