I hope all of you enjoy this and let me know how your caramelized onions turn out! Also, I teach more tips and helpful shortcuts in my Cooking Course chefjamesmakinson.com/cooking-course/
In your videos, when you use or recommend Balsamic Vinegar, can you specify which type you mean? As you well know, there's a huge difference between the cheap stuff and quality stuff... Thanks!
love the two shots side by side showing the difference as the cooking progresses. a lot more cooking channels should do that. really enjoying you doing this format of videos!
Try this and see if it changes your opinion: Chop the onions (I use a Benriner mandolin). Put some salt and squeeze the juices out. Pour some vinegar and coconut milk. Let it stay for a while and now it's the time for a taste test! Edit: you can also add some chopped chilies for some kick!
I have read several methods for slicing and caramelizing onions, but this is the first one where I feel like the information actually stuck with me. I assume this is because you included some information that goes into more detail about the processes, and why you do things a certain way, and this made it stand out. Or perhaps it's because I've never been able to get either to work especially well, and I have now seen you using a methodology that is clearly different from what I do, and now I have a blueprint for how I can do things differently to get a better result. Either way, thanks!
its due to the explanation of WHY we do it. Its chemistry a lot of the time which I always hated in school but now am finding why I need just the basics
I love carmelized onions and I used the water trick to get them carmelized, sprinkle a little bit of water every few minutes helps get them carmelized and I like to only use salt but I plan on using Worcestershire sauce for my onions I add to steak or even soy sauce mixed with calamansi, to see where I can take it
I will definitely have to try this some time! My mom used to make caramelised onions for many meals when I was growing up, but she did it much simpler, just fried the onions in a frying pan with a little butter or oil, most often she just threw it in with the fat from whatever she just made in the pan (like meatballs, minced meat or whatever). I loved it so much and a few years ago when she came to visit I begged her to make it for me. She made me a whole bowl and I ate it as it was with a spoon, giggling like a child 😋
Man i really gotta say, this is one of my favorite, if not my most favorite cooking channels on youtube. I just love how you deliver your knowledge without any of the unnecessary overediting, or acting extra quriky or anything in that way. You keep it simple, you dont slip into any extravagant character, you just keep it real, and thats what I really love and adore. Keep it up!
I love this kind of content. As a home cook, videos like these help me find the small details, where I'm making mistakes, why I'm not getting consistent results, and help me fix them. Thank you.
Oh nice! There was a sports bar/burger joint near me that shut down unfortunately several years ago due to a family member getting sick and they had the most amazing fried onions! They called em "dirty onions" and they made them with Jack Daniels and a secret spice blend. They was sooo good. Never been able find somewhere with fried onions as good
James, I have to say I really love your videos. Not only because they're informative, but because it's clear you really love cooking, and love to share your knowledge to us. Sometimes, my fiance and I cuddle up on the couch and watch your videos, just because you're so pleasant to watch. Please never lose that. Once I have the money for it, I can't wait to purchase your cooking course.
I would personally use the mandolin to get it consistent. It's not that expensive to get a good one and is so useful, especially when making big batches of thing. You should try to get a collaboration with boerner, theirs is great especiall for those with poor knife skills.
I hate using a mandolin. It’s great if you don’t have good knife skills, but you’ll never have good knife skills if you don’t practice. Plus, the only time I ever used one I cut the $hit out of my finger because mine didn’t come with one of those guards. That or maybe it’s eternally lost in the clutter that is my kitchen cabinets 😂
I took a chunk out of one of my fingers using a mandolin. I still have a pretty deep scar on my knuckle from that. At the urgent care they told us they see several mandolin injuries a week.
Found your channel by the reactions to the Uncle Roger vids, but after finding your other stuff, now I'm almost binge-watching. You're very knowledgable, skilled and good at explaining what you're doing and elaborating on the chemical processes that are happening. Also, you're a likeable person and your videos have great production value.
I make breakfast sandwiches for my wife and her co-workers just about every day, and they include caramelized onions and mushrooms. My daily routine: medium heat pan, some neutral oil (avocado is my fav), add onions and mushrooms (more than you think you need, b/c they reduce QUITE a bit), add salt to release moisture, add a decent splash of Worcestershire sauce for the umami taste, once that's almost cooked off, lower the heat and add some chicken or veggie broth/stock, let it cook off and add some more, and keep that going for about 45 minutes or until you're satisfied with texture and taste. That's just the caramelized part. The other sandwich ingredients are nothing like you'll find at a restaurant or food truck recipe. So yeah, a breakfast sandwich takes about an hour to make at our house, and one could never put a price on that.
