![\"http:\/\/www.hippiewithabenz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Caramelized-Onions.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/thisfoodthing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Caramelized-Onions.jpg\" "\\"Caramelized-Onions\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Layers of Deceit<\/h1>\nWhy do recipe writers lie and lie and lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions?<\/h2>\n
By\u00a0Tom Scocca<\/p>\n
Browning onions is a matter of patience. My own patience ran out earlier this year while leafing through the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0food section. There, in the newspaper of record, was\u00a0a recipe for savory scones<\/a>\u00a0with onions, currants, and caraway. Though I wasn’t particularly interested in making savory scones, one passage caught my eye:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Add the onions to the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until they begin to turn dark brown and somewhat soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oil and a pinch of the fine sea salt; continue cooking until the onions are soft and caramelized, about 5 minutes longer.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Soft, dark brown onions in five minutes. That is a lie. Fully caramelized onions in five minutes more. Also a lie.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There is no other word for it.\u00a0Onions do not caramelize in five or 10 minutes. They never have, they never will\u2014yet recipe writers have never stopped pretending that they will.\u00a0I went on Twitter and said so<\/a>, rudely,\u00a0using CAPS LOCK<\/a>. A chorus of frustrated cooks responded in kind (“That’s on some bullshit. You want caramelized onions? Stir for 45 minutes”).<\/p>\n Read the remainder of the article here at Slate<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A fantastic article on\u00a0caramelizing\u00a0onions and how long it REALLY takes. \u00a05 minutes (which all the recipes say) and the 40 minutes it ACTUALLY takes! Layers of Deceit Why do recipe