School me about onions

[Maylar]

My local grocers have lots of fresh onions. Sweet, white, yellow, red, green and Spanish. I bought some recently intended for burgers, sandwiches and salads. Made a salad with one and it's mega overpowering. Makes my eyes water too. Not sure which variety I picked, either yellow or white.

So what are the differences between them, and what are the best uses for each?

 

[SmittyJonz]

All I know is the purplish pickled onions at Panther City BBQ are Delicious………..

 

[K80Shooter]

Down here in the South we like Vidalia onions.

Not overpowering and great on everything or by themselves on the grill with a dab of butter in the center.

 

[Smoke Dawg]

Vidalia and Walla Walla Sweets are very similar. Yellow seem to be more "powerful" than white

 

[Maylar]

It's likely that I bought yellow then. They're very pungent.

 

[jrTheSmoker]

I like a lot of purple onion flavor, and normally eat it raw chopped up small in a salad is really good. I also use them on flatbread I put my smoked or grilled meat on with onions, black olives, cheese, and spicy chipotle aioli sauce on.

My buddy's mom in middle GA takes Vidalia's and cores the center 95% out and puts butter and a beef bouillon in it and wraps in tin foil and bakes and is really good, doesn't taste like an onion but nearly a steak.

Most other onions I just carnalize and eat with something. We buy the pepperidge farms I think it is sausage and cut into medallions/coins and stir-fry on stovetop for sausage and onions. Great alone by itself, maybe some brown gravy on top, or take and put on a hotdog bun or hoagie or other sub roll with some Yum-Yum sauce for a really good dog/sandwich.

All onions are good chopped up in veg-beef soup, sliced on top of burgers, etc., you may have just have to cut then wash in cold water for a few minutes to wash out some of the sulfur and "bite" if they are too strong for you.

 

[PitRow]

 

[Maylar]

Thanks Mike. That's what I was looking for.

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

Vidalia Onion Pie Recipe

Yo Maylar, Here is a vidalia onion pie recipe that is my family and friends enjoy. I make this several times during the vidalia onion season.

[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ingredients:[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif] 2- Pounds of thinly sliced Vidalia Onions
1- Cup Sour Cream
3- Eggs - Beaten
1- Cup Pepper Jack Cheese
1- Cup sharp Cheddar Cheese
6- Teaspoons of butter
4- pieces of chopped cherry smoked bacon
2- Splashes of hot sauce
1/2 Teaspoon of salt
1- Teaspoon white pepper

Cooking Instructions: Sauté the Onions in the butter until clear. Let stand and cool some. Grate the cheese. Beat the eggs add the pepper jack; salt, pepper, sour cream and bacon to the eggs and mix well. Pour into a 9-inch frozen pie shell, add the cheddar cheese on top and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes and let cool and serve. [/FONT][FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]Notes: I got this recipe off the BBQ Forum over twenty years ago. I don't have any more info as to a source. I always make two pies as those frozen pie shells come in pairs, I buy the deep shelled version as their volume content is right at a quart and I like to have two cups of cooked onions for each pie. The deep dish allows plenty of room for more items that what the recipe calls for. After mixing the listed ingredients in a bowl, I use a wide-mouthed quart measuring cup to determine how much more I can add to make four cups. I usually just add more cheese. Grilling [FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]the onions over the coals enhances the flavor of the onion pie, but you can saute them as per the recipe.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif] Rotate the pies after 20 minutes of cooking. I like to top the pie with more cheese at this time. Cook for another 20 minutes or until done. You can use bacon bits from four fried bacon strips. Do not use the pseudo store bought bacon bits that come in a jar. I also substitute a BBQ rub for the salt and pepper that the recipe calls for.
[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]A variation of this recipe that I came up with substitutes peppers for onions and taco meat for bacon. Use a cup of taco meat in each pie. I like to roast a variety of colors of bell peppers on the kettle. I roast all sorts of hot peppers too. The choice of peppers is up to you. I cook a lot of these pies in the summer, especially in August when my buddy does his annual Hatch chili pepper roast.[/FONT]

 

[LYU370]

My buddy's mom in middle GA takes Vidalia's and cores the center 95% out and puts butter and a beef bouillon in it and wraps in tin foil and bakes and is really good, doesn't taste like an onion but nearly a steak.

French onion soup without the bowl. Good stuff, I make it as well.

I usually get and use sweet onions for almost everything.

 

[food4thot]

Prefer white for most raw and grilled applications Red are okay raw in salads but can sometimes be overpowering. Raw vidalia's are awesome on fresh-out-of-the-oven bread, lightly buttered. Will buy yellow/Spanish onions in a pinch. Find shallots underwhelming and not useful.

