Q&A for How to Make Caramelized Onions

Return to Full Article

Coming soon

Add New Question

Question

What's the fastest way to caramelize onions?

Helen Rennie
Chef
Helen Rennie is a chef based in Natick, Massachusetts. She is both the owner of a cooking school and the creator of Helen’s Kitchen, a YouTube channel where she teaches cooking techniques and food science to over 560K subscribers. Helen’s classes and videos focus on many topics, including knife skills, fish, meat, poultry, sauces, vegetables, beans, grains, pies, tarts, pastry, pizza, pasta, grilling, and more. She started her cooking career with an internship in Casablanca Restaurant, and eventually earned a teaching position at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. In 2005, she founded Helen's Kitchen, her culinary education business where she teaches people to cook. Since its founding, Helen’s Kitchen has taught 1,000+ students. Helen's cooking philosophy centers on finding creative ways to prepare local ingredients. She teaches cooking classes in her house in Natick with a strong focus on culinary techniques and food science. She received a BS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Helen Rennie

Chef

Expert Answer

The fastest way to caramelize onions is by using the steam-and-brown method. Start with a nonstick skillet—this works best to keep things from sticking too much. Toss in your sliced onions, a little salt, and about half the oil you’d normally use. Then add a splash of water, cover your pan, and let the onions steam for about 10 minutes, and when the water evaporates, the onions soften up. Once they’re nice and limp, uncover the pan and start browning them. This step goes fast, so keep an eye on things and stir every minute to prevent burning. The steaming process helps bring the onions’ natural sugars to the surface, which speeds up caramelization. You still get that deep golden-brown color much quicker than the traditional method, but this can get a bit sticky—so the nonstick pan is your friend here!

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0
Question

What type of brown sugar do I use?

Community Answer

Dark brown sugar would be best, but you can use any kind of brown sugar.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 10
Question

Can I use coconut oil in a crock pot?

Community Answer

Yes, coconut oil can be used in a crock pot.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 10
Question

How long do the slow-cooked onions keep in the refrigerator?

Community Answer

About a week, provided you remove excess liquid and properly store in an airtight container.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 9