Thank you so much for your Input. If I make "Viennese Gulasch" I am usually sauteing? the onions on a very low heat in clarified butter in the "Staub" for 4 to 4,5 hrs with closed lid. They turn from sweet to bitter to beautifully caramelized sweetness in the End. That is at least my empirical experience. After that I put in marjoram and caraway seeds and paprika powder. And meat of course. This is simmering for another 4,5 hrs then. It will be ready the next day after heating up again. Never tried thyme, but maybe I will the next time. Best R.
A gread video! I love how you're realistic about how long it takes to get the onions right. I also appreciate how you explain an efficient setup in the kitchen. OTOH, I'm having flashbacks to my pub days of slicing mounds and mounds of onions - the tears were not of mirth. 😂
You are so welcome! haha yeah I use to have to make crispy onions first thing in the morning, everyone used to snack on them as well so I had to make a lot haha
Genuinely appreciate this video. I decided to make my wife some venison burgers with smoked gouda for dinner and wanted to try caramelized onions on them. This video helped cut the time they took to cook in half. Thank you very much.
I appreciate the idea of straining off the extra butter. I cook mine to a much darker color. I'll make 2 batches at once, then package in small quantities and freeze.
Love caramelized onions, and do a home cook version using olive oil that has that flavor, and takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Your caramelized onions technique has a few differences, I don't add wine, for example, but I will try yours next time I make them because I know it will be much better. Great video!
Chef James, your caramelized onion video was fantastic! Clear instructions and helpful tips made the process easy to follow. I appreciate the wine deglazing tip for added flavor. Looking forward to trying it soon and exploring more of your recipes! Keep creating fundamental culinary videos - your expertise is invaluable! Thanks for sharing!!!
Really enjoying your channel and your demeanor and how you explain things! Watching Chef PIerre too - almost feel I know how to cook now ;) (almost still have a lot to learn ) - thanks for all your work (I know making these videos are not easy to do)
Excellent explanation. I've been making French onion soup for a long time and this is basically how I do it. Nothing beats onions that have spent 3-4 hours on low heat. One bit that could have used a moment's explanation would be peeling the onions and how many layers you should remove. I've found that there's a membrane between the outer layers that never cooks down and is unpleasant to eat. That's why you should remove the first layer or two and make sure that you remove any membrane that stuck to the inner layer.
I simply love your explanations. This is basic, and I know this for a very long time, but a lot of people at home will feel uncomfortable when trying to recreate a recipe when they're not familiar with those basics. Even if you show how to cut things the 777th time: There might be someone who has never seen that before and does not understand the principle of "thicker = longer cooking time" vs "thinner = shorter cooking time". I also very often use olive oil to make caramelized onions, sometimes also peanut oil, or I use clarified butter. It depends what I want to do with the onions, as the different types of fat also add different aromas. So for Mediterranean, I usually go for olive oil, for Asian I go for peanut oil, and for French or German cuisine I opt for (clarified) butter. For most dishes, one does not need to caramellize 2kg of onions as you did here, so a much shorter cooking time can be expected. Also, once caramellized, the onions can be kept at a very low heat to just keep them warm. E.g. for beef liver, which is fantastic with some caramellized onions, some garlic potato mash, and apple compote, the pan with the onions can just sit there to keep the onions warm and cozy while the rest is prepared and cooked.
I'll never use any of this information since I hate onions, but love the teaching videos on how to do things like a chef. I'd love to see a video on how a professional chef would make chili.
I’m not a big fan of raw onions, I don’t mind them. Properly cooked onions add *TONS* of delicious flavor to a dish. I’m sure you do like cooked onions, just not on their own.
Next time you are boiling pasta, try throwing cut white onion in there. Not only it is the mildest, but the steam and heat will remove volatile sulfur molecules for the negative tastes in the onions. This is also how to prepare onions for kids. You might discover that most of the hate for onions stems from bad prep when growing up.
I've never cook an onion for an hour lol. The most was about 5 to 10 minutes, just to give them flavor and season them. I might try it in a near future 😊
Great video, caramelizing onions is an essential skill for a lot of dishes, foremost a delicious French onion soup. I think it's great if you share your cooking skills, I can learn a lot from your experience as aprofessional and I think you're a talented cook. For example, simple things like "mise en place" are super important, in a home kitches just as in a restaurant. I'd love to see more of you cooking, besides youre reaction vids! One question, how do you handle tearing when cutting spicy onions? Especially when the head chef asks you to cut 5kg in a restaurant? 😂 But if you wanna do another reaction video, can you maybe do it about the series "Culinary class wars"? I normally don't like cooking shows, but the cooking in this series is just on another level.
Nice knife skills. We had a chef join us who had been working at the Greenbriar and brought that onion cutting method with him and all the chefs adapted to it.
