Onion Tips

Vegetables

Onions

Peeling onions is an unpleasant task, because the fumes from the strong volatile oils from onions are irritating to both the eyes and the nostrils.

If peeling and chopping onions makes you teary-eyed, try to hold the onions under cold water as you peel them and rinse the onions in cold water then chop. You could also try to place them in the freezer for 20 minutes before peeling.

When peeling a pearl onions, soak them for a minute or two in boiling water, then rinse under cold water. The skins will then slip off easily.

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Onions are best chopped by hand, food processors will change their taste and texture.

When preparing onions for boiling, remove only the dry outside shells, and, if the onions are large, cut them in halves or quarters. However, as the various onion layers are likely to fall apart when the onion is cut, it is advisable to select medium-sized or small onions for boiling, because these may be cooked whole.

Onions lose flavour very quickly, so chop them just before using.

If the smell of onions on your hands bothers you, try rubbing your hands with a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar or roll fresh lavender flowers between the fingers.

If you want to clear your breath after eating onions, eat some mint, celery leaves or a sprig of parsley.

The onion was introduced to North America by Christopher Columbus on his 1492 expedition to Hispaniola.

It is thought that bulbs from the onion family have been used as a food source for millennia. In Bronze Age settlements, traces of onion remains were found alongside fig and date stones dating back to 5000 BC.

The Ancient Egyptians worshipped onion, believing that its spherical shape and concentric rings symbolized eternal life. Onions were even used in Egyptian burials as evidenced by onion traces being found in the eye sockets of Ramesses IV.

In ancient Greece, athletes ate large quantities of onion because it was believed that it would lighten the balance of blood.

Roman gladiators were rubbed down with onion to firm up their muscles. Can you imagine hugging them after that special "treatment"?

In the Middle Ages onions were such an important food that people would pay their rent with onions and even give them as gifts.

Doctors were known to prescribe onions to facilitate bowel movements and erection, and also to relieve headaches, coughs, snakebite and hair loss.

Onions were also prescribed by doctors in the early 1500s to help with infertility in women, and even dogs and cattle and many other household pets. However, recent evidence has shown that dogs, cats, and other animals should not be given onions in any form, due to toxicity during digestion.

When buying or storing onions, choose onions that are firm, have a crisp, dry skin and no sprouts. Onions that feel light for their size may already have started to rot inside.

You should store onions in a cool, dry well ventilated and dark place.

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More About Onions

Onions are incredibly versatile and each cuisine has its own rules regarding the treatment of onions. Yellow onions are the most common cooking onions and have the strongest flavor. White onions have a sharp fresh taste and red onions are slightly milder and crisper.

Onions are the chief commercial vegetable of the bulb crops. They have been cultivated from the earliest times (for at least 7,000 years), their geographic origin is uncertain but it is believed they originate somewhere from Central Asia. Some ancient records of using onions span western and eastern Asia with likely domestication worldwide.

Closely allied to the onion are several other bulb vegetables, including garlic, shallots, leeks, and chives, all of which are used more extensively for flavoring dishes than for any other purpose.

More About Onions...

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