Ingredient Profile: The Onion

Believe it or not, I actually hate onions in my food. Whenever I detect the sharp and pungent flavor of an onion in my meal, I cringe to myself a little and slowly pick through my food, trying to avoid the onions at all costs. So why am I writing an article about them? Well as it turns out, I’m alone in my opinion on onions…and the rest of you Americans and world-class citizens love the bulby oddities. So who am I to deny you an onion education -we wouldn’t want you crying over an onion, would we? Oh but you already have.

So here’s my guide to the onion. I hope you find it helpful as we’ll go through some of its history, some interesting facts, and of course – the best of the best onion recipes.

The National Onion Association classifies onions into two categories: spring/summer fresh onions and the fall/winter storage variety. These fresher onions are available April through August while the dryer storage onions turn up more often August through April. Both come in red, white and yellow forms, but the spring/summer onions are said to be sweeter, moister, and milder. Therefore used in sweeter dishes, the fall/winter kind is used...