School me about onions

[DCP]

We were getting a 3Lb bag of sweet onion. They sucked looks, texture, off-taste, and funning looking

Went to buying, one of a time, they were better but all pcs don't have the same texture or taste.



Please tell me about onions.

[Pipefitter]

When I buy onions the first thing I do is press my thumb next to the stem, they should be as firm there as on the side of the onion.
I usually dont buy sweet onions, the white and the red onions are my favorites.

[Bazoo]

I buy the cheap yellow onions. We generally use them in cooking. When they are fresh they are better, but they work fine for cooking even when they are starting to get mushy. Just cut the green / brown piece out. You can take the outside layers off and eat them and still plant center if they are sprouted.

I like bout any kind of onion though and occasionally will get other varieties.

[reloader28]

Grow your own. Their easy even in a 5gal bucket. Like everything homegrown, the flavor is so much better then store bought.
I just sorted ours yesterday for the first time this winter. I threw out 3 small ones and we still have a BIG box full of small to softball size of reds and whites.

[fiberoptik]

Cut off the roots with a sliver of white above it. Stick it in a little water. It starts growing. Once it has some decent roots, add to dirt. Same with cabbage. Haven’t tried it with green onions yet. They keep best in a glass of water on the counter; changing water daily. Don’t store onions with potatoes, they don’t mix well. Taters with apples. Last longer.
Cheap yellow onions looking ragged? Dice up a bunch, add a handful of garlic, 2 beef bullion cubes and water.... french onion soup! Swiss on top. Eat with sourdough bread.

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[SweetMk]

Celery will do it also, cut the bottom off, plant it in the garden, the new stems start to grow,,
the issue with onions, potatoes, etc,, is that they are WAY too cheap to buy.

A bulb of garlic split into pieces,, will grow that many bulbs.

I garden for fun, and to show the grandchildren,, that is truly it,,

[MrWolf]

They give me massive migraines even when cooked in sauces and such. Girlfriend brought home meatballs in sauce from work. Yup she didn't know until I had taken a few bites then felt it right above my right eye. Oh, you guys meant for cooking

[William Yanda]

Onions are like bacon, money, fun, etc. More is better. I like the sweet onions in salad. We use the 3# bags of cooking onions for omelets, casseroles, roasts and such.

[gwpercle]

If you see a bag labeled " Vidalia " onions buy them ... sweet great taste .
Don't buy any soft onion . I think Vidalia are best followed by Texas Sweet 1015 and then Texas Super Sweet 1015-Y . I will admit the sugars in these varieties may give them a shorter shelf life but storing them in the refrigerator will extend their usefulness .

Green onions are fairly easy to grow in a small space and have good taste .
Gary

[45workhorse]

I have driven by fields of Vidalia onions, in Vidalia GA. For some reason I always get hungry when I do that! Never had time to stop and buy fresh! Still a dang good onion, you could almost eat it like an apple, just don't get to close to the wife afterwards

[gbrown]

I agree, Texas 10-15 are really good, IMHO. Developed at Texas A&M, planted on October 15th, IIRC. You can eat them like an apple. I question whether the Vidalia we get around here are truly Vidalia. Some I've gotten around here weren't that sweet. Not sure why, maybe harvesting early before sugars could really form or what.

[dale2242]

I grow onions every year.
I try to pick varieties that store well.
After I harvest mine I sort them.
The small and ones with bad spots are cleaned, the bad spots removed and diced.
The diced onions are scattered on a wax paper covered cookie sheets and frozen.
When frozen they are placed in ziplock bags.
This way you can get whatever amount from the bag and they will not be frozen in a clump.

[gwpercle]

I grow onions every year.
I try to pick varieties that store well.
After I harvest mine I sort them.
The small and ones with bad spots are cleaned, the bad spots removed and diced.
The diced onions are scattered on a wax paper covered cookie sheets and frozen.
When frozen they are placed in ziplock bags.
This way you can get whatever amount from the bag and they will not be frozen in a clump.

LIKE !
Cooking with frozen onions is almost like using fresh , they aren't quite as crisp when thawed but for most cooking that's no problem and having them already chopped is a big help .
Anytime you have a bag of onions going South ... just chop and freeze them !
Gary

[MaryB]

Sweet onions are best for onion rings! Or onion nuggets(cut squares of onion (3/4 inch on a side or so and batter and fry. Easier to eat but caution, that onion cup can hold burning hot oil!)

[DougGuy]

I have driven by fields of Vidalia onions, in Vidalia GA. For some reason I always get hungry when I do that! Never had time to stop and buy fresh! Still a dang good onion, you could almost eat it like an apple, just don't get to close to the wife afterwards

You will want to pay particular attention to those fields and roadside produce stands about Valentine's Day and shortly afterwards.. They sell "Vidalia Green Onions" also known as "Salad Onions" in and around the parts that grow Vidalias. These are AWESOME to cook with! They have a very unique flavor profile that when mixed with garlic and used in beans, peas, soups, they cancel each other out and you get this certain sweetness that no other onion can produce, and it only happens when you use both these vidalia green onions and garlic in a dish.

They freeze very well, starting in February the bulbs are about the size of a golf ball and as the weeks lead into springtime, they get the size of a tennis ball and the season is done with.

Thumbcocker sent me a box a few years ago, and I froze them and still using them now. Gonna need some more this year they are getting pretty freezer burned by now. ONLY place in the US that you can get these, is the Vidalia growing areas of GA.

If you are lucky, your local grocery store will carry them for only a short time in February... Whole Foods usuallly carries them, some of the other high end chains may carry them.

I would love to split a box with someone..