Green onions are multi-functional :mrgreen:

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I like the Vidalia Onions

 

[cholloway]

Vidalia onions are seasonal... available during
summer months only.

 

[PitRow]

Yo Maylar, Here is a vidalia onion pie recipe that is my family and friends enjoy. I make this several times during the vidalia onion season.

[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]
6- Teaspoons of butter
[/FONT]

That sounds like an interesting recipe. I'm going to try it at some point. Question on the butter though... is that actually teaspoons, or should it be tablespoons?

 

[JAKs Q & brew]

"Sweet onions" do not have any more sugar than brown, white or yellow onions. They have less of the "sour" and "bitter" compounds making them taste "sweeter".

For me, that is fine for raw or fast cooked onions, but for something like caramelized onions, sweet onions end up being less flavorfull then regular onions.

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

That sounds like an interesting recipe. I'm going to try it at some point. Question on the butter though... is that actually teaspoons, or should it be tablespoons?

Hey Mike, The Vidalia onion pie recipe is good and if you cannot find any Vidalias, the Walla Walla onions work in a pinch. I checked my binder full of recipes I printed off the internet and what I posted is correct. The butter amount listed as six teaspoons is what Captain Sauce posted on June 14, 2004. I don't know why he did not list that as two tablespoons. All the butter is used for is for sauteeing the onions so the amount is not critical. As I said earlier, cooking the onion slices over a charcoal fire enhances the flavor of the pie but pan frying them until clear works too. If you do try this, be sure and report back with your results.

Lager,

Juggy

 

[BackYardRob]

Yo Maylar, Here is a vidalia onion pie recipe that is my family and friends enjoy. I make this several times during the vidalia onion season.

[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ingredients:[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif] 2- Pounds of thinly sliced Vidalia Onions
1- Cup Sour Cream
3- Eggs - Beaten
1- Cup Pepper Jack Cheese
1- Cup sharp Cheddar Cheese
6- Teaspoons of butter
4- pieces of chopped cherry smoked bacon
2- Splashes of hot sauce
1/2 Teaspoon of salt
1- Teaspoon white pepper

Cooking Instructions: Sauté the Onions in the butter until clear. Let stand and cool some. Grate the cheese. Beat the eggs add the pepper jack; salt, pepper, sour cream and bacon to the eggs and mix well. Pour into a 9-inch frozen pie shell, add the cheddar cheese on top and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes and let cool and serve. [/FONT][FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]Notes: I got this recipe off the BBQ Forum over twenty years ago. I don't have any more info as to a source. I always make two pies as those frozen pie shells come in pairs, I buy the deep shelled version as their volume content is right at a quart and I like to have two cups of cooked onions for each pie. The deep dish allows plenty of room for more items that what the recipe calls for. After mixing the listed ingredients in a bowl, I use a wide-mouthed quart measuring cup to determine how much more I can add to make four cups. I usually just add more cheese. Grilling [FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]the onions over the coals enhances the flavor of the onion pie, but you can saute them as per the recipe.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif] Rotate the pies after 20 minutes of cooking. I like to top the pie with more cheese at this time. Cook for another 20 minutes or until done. You can use bacon bits from four fried bacon strips. Do not use the pseudo store bought bacon bits that come in a jar. I also substitute a BBQ rub for the salt and pepper that the recipe calls for.
[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif]A variation of this recipe that I came up with substitutes peppers for onions and taco meat for bacon. Use a cup of taco meat in each pie. I like to roast a variety of colors of bell peppers on the kettle. I roast all sorts of hot peppers too. The choice of peppers is up to you. I cook a lot of these pies in the summer, especially in August when my buddy does his annual Hatch chili pepper roast.[/FONT]

Can't wait to try this. Forgive me, but question: Where do the cooked onions go? In egg mix, separate layer? That part is unclear. Thanks.

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

Mike, I apologize for being vague in those cooking notes. The recipe ingredients as listed will be for one 9" deep dish pie. I use two cups of cooked onions per pie. In a large bowl mix the cooked onion slices and the bacon. I use a large mouth 1 quart measuring cup to beat the eggs, mix in the sour cream, the hot sauce and spices. Once those are mixed I add the cheese and stir the cheeses in. Once combined, pour the mixture over the onions and combine. Once all the ingredients have been combined, transfer them into the pie crust. I know on paper that these ingredient amounts on paper add up to more than four cups, but they will compact when everything is mixed together. If it comes up short, add more cheese. You can never have enough cheese.......