Great video Chef James (as always) - really helpful and simple to follow the instructions. Especially liked how you also shared tips for storing and freezing it makes sense to make a big batch and save some for other uses. I will combine this with your clarified butter instructions. Thank you so much ❤🧑🍳
Love this content ! As trainee "Chef", you are enforcing my knowledge about stuff that I spread at stove in school. I can be confident what I do. ! Just thumps up. I can not give enough positive feedback here. And as our teacher said not reduction but reduction :D
@@ChefJamesMakinson The thing's I learned from YT I am cleaning cooking multitasking dream :D Only problem I have is the lag in my thump and index finger when I cut with my preferred personal knife... But I don't know it belongs to profession ? :D I learned to sharpen my knifes before cutting X)
My favorite trick is to have a pasta pot with a rolling boil - dump the basket and preheat the onions. They will dry almost immediately after pulling out of the rolling boil and go in the pot with oil already hot and dry. You can repeat in batches using the same water.
Nice Boos board. I like my Boardsmith endgrain, but Boos would have been my second choice. Good knives and cutting boards are an added joy to cooking. 😊
@@ChefJamesMakinson I didn't know that one day our paths will cross and I'll work for you for free despite the fact that I'm only a home cook a damn good one at that😉
With apple juice and apple vinegar you can make them sweeter or sour as you like. Really nice with pork. If you have them in the freezer and some leftover nudels, just add some bacon or egg to it and you have some really fast food. The same technique works really well with apple, pears or carrots for some sweet dishes.
Thanks for the tips Chef James! Your videos are awesome and informative... Keep up the good work! Use some caramalised onions on the Afghani Chicken too! LOL 😂😂... Day 10 by the way
thank you so much for this video! I looooooooooove caramelized onions but I rarely make them at home and I always order it when I can so I can't wait to try your method! say hi to your kitty cat for me
Made a to die for frittata last night. Two large sliced onions, caramelized. 4 slices thick smoked bacon, cooked and minced. 1one cup smoked and shredded mozzarella, or cheddar cheese. 1/2 cup parmesan small shreds, 7 or 8 extra large eggs - lightly scrambled, 2 Tbsps bottled UMAMI. Add umami to deglaze onions, add cooked bacon and let cool. Toss with cheeses, and cover with scrambled eggs. Salt and pepper to taste (smoked if available). I sprinkled Keto bacon panko on top. Glass pie plate, or an oven proof fry pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes. Varies by depth of pan. Bake and serve with your favorite salad. Also great cold. My only regret, I want more!
caramelized onions go on literally anything. i also love to make onion jam. people look at me like i'm crazy when i say i can make onion jam but when they try it, they rave about it.
Fun fact, large mirrors are cleaned just like fond and with liquid CO2. The physics behind it do not care about the liquid other than the boiling point. So wine is great, alcohol in general works well. That said vinegar requires more heat, but once water evaporates the acetic acid is concentrated just like Chef James said! The most common mistake is pouring it in a cold pan that has most of the surface covered - mistaking it for soaking. My favorite is mild liquor made from wine (Grappa, Metaxa)
Um, I worked in a nursing home kitchen; standardized recipes, quiche Lorraine, um , I caramelize the onions, then my manager, with no cooking experience, is like " why are these brown? Remake them". I'm like.... Uh?
As far as deglazing goes I've found apple juice (or probably grape juice, I've just only had apple on hand when doing it) works well in lieu of wine. Doesn't add the same depth but also doesn't end in me drinking the rest of the bottle and causing problems.
1) Time (Thyme) 😀 2) Mise en place 3) I have trained for 20 years, so has my wife. We know how to hold a sword, love your grip. 4) If you live near an Indian store, the ghee (clarified butter) is shockingly cheap. 5) "After about an hour of cooking". YES, we have started. 6) Sake is fantastic for the fond. 7) "It is a bit of a pain" but so very worth it. 8) FREEZE A PORTION! Nothing makes me sadder that making good food and having it go bad. Fantastic work as always. No questions, just praise.
I always put some salt on top of the onions in the pan without mixing it, cover it with the lid for 10 min letting the onions to “sweat “, then remove the lid and let the onions caramelize in it’s own sweet juice.
Chef has made an excellent video on knife sharpening if you have a look I would recommend watching that. I bought a wet stone that Chef recommended and it is great - it took me time to learn to use it (and I am still learning) but I can now keep my (cheap) knife fairly sharp; I want to improve my skills before spending on an expensive knife. He even took the time to advise me about this for which I am so thankful. Great channel and fantastic person.
I worked in a hotel and we used to boil the onion first and then add a lot of sugar, we end up with a very brown caramelized onion, at home I just put some water and leave it covered for half an hour 45 minutes maybe, the result looks like golden brown and taste good, I don´t know if is good or bad but works for me
I do that too. Boiling speeds up the process by doing 3 things: 1. Preheating quickly and uniformly. 2. Drying the onions by evaporation immediately after removing from the pot and exposing them to cool air. 3. Almost instantly removing all the unwanted flavors. Hotels love it because they have pasta boilers - easy logistics thanks to the basket and powerful boiler.
