Onions - the Differences in the Top Three Varieties.

From the famous Chefs to the daily home cooks, they all use these three common Onions to enhance the flavors of their favorite dishes.

Of course there are hundreds of other varieties of Onions used around the world and these are also great special ingredients for many recipes. But I'm talking about the three most popular onions that are a staple of kitchens everywhere.

I just want to discuss the plain but familiar onions; the Red, the White and the Yellow varieties.

We should all know the important differences in these flavorful Onions that we eat almost every day, and that most of us try to keep in our pantry, all of the time.

These basic Onion types have certain advantages and disadvantages when compared with their counterparts.

As I said, the good old Red, Yellow and White Onions are the backbone of flavor for many popular recipes.

You know, the ones that you see listed as an ingredients for most of your day-to-day dishes. In fact, these three varieties of Onions account for the vast majority of the total onion consumption in the US.

Oh sure, there are; Shallots, Chives, Scallions, Spring Onions, Leeks, Ramps, and many, many other exotic and fantastic varieties of onions.

Each of these, found around the world, also has amazing flavors of their own, but these three common varieties are by far the most commonly used.

I have talked to a lot of people who seem to have set opinions on these three staples of the Onion family and often they will tell me things about their favorite (and least favorite) onions such as;

I hate Red Onions, they are way too strong,

or I just love sweet White onions, when I use them, it tastes like I don’t even have onions in the dish,

or I think the Yellow Onion is far too harsh for my palate.

I even hear questions like;

Which onion should I use when I make a vegetable salad and which should I use in my Chicken Salad recipe?

Then there is the question; I have a recipe that used fried onions as a garnish on burgers. which onion should I use?

So, before I begin, if you are one of those people who turn their nose up at the mention of the word Onion, and refuse to even consider eating them, well, you should move on to an article that's more entertaining, and stop reading this one right now.

The information you'll find here is for those people who enjoy the flavor, aroma, and health aspects of Onions, and just need a little basic information on these varieties to make better decisions on which one to use.

Be aware that the actual flavors you may get at any time with one of each of these onion varieties can range from sweet to very pungent, often dependent on their freshness, but the flavors mentioned is the predominate one that you will find when you use a fresh variety of each.

A Taste Test?

It is always smart, when using onions, to make your first cut and then use your nose and then take a small bite of a piece of the onion to determine exactly what you are using.

Then you should adjust the quantity used according to what strength of flavors you have to work with.

Be creative when using onions because tying yourself down to a particular variety of onion that is called for in a recipe can really limit your flavor options.

If your recipe calls for a Red onion, you should take a good look at what else is in the dish itself, and you will probably be able to safely change over to a Yellow or even White onion without doing any harm to the flavor of the dish.

Ask yourself things like;

• is the dish supposed to be sweet or does it have strong flavors in the other ingredients,
• will my choice make a major change in the flavor of the finished dish,
• what herbs and spices are used in the dish and will the onion choice fight or accent these flavors,
• what sauces or dressing will be used with the dish,
• and will the onion choice enhance or clash with their flavors?

Just remember that Intelligent questions will lead to intelligent choices, every time.

You must understand the real differences in each of these popular Onion varieties before you use them

RED ONIONS:

The Red Onion provides a great color contrast to almost any dish it is used in.

It has a stronger and more pungent flavor than yellow onions after it ages, but is very tasty when it is fresh. Red Onions are great when used raw, grilled or roasted and go well in fresh dishes such as vegetable Salads and on sandwiches.

And it is used often on and with foods that have strong flavors in the other ingredients of the dish, as a good contrast.

YELLOW ONIONS:

The Yellow Onion, which typically has a mellow sweet flavor with little aftertaste and is the most popularly used variety of the bulb onions, accounting for over 75% of the volume sold in the US.

They have a full flavor, and turn a dark brown in color when cooked.

They are often grilled, fried, caramelized, and are used in soups, etc.

WHITE ONIONS:

The White Onions can have crisper flavors varying from Mild to very Sweet, and with very little aftertaste, depending on the variety used.

Because of their sweet flavor, they are favored in many Mexican dishes, fresh salads, as well as potato and pasta salads.

And they are used often in white sauces.

Plus, they turn a nice golden color when sautéed.

There are a number of things you should know about these common Onions that will dramatically affect how your food tastes.

PREPARATION NOTES:

Here are a couple of good tips to remember when you are preparing your Onions:

Onions can be grilled, roasted, sautéed or caramelized.

But, the calorie conscious should be aware that when you caramelize an onion, you will increase the sugar content of the onion used.

Onions should be used as soon as possible after cutting due to the fact that they lose their flavor as they sit.

It should be noted that sing high heat when preparing onions can add a bitterness to their flavor, so when cooking, specifically sautéing, use a low or medium heat to avoid this potential problem.

Shopping SELECTION:

When selecting your onions for use, look for the following;

• no discolorations of the onion body,
• no blemishes or cuts in the onion.
• no soft spots in the onion body,
• no signs of roots appearing on the onion end.

When you inspect an onion, even with the outer paper-like layer in place, you should see that the outer layer, of the onion itself is not dry looking, but has good color and seems moist.

STORAGE:

Onions can be kept for a relatively long time, if they are stored properly.

They need to be stored in a cool dry place where air can circulate around them.

Do Not store onions in bags, either paper or plastic.

This will contain the gases from the onion itself and will speed up the ripening process causing them to rot early.

Please note that White onions do not store as well as the Red and Yellow varieties.

Once you have cut an onion, it should be kept, in the fridge, in a sealed container. This will keep the odor from the onion contained and it will not not spread to your other refrigerated foods.

Hopefully the information is helpful to you.

The use of Onions enhances the smells and flavors of so many dishes that we eat, and nutritionally they are great for us.

HEALTH BENEFITS of Onions:

Onions are free of Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium, while providing relatively high levels of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Fiber and Manganese among other critical nutrients, while being low in calories.

Onions provide numerous other health benefits, and historically, they have been used to help treat Colds, Coughs, Bronchitis, Asthma and other breathing problems.

They can be used to help suppress harmful bacteria in the Colon and reduce the instance of stomach cancer and can also aid as an anti-coagulant.

But remember, that the stronger and more pungent varieties of onions provide more aid in these areas than the milder and sweeter varieties.

Be aware though, that eating large quantities of onions over a long time, can lead to stomach and intestinal distress resulting in nausea and diarrhea.

Use these tasty onions as ingredients in your favorite recipes wisely, and Love the resulting flavors!