Onions, due to the rich, pronounced aroma and piquant taste, have found wide application in the field of cooking. It is difficult to imagine most dishes without the use of the described vegetable: it is added to soups, main dishes, salads, sauces, and also used boiled, as an independent dish or as a side dish to others. How to cook onions and what raw materials to choose for this - more on this later in the article.
Selection and preparation
Before you start cooking boiled onions, you need to choose the right product.
Experts advise when buying a vegetable to pay attention to some important nuances:
- the bulb should be sufficiently dense, elastic;
- the color of the husks of a quality onion is golden brown;
- it is better to choose medium-sized fruits that have a more balanced taste and composition;
- on the surface of the bulb should not be various spots, damage, rot, dents, roots;
- The "tail" of the bulb should be dry.
Important! Before boiling a vegetable, it is recommended to soak it for 20-25 minutes in cold water. After such manipulations, it will turn out more tender, with a rich taste and will be able to cook much faster.
Just before the cooking process, the vegetable should be carefully prepared. In most cases, it needs to be cleaned.
To do this, you need:
- With a sharp knife, cut off the root part of the vegetable;
- cut off the top;
- completely clear the fruit from the husk. An onion is considered peeled if all visible top sheets are white;
- if damaged, cut them carefully with a knife.
Onion cooking time
Depending on the planned dish, the method of cooking onions will depend. It can be cooked in whole or in part, using various kitchen devices in the cooking process: a conventional pan, microwave, pressure cooker or double boiler.
In the pan
For work, you need a knife, cutting board and a container for cooking vegetables.
15 minutes
medium sized onions
of necessity
olive or vegetable oil
1-2 tbsp. l
Nutritional value per 100 g:
- Peel the onion, cut into strips, rings, squares, depending on the desired dish.
- Pour water into a pot, boil.
- Add oil to boiling water and carefully add onion raw materials.
- Boil the vegetable: cut into 4 parts - 5 minutes, cut into cubes or half rings - 2-3 minutes.
It is recommended to add onions to boiling liquid, because if you put it in cold water and then start the cooking process, the vegetable will turn out to be too soft and boiled. Olive or any other oil that is used during the preparation of the onion makes it moderately soft, but allows you to maintain its shape.
Important! So that when cutting the onion, the eyes do not water, it is recommended to moisten the knife and vegetable in cold water.
In a double boiler
Cooking onions in a double boiler requires the presence of a double boiler itself, a knife for cutting vegetables and a cutting board are also needed.
15 minutes
vegetable oil
1-2 tbsp. l
Nutritional value per 100 g:
- Peel the bulbs, cut into necessary pieces - into 4 parts, rings, half rings.
- Pour the required amount of water into the double boiler.
- Grease the grate with vegetable oil.
- Place the onion raw materials on the wire rack and steam for 5-7 minutes.
Modern steamers allow you to cook delicious, aromatic and most importantly - healthy boiled onions in just a few minutes. To do this, it is enough to lay the vegetable in the device, set the necessary mode and wait for the process to finish.
Whole
To boil the whole bulb, you need to take a pot, knife and a board for cutting vegetables.
15 minutes
bulb
3-4 medium sized pieces
vegetable or any oil
1-2 tbsp. l
Nutritional value per 100 g:
- Peel the bulb, rinse.
- Pour water into a saucepan, put on fire and bring to a boil.
- In a container with boiling water, lower the required amount of onion, add salt and vegetable oil. Make sure that the water completely covers the vegetables.
- Boil the bulbs for 7-10 minutes (depending on size) under the lid.
As a rule, whole onions are boiled for further preparation of original dishes, onion snacks. Also, whole onions are added to broths or marinades in order to give them an unusual piquant taste and aroma.
On how much the onion will cook, its structure and taste will depend. It is necessary to carefully monitor the consistency of the vegetable, because if it is cooked for too long, it loses its shape, structure and taste. Overcooked onions become very soft, loose, watery.
Boiled onion is a product that is able to give food a unique taste and aroma. Besides the fact that it allows you to saturate any dish with characteristic piquant notes, it is also extremely healthy. In folk medicine, boiled onions are used for the treatment and prevention of many diseases, in particular, pancreatitis, liver and kidney ailments, and intestinal disorders.