Nice video! Never thought of draining the fat tbh, but I usually don't use as much to boot. I was honestly surprised you didn't mention French onion soup as a way to eat them...
Question: when you use them from the freezer, I would guess you'd need to put them in a pan/saucepan and heat them to remove the water that all frozen stuff seems to acquire one thawed?
That water is just stock/sauce you already like. Instead of reducing, try adding it to something with texture or emulsion. Love them with mashed potatoes for example. Or mixed in with lettuce on a burger.
@ChefJamesMakinson Hey James, yeah I always defrost in the fridge. Don't you get more water in them from the freezing process? I wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong there.
I was mid scream .. add salt... as you added the salt ...hehehehe ... also for new cooks , you do not need to cook or blanch onions before freezing! ... or defrost them if you freeze right... (chop to prefered or most used size/cut) and spread on a pan in the freezer, once frozen they can be loose bagged ie break any clumps), and then you can throw a handful in a pan or dish as needed .. roughly 2 handfuls is one onion for recipe followers
I hope all of you enjoy this and let me know how your caramelized onions turn out!
Also, I teach more tips and helpful shortcuts in my Cooking Course chefjamesmakinson.com/cooking-course/
In your videos, when you use or recommend Balsamic Vinegar, can you specify which type you mean? As you well know, there's a huge difference between the cheap stuff and quality stuff...
Thanks!
Is the course available on site?
Love all your video's mate 👍🇦🇺
Why always wine? Have you never thought about using a good dark German beer for deglazing? Störtebeker Schwarz is absolutely fantastic for that job.
love the two shots side by side showing the difference as the cooking progresses. a lot more cooking channels should do that. really enjoying you doing this format of videos!
Glad you enjoyed it! I will try to keep it up!
YES! CARAMELIZED ONIONS ARE THE BEST ONIONS
😉
Try this and see if it changes your opinion:
Chop the onions (I use a Benriner mandolin). Put some salt and squeeze the juices out. Pour some vinegar and coconut milk. Let it stay for a while and now it's the time for a taste test!
Edit: you can also add some chopped chilies for some kick!
Not true. Onion rings are best.
@@TsvetanDimitrov1976 do you mean the breaded or battered ones?
I have read several methods for slicing and caramelizing onions, but this is the first one where I feel like the information actually stuck with me.
I assume this is because you included some information that goes into more detail about the processes, and why you do things a certain way, and this made it stand out.
Or perhaps it's because I've never been able to get either to work especially well, and I have now seen you using a methodology that is clearly different from what I do, and now I have a blueprint for how I can do things differently to get a better result.
Either way, thanks!
its due to the explanation of WHY we do it. Its chemistry a lot of the time which I always hated in school but now am finding why I need just the basics
I like the idea of these simple cooking videos. It's great for homecooks and people intrested in cooking but lacking the experience
I love carmelized onions and I used the water trick to get them carmelized, sprinkle a little bit of water every few minutes helps get them carmelized and I like to only use salt but I plan on using Worcestershire sauce for my onions I add to steak or even soy sauce mixed with calamansi, to see where I can take it
I will definitely have to try this some time!
My mom used to make caramelised onions for many meals when I was growing up, but she did it much simpler, just fried the onions in a frying pan with a little butter or oil, most often she just threw it in with the fat from whatever she just made in the pan (like meatballs, minced meat or whatever). I loved it so much and a few years ago when she came to visit I begged her to make it for me. She made me a whole bowl and I ate it as it was with a spoon, giggling like a child 😋
Man i really gotta say, this is one of my favorite, if not my most favorite cooking channels on youtube. I just love how you deliver your knowledge without any of the unnecessary overediting, or acting extra quriky or anything in that way. You keep it simple, you dont slip into any extravagant character, you just keep it real, and thats what I really love and adore. Keep it up!
I appreciate that! Thank you! 😉 I really need to get an editor though, I can't keep post 2 videos every week
I love this kind of content. As a home cook, videos like these help me find the small details, where I'm making mistakes, why I'm not getting consistent results, and help me fix them.
Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Oh nice! There was a sports bar/burger joint near me that shut down unfortunately several years ago due to a family member getting sick and they had the most amazing fried onions! They called em "dirty onions" and they made them with Jack Daniels and a secret spice blend. They was sooo good. Never been able find somewhere with fried onions as good
James, I have to say I really love your videos. Not only because they're informative, but because it's clear you really love cooking, and love to share your knowledge to us. Sometimes, my fiance and I cuddle up on the couch and watch your videos, just because you're so pleasant to watch. Please never lose that. Once I have the money for it, I can't wait to purchase your cooking course.
