how do you carmalize onions and make them brown?

Question

i dont have any butter

Answer 1

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons sugar

In a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the sugar and cook, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan frequently, until the onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Answer 2

Cut your onions to your desired specifications. Cook over very low heat with butter and or vegetable oil . You can add a little sugar to speed the carmalizing and heighten the sugar depending on the final use of the onions. This takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Answer 3

Just slice the onions, you'll need probably about 4-5 large onions to yield about a cup of caramelized onions, put them in a large hot frying pan and add a couple of tablespoons of veg oil. Don't use butter or olive oil because they have a lower smoking point than veg oil and you need the pan pretty hot. I don't add sugar, I know a lot of people who do but I think it throw it all off. Just cook them on medium to medium high heat for about 45 minutes and voila....caramelized onions.

Answer 4

Here is an article that I found a while ago when I wanted to know the same thing. It helped me out tremendously and is very informative. Hope it helps! :) Have a great weekend! :)


How to Make Caramelized Onions

Determine how many onions you will need. Caramelizing significantly reduces the mass of the onions so even if you start out with a pan full of raw onion, they will cook down substantially. For most purposes, one onion per person serves as a good rule of thumb.
Find a large, heavy skillet. A heavy non-stick or well-seasoned iron skillet is best.
Get sweet yellow or white onions. After cleaning the onion of the dry skin and the root and stem tips, cut the onion in half, top to bottom. Then slice the onion, flat side down, to make thin strips of onion. Make sure to separate the layers.
Pour enough pure olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet plus about a tablespoon more. Heat the skillet on high until the oil is very hot but not smoking.
Add the onions all at once and reduce the heat to medium high. Don't worry if the onions are piled high in the skillet. They will cook down. (Note: some chefs prefer to caramelize the onions in small batches (thin layers), so the onions caramelize, rather than steam.)
Using a spatula, turn (toss) the onions so that all the pieces get some oil on them.
Continue to turn the onions with the spatula about every 8 to 10 minutes. If some of the onion appears to be burning, move the onions to the side and add more oil (one or two tablespoons at a time) and stir the onions into the fresh oil.
Continue to toss the onion with the spatula until all the onion slices have reached a dark, rich brown color. After 25 to 30 minutes, the onion will be well on the way to browning. This is the sugar in the onion caramelizing.
Remove the onions, turn off the heat and add a little water or white wine to the pan to deglaze it and get the delicious dark brown glaze that has cooked to the pan. Use only a little liquid, no more than 3 to 4 tablespoons, to deglaze. Then stir the resulting glaze into the onions.



[edit] Alternate MethodsAlternate method: Letting the onions wilt a bit in a hot pan before adding any oil is also very successful to improve sweetness. Add sliced onions to very hot pan. Grind some pepper over them (about 3 twists per onion). Sprinkle a little sugar over them (about 1 tsp. per onion). Stir well and watch to make sure the sugar doesn't burn (keep stirring). Once the onions start to wilt, add the olive oil. This tip is customized from a book of Jewish recipes.
Another Alternate Method: Peel and slice your onions (at least 6 - leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to a month). Place in a slow cooker. Drizzle the onions with about 2 tablespoons of oil. Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn it on high. Cook 8-10 hours.



[edit] TipsExpect to spend 30 to 45 minutes to prepare this, depending on the level of heat used and quantity of onions to caramelize.
Tip to save a lot of time: Before following the instructions above, soften the onions in a microwave oven. Place in a covered microwave safe bowl for 5 to 6 minutes. Your time will vary with amount of onions and power of oven.
If the onions are sweet to begin with, there will be no need to add any sugar to the process. If the onions are strong and not sweet, then you can add some sugar (granulated or raw) about 10 minutes into the cooking. Use approximately 1 tablespoon per onion. You will need to watch it very closely throughout the cooking to ensure the sugar does not burn.
The flatter the onion, the sweeter it will be. Rounder onions tend to be stronger.
The timing to toss the onions is loosely suggested to be every 8 to 10 minutes. Vary this time if the onions on the bottom are browning too much or too little.
Add a splash of soy sauce near the end of the cooking. This is a powerful "secret ingredient" as it adds color, sugar, salt and savory flavor. Do not add too much as you want the soy sauce to caramelize too. This is especially good for fajitas or on steaks, as the soy sauce provides carmelization without having to cook the onions til completely limp. Also add a bit of butter and a pinch of salt right at the end to enhance flavor and texture.



[edit] WarningsUsing too much oil can fry the onion.
Use pure olive oil, not virgin olive oil or other types of oil. It will be labelled "olive oil," and is usually the cheapest available. Other oils will either be too low temperature to work well or will add flavors that you don't need.
Never add water to the onions when you start to cook them. This will steam them and your caramelizing will not work.
You can also use butter...even better, use clarified butter (also known as ghee).

Answer 5

first slice the onions add butter to pan over very low heat add onions place about 1tsp sugar let them sit keep your eye on it this is a slow process but well worth it do not salt or pepper onions until they are carmalized wich should take about 30-45 min enjoy

Answer 6

olive oil, canola oil, veg oil, are the best ways. I do not like to use butter until the end. The fat and water will separate and or could burn. use butter at the end only to add flavor to the onions.

Answer 7

a little oil, medium heat and patience.

The oil aids in the browning, the medium heat allows for the moisture to evaporate without burning... hence the patience.

Edit...
Whoa! now... onions have enough natural sugar where you don't need to add extra sugar. Also, depending upon the dish, the added sugar will mask the flavor of the onions.

Answer 8

heat up a pan on medium-high heat and put about a tablespoon of butter in it and slice your onions. after that wait till the butter completly melts and throw your onions in when you put them in if they dont sizzle turn up the heat and let them cook while stirring occassionally until they start to brown.

Answer 9

Just put a small amount of oil, or butter( my fave) into a pan....turn heat up to med. high,...drop in onions, (usually sliced, chopped, diced etc.) stir (or shake pan) while cooking until onions turn a light to med brown color..Nummy!

Answer 10

You add sugar to the pan and cook them on low heat slowly for about 45 minutes. I know that seems like a long time, but that's how the caramelization turns them brown.