This is my first time trying to caramelize onions. I started with 7 smallish-medium onions and a dash of oil and butter in this large nonstick pot. I mostly left it alone but added a couple sprinkles of sugar to help it along. Once they got brownish I started stirring them more often but I still feel like it should not have taken 7.5 hours for them to barely be caramelized. Is my heat too low (one setting above the lowest)? Do I need a trick like baking soda or vinegar to help it along? Did I overcrowd the pan?
Onion lovers, pls help troubleshoot!
by doughnutsgoat
35 Comments
Temps too low. That’s probably about it.
7.5 hours is a looooong time for caramelised onions, definitely temp too low
UPDATE: Thanks all, looks like the consensus so far is temperature is too low. I’ll turn it up for next time!
I appreciate the few people who were kind enough to give advice and I understand the people basically calling me an idiot even if it stings a little. I did use Google, in fact the method I used came from an old reddit comment (said to keep the flame at candle level) and I did question the time, but ultimately tried to trust the process. I was just doing this to use up some onions with no higher purpose so luckily it wasn’t a huge waste of time for me! They do taste great and I’m grateful that now I know what to do better going forward!
7.5 hours and they aren’t even really caramelized…
My method: Medium low heat (4 on my electric stove)
1. Lightly saute with a little butter or oil until translucent.
2. Stir and deglaze with water if necessary.
3. Cover and allow to cook for 15 minutes
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until onions are golden.
If your onions start to scorch at any point in this process, lower temp a little or add water if dry.
This takes 30-60 minutes, depending how golden you want your onions
You forgot to turn the stove on!
How do they taste?
Holy shit. Yeah you need to add some more heat. I cannot fathom spending 7 goddamned hours on some onions.
when I do it my stove is at 3/4 out of 10. I think more butter helps with even browning
Common sense will take you far
1.5hrs usually does it.
Caramelized onions should take no more than 45 minutes tops
Were you using an easy bake oven?
The only time I’ve had caramelized onions take this long was an overnight crockpot version. You can totally turn the heat up.
lol what. It takes one hour. Stove on 3/10, butter, salt, onions. Add splash of wine if they get too dry. Stir every 5 min
The longest it has ever taken me to make caramelized onions is 2 hours because I realized I was stirring it too much after about an hour.
It does require patience, and keeping your hands off for a bit, but not 7 hours worth of patience. Try cooking it closer to medium heat.
I feel like panic should have set in around hour 3, combined with furious googling of multiple sources and possibly calling anyone you know for advice, including the grocery store. Hell, by hour 6 I’d be calling shoe stores, just anywhere with a person who could ask me why I’m like this.
Hey, good job.
You made onion jerky.
but seriously for that amount of onion it should take like 45 min.
Umm7.5 hours.. c’mon never thought to turn up the heat 😭
That’s not a solar oven
I saw the 7.5 hours and thought you were making French onion soup.
You need more heat and you dont need to add surgar to help onions caramelize
Did you have the stove on at all during that time?
I think I heard on here somewhere that you can caramelize onions in a crock pot. I’m going to try that one day soon 🤔
Check this video out, has a section on caramelized onions https://youtu.be/rzL07v6w8AA
If real this is one of the absolute craziest posts I have ever seen on reddit 😳🤣
lol. At no point during those 7.5 hours did you think that maybe you should turn the heat up? You’re caramelizing onions not smoking a brisket
Next time when in doubt watch a YouTube video! 15 minutes can save you 7.5 hours on caramelized onions 😂
Man, that’s a dumbass mistake but I want you to know, I made the *same* dumbass mistake my first time
Short answer yes. Long answer yes
This is one of the greatest Reddit posts of all time. Bro you cooked onions for 7.5 hours lol excellent.
Turn that bitch up and throw some water on there to steam it more
this is bait, it has to be
what is this homeopathic cooking
the earth’s ecosphere is cooking faster than your onions OP
Shitpost. Even at the lowest heat they would have burned. Cooking with a candle might explain it