Glad you like them!
I would personally use the mandolin to get it consistent. It's not that expensive to get a good one and is so useful, especially when making big batches of thing. You should try to get a collaboration with boerner, theirs is great especiall for those with poor knife skills.
I hate using a mandolin. It’s great if you don’t have good knife skills, but you’ll never have good knife skills if you don’t practice. Plus, the only time I ever used one I cut the $hit out of my finger because mine didn’t come with one of those guards. That or maybe it’s eternally lost in the clutter that is my kitchen cabinets 😂
I took a chunk out of one of my fingers using a mandolin. I still have a pretty deep scar on my knuckle from that. At the urgent care they told us they see several mandolin injuries a week.
@@Sniperboy5551 Guess you didnt use a safety handle then. That's on you.
Rick Stein was first seen on tv with doing this with Keith Floyd.
I do this method for cutting onions I saw a tv chef using vinegar and flour
Thank you. I've been out of the culinary world for a while and truly enjoy the videos about the basics. This really energized my passion for cooking.
Love the new kitchen. Very cozy aesthetic.
Found your channel by the reactions to the Uncle Roger vids, but after finding your other stuff, now I'm almost binge-watching.
You're very knowledgable, skilled and good at explaining what you're doing and elaborating on the chemical processes that are happening.
Also, you're a likeable person and your videos have great production value.
Awesome! Thank you!
I do like a splash of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. I've got a lot of onions to use up. Guess what I'm going to make? Great video.
I make breakfast sandwiches for my wife and her co-workers just about every day, and they include caramelized onions and mushrooms. My daily routine: medium heat pan, some neutral oil (avocado is my fav), add onions and mushrooms (more than you think you need, b/c they reduce QUITE a bit), add salt to release moisture, add a decent splash of Worcestershire sauce for the umami taste, once that's almost cooked off, lower the heat and add some chicken or veggie broth/stock, let it cook off and add some more, and keep that going for about 45 minutes or until you're satisfied with texture and taste. That's just the caramelized part. The other sandwich ingredients are nothing like you'll find at a restaurant or food truck recipe. So yeah, a breakfast sandwich takes about an hour to make at our house, and one could never put a price on that.
Thank you so much for your Input. If I make "Viennese Gulasch" I am usually sauteing? the onions on a very low heat in clarified butter in the "Staub" for 4 to 4,5 hrs with closed lid. They turn from sweet to bitter to beautifully caramelized sweetness in the End. That is at least my empirical experience. After that I put in marjoram and caraway seeds and paprika powder. And meat of course. This is simmering for another 4,5 hrs then. It will be ready the next day after heating up again. Never tried thyme, but maybe I will the next time. Best R.
A gread video! I love how you're realistic about how long it takes to get the onions right. I also appreciate how you explain an efficient setup in the kitchen. OTOH, I'm having flashbacks to my pub days of slicing mounds and mounds of onions - the tears were not of mirth. 😂
You are so welcome! haha yeah I use to have to make crispy onions first thing in the morning, everyone used to snack on them as well so I had to make a lot haha
YAY! I love seeing you cook! Great video, Thanks James!
. . . what a pleasent way and voice to present contents and working methods !!!
Thank you kindly!
I love the way you incorporated a short knife usage tutorial. A lot of home cooks ignore the claw-finger style.
Great video chef! I caramelize onions when I make brats, and I always use dark beer to deglaze with. Its a delicious topping on bratwurst.
Genuinely appreciate this video. I decided to make my wife some venison burgers with smoked gouda for dinner and wanted to try caramelized onions on them. This video helped cut the time they took to cook in half. Thank you very much.
you are welcome!
More like this please James, it's great to see
Tortilla with caramelized onions, the one I prefer !
😉
Every Sunday I make a big batch of caramelized Vidalia onions, appreciate this vid so much, subbed & liked!
Chef, great video. Glad you showed the proper way to do this with no cheats like adding sugar, good caramelized onions take time!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome! Thanks For this 😊😊😊
No problem 😊
Onions are my favorite ingredient ever, and in a spanish tortilla yummmm, viva españa oleole
Nice one chef ! I really liked when you addressed not only how to make it right but also what will happen if you made a mistake ... cheers ❤
Great video. Your instructions are thorough and clear just like usual.
Glad it was helpful!
I appreciate the idea of straining off the extra butter.
I cook mine to a much darker color. I'll make 2 batches at once, then package in small quantities and freeze.
Love how simple you made this!
Thank you! 😊
Love caramelized onions, and do a home cook version using olive oil that has that flavor, and takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Your caramelized onions technique has a few differences, I don't add wine, for example, but I will try yours next time I make them because I know it will be much better. Great video!
