I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I sautéed my first onion just tonight. While that might seem like an euphemism for something else, it’s literally what I did.
I had made a stew over the weekend and I had purchased a rather large onion for it. When I chopped it up, I realized I could only use half the onion. Rather than throw the rest away, I put in a bowl and refrigerated it. I couldn’t think of what to use half an onion for until I remembered I’d never sautéed an onion before. As many of you know, I’m using my time off to expand and experiment with my culinary skills.
A quick check on the Internet revealed I already had all the necessary ingredients, outside of the onion itself: a pan, olive oil, salt, and sugar. In a pan, I heated up some olive oil on medium heat. Once hot, I tossed in the chopped onion. I then added a pinch of salt. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, I made sure none of the onion stuck to the pan. You can stop cooking the onion at the various stages, like when it becomes transparent, but I kept at it until it started to turn brown. It’s at that stage when the sugars in the onion start to caramelize. I cheated slightly by adding just a tiny bit of sugar to enhance things.
Pretty soon, I had a nice batch of sautéed onions. I only wish I had a hot dog to put them on. Tomorrow, I learn to peel an orange.