Great video. I use balsamic when i make mine, i like the flavour it imparts 😊
Great tip!
Chef James, your caramelized onion video was fantastic! Clear instructions and helpful tips made the process easy to follow. I appreciate the wine deglazing tip for added flavor. Looking forward to trying it soon and exploring more of your recipes! Keep creating fundamental culinary videos - your expertise is invaluable! Thanks for sharing!!!
Thank you! I was driving me buts trying to fix the audio where I forgot to record 😂
@ChefJamesMakinson Filming, editing, and cooking solo must be tough! I find speaking to a camera difficult.
Great video Chef James! Using bacon grease is another tasty option.
This was fantastic! I love caramelized onions on my burgers. Also, loving the new kitchen background, it looks like a nice upgrade!
I love these videos where you take time out of your day to help teach us newer home cooks.
😉
Now I'm craving caramelized onions! I think I'm going to run to the store now. :)
I was looking for how to caramelise onions, this seems easy enough, thanks chef!
You are most welcome!
Really enjoying your channel and your demeanor and how you explain things! Watching Chef PIerre too - almost feel I know how to cook now ;) (almost still have a lot to learn ) - thanks for all your work (I know making these videos are not easy to do)
The reaction videos are always great but I love videos like these that make me a better cook. Thanks Chef!
Glad you like them!
A wonderfully instructional video! Bookmarking it for future reference. Thanks, chef!
You are very welcome!
Excellent explanation. I've been making French onion soup for a long time and this is basically how I do it. Nothing beats onions that have spent 3-4 hours on low heat.
One bit that could have used a moment's explanation would be peeling the onions and how many layers you should remove. I've found that there's a membrane between the outer layers that never cooks down and is unpleasant to eat. That's why you should remove the first layer or two and make sure that you remove any membrane that stuck to the inner layer.
Thank you!
Great video, I plan on making these this weekend and freezing them. Keep up the great work.
Awesome! Thank you!
Great tips and tutorial, more clips like these showing different techniques to us amateurs please
Great explanation of a simple process that can so easily go wrong. Like all things cooking, you have to "be there".
kudos dude! well done. i knew a lot of this but still time well spent and definitely learned something.
I simply love your explanations. This is basic, and I know this for a very long time, but a lot of people at home will feel uncomfortable when trying to recreate a recipe when they're not familiar with those basics. Even if you show how to cut things the 777th time: There might be someone who has never seen that before and does not understand the principle of "thicker = longer cooking time" vs "thinner = shorter cooking time".
I also very often use olive oil to make caramelized onions, sometimes also peanut oil, or I use clarified butter. It depends what I want to do with the onions, as the different types of fat also add different aromas. So for Mediterranean, I usually go for olive oil, for Asian I go for peanut oil, and for French or German cuisine I opt for (clarified) butter.
For most dishes, one does not need to caramellize 2kg of onions as you did here, so a much shorter cooking time can be expected. Also, once caramellized, the onions can be kept at a very low heat to just keep them warm. E.g. for beef liver, which is fantastic with some caramellized onions, some garlic potato mash, and apple compote, the pan with the onions can just sit there to keep the onions warm and cozy while the rest is prepared and cooked.
yeah I know, it takes practicas with a lot fo these recipes
Beautiful kitchen, Chef! Love the natural lighting!
Excellent explanation, congrats!
Tks i actually Saw there's a Diference between caramelized and the Maillard reaction but This is the best recipe for me to try. Tks for This so much
Thanks for the video, my favorite way of pairing them is with tortilla de patata, my girlfriend and I love it😂
I'll never use any of this information since I hate onions, but love the teaching videos on how to do things like a chef. I'd love to see a video on how a professional chef would make chili.
I’m not a big fan of raw onions, I don’t mind them. Properly cooked onions add *TONS* of delicious flavor to a dish. I’m sure you do like cooked onions, just not on their own.
Next time you are boiling pasta, try throwing cut white onion in there. Not only it is the mildest, but the steam and heat will remove volatile sulfur molecules for the negative tastes in the onions. This is also how to prepare onions for kids. You might discover that most of the hate for onions stems from bad prep when growing up.
That kitchen is gorgeous. Definitely makes the video feel very professional!
Thanks so much! 😊
Very clear instructions, and great tips👍😊
thank you!
Great video James! I learnt something new about cutting onions tonight! Thank you.🙂
Very welcome!
Great clip Chef, just realized I had never *caramelized* them once all these years 😅. Great stuff ✌️😊
I've never cook an onion for an hour lol. The most was about 5 to 10 minutes, just to give them flavor and season them. I might try it in a near future 😊
Adding thyme sounds like a nice trick, thanks.
it adds a lot of flavour!
Great video, caramelizing onions is an essential skill for a lot of dishes, foremost a delicious French onion soup.
I think it's great if you share your cooking skills, I can learn a lot from your experience as aprofessional and I think you're a talented cook. For example, simple things like "mise en place" are super important, in a home kitches just as in a restaurant. I'd love to see more of you cooking, besides youre reaction vids!
One question, how do you handle tearing when cutting spicy onions? Especially when the head chef asks you to cut 5kg in a restaurant? 😂
But if you wanna do another reaction video, can you maybe do it about the series "Culinary class wars"? I normally don't like cooking shows, but the cooking in this series is just on another level.
you have to live with it
Thanks for cooking.
I love the detailed explanations! Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice knife skills. We had a chef join us who had been working at the Greenbriar and brought that onion cutting method with him and all the chefs adapted to it.
Thank you!
Thank You for your advices and the recipe as well.✌
My pleasure 😊
I love these onion tutorials, please continue this series 🙏🏽🙏🏽
😉
Going to give this a go for my burgers this weekend. Thx!
Great video Chef James (as always) - really helpful and simple to follow the instructions. Especially liked how you also shared tips for storing and freezing it makes sense to make a big batch and save some for other uses. I will combine this with your clarified butter instructions. Thank you so much ❤🧑🍳
Thank you! if I get more views I will keep making these
Love this content ! As trainee "Chef", you are enforcing my knowledge about stuff that I spread at stove in school. I can be confident what I do. ! Just thumps up. I can not give enough positive feedback here. And as our teacher said not reduction but reduction :D
That is awesome! I'm glad to hear that, I hope you enjoy the kitchen and don't hastate to ask if you have any doubts!
@@ChefJamesMakinson The thing's I learned from YT I am cleaning cooking multitasking dream :D Only problem I have is the lag in my thump and index finger when I cut with my preferred personal knife... But I don't know it belongs to profession ? :D I learned to sharpen my knifes before cutting X)
My favorite trick is to have a pasta pot with a rolling boil - dump the basket and preheat the onions. They will dry almost immediately after pulling out of the rolling boil and go in the pot with oil already hot and dry. You can repeat in batches using the same water.
This was very helpful. Thank you!
you are welcome!
Nice Boos board. I like my Boardsmith endgrain, but Boos would have been my second choice. Good knives and cutting boards are an added joy to cooking. 😊
I'm loving your frequent uploads keep up the great work I'm learning so much from you
I will try to keep it up but doing this solo is not easy haha
@@ChefJamesMakinson I didn't know that one day our paths will cross and I'll work for you for free despite the fact that I'm only a home cook a damn good one at that😉
With apple juice and apple vinegar you can make them sweeter or sour as you like. Really nice with pork.
If you have them in the freezer and some leftover nudels, just add some bacon or egg to it and you have some really fast food.
The same technique works really well with apple, pears or carrots for some sweet dishes.
Thanks for the tips Chef James! Your videos are awesome and informative... Keep up the good work! Use some caramalised onions on the Afghani Chicken too! LOL 😂😂... Day 10 by the way
Thank you! :)
Love your channel. Very high instructive value chef! 👍🏻
Thank you!
thank you so much for this video! I looooooooooove caramelized onions but I rarely make them at home and I always order it when I can so I can't wait to try your method! say hi to your kitty cat for me
You are so welcome! I will! :)
Made a to die for frittata last night. Two large sliced onions, caramelized. 4 slices thick smoked bacon, cooked and minced. 1one cup smoked and shredded mozzarella, or cheddar cheese. 1/2 cup parmesan small shreds, 7 or 8 extra large eggs - lightly scrambled, 2 Tbsps bottled UMAMI. Add umami to deglaze onions, add cooked bacon and let cool. Toss with cheeses, and cover with scrambled eggs. Salt and pepper to taste (smoked if available). I sprinkled Keto bacon panko on top. Glass pie plate, or an oven proof fry pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes. Varies by depth of pan. Bake and serve with your favorite salad. Also great cold. My only regret, I want more!
I usually make caramelized onion paste with water only. Usually great for stews such as paprikas, goulash…
Amazing video chef!
Thank you!
caramelized onions go on literally anything. i also love to make onion jam. people look at me like i'm crazy when i say i can make onion jam but when they try it, they rave about it.
Call it a chutney and the weirdness should go away 😅
Fun fact, large mirrors are cleaned just like fond and with liquid CO2. The physics behind it do not care about the liquid other than the boiling point. So wine is great, alcohol in general works well. That said vinegar requires more heat, but once water evaporates the acetic acid is concentrated just like Chef James said! The most common mistake is pouring it in a cold pan that has most of the surface covered - mistaking it for soaking. My favorite is mild liquor made from wine (Grappa, Metaxa)
Um, I worked in a nursing home kitchen; standardized recipes, quiche Lorraine, um , I caramelize the onions, then my manager, with no cooking experience, is like " why are these brown? Remake them". I'm like.... Uh?
Is there a type of onion that is most ideal for caramelization, Chef? Also, are there any to avoid specifically?
sweet onions, yellow or any type you can get
As far as deglazing goes I've found apple juice (or probably grape juice, I've just only had apple on hand when doing it) works well in lieu of wine. Doesn't add the same depth but also doesn't end in me drinking the rest of the bottle and causing problems.
yeah you just need to be careful with the sugar in juices
I recommend trying vinegars, in apple countries you get amazing ones made from apple sirup/juice. Also no sugar added to a preheated pan.
1) Time (Thyme) 😀
2) Mise en place
3) I have trained for 20 years, so has my wife. We know how to hold a sword, love your grip.
4) If you live near an Indian store, the ghee (clarified butter) is shockingly cheap.
5) "After about an hour of cooking". YES, we have started.
6) Sake is fantastic for the fond.
7) "It is a bit of a pain" but so very worth it.
8) FREEZE A PORTION! Nothing makes me sadder that making good food and having it go bad.
Fantastic work as always. No questions, just praise.
Thank you so much! :)
Ayyyyyy! I love the reaction videos but nice to see YOU showing us how it's done.
😉
French onion soup is a good thing for caramelised onions
Excellent teaching video
thank you!
I always put some salt on top of the onions in the pan without mixing it, cover it with the lid for 10 min letting the onions to “sweat “, then remove the lid and let the onions caramelize in it’s own sweet juice.
Hi! Chef! Wonderful easy recipes.
1) How to keep the knife clean and sharp for longer time?
2) Is it ok to use apple cider vinegar?
depends on the steel and yes you can but it will make these more acidic. onions have a pH level ranging from 5.3 to 5.8
Chef has made an excellent video on knife sharpening if you have a look I would recommend watching that. I bought a wet stone that Chef recommended and it is great - it took me time to learn to use it (and I am still learning) but I can now keep my (cheap) knife fairly sharp; I want to improve my skills before spending on an expensive knife. He even took the time to advise me about this for which I am so thankful. Great channel and fantastic person.
Good to know. I have this hi carbon steel knife. It's good but I want to keep it sharp.
I worked in a hotel and we used to boil the onion first and then add a lot of sugar, we end up with a very brown caramelized onion, at home I just put some water and leave it covered for half an hour 45 minutes maybe, the result looks like golden brown and taste good, I don´t know if is good or bad but works for me
I do that too. Boiling speeds up the process by doing 3 things: 1. Preheating quickly and uniformly. 2. Drying the onions by evaporation immediately after removing from the pot and exposing them to cool air. 3. Almost instantly removing all the unwanted flavors. Hotels love it because they have pasta boilers - easy logistics thanks to the basket and powerful boiler.
Dear Chef Makinson,
Wow, you gave us a lot of ways to slice and caramelize onions thank you chef I see a double cheeseburger in my near future
😂😂😂 that does sound good!
@@ChefJamesMakinson It sure was, thank you, chef
Nice video! Never thought of draining the fat tbh, but I usually don't use as much to boot. I was honestly surprised you didn't mention French onion soup as a way to eat them...
French onion soup is not as popular you many think in France
Question: when you use them from the freezer, I would guess you'd need to put them in a pan/saucepan and heat them to remove the water that all frozen stuff seems to acquire one thawed?
That water is just stock/sauce you already like. Instead of reducing, try adding it to something with texture or emulsion. Love them with mashed potatoes for example. Or mixed in with lettuce on a burger.
@mckidney1 Thanks for reply McKinney. 👍
you can just put them in the fridge the day before or microwave them to defrost or leave them out for an hour.
@ChefJamesMakinson Hey James, yeah I always defrost in the fridge. Don't you get more water in them from the freezing process?
I wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong there.
@@GrandPa_BBQer_Game_CatWater is created by freezing - it breaks down by creating larger ice crystals. Defrost just makes it visible.
Nice timely reminder! I had some in my freezer that I need to use up! 😋Defrosting now!
😂
@@ChefJamesMakinson Was just what the homemade turkey soup needed! End/start of season freezer clearouts can be tasty!
I like to dry sear my onions first, then add butter, then, if necessary add water so they dont burn
I was mid scream .. add salt... as you added the salt ...hehehehe ... also for new cooks , you do not need to cook or blanch onions before freezing! ... or defrost them if you freeze right... (chop to prefered or most used size/cut) and spread on a pan in the freezer, once frozen they can be loose bagged ie break any clumps), and then you can throw a handful in a pan or dish as needed .. roughly 2 handfuls is one onion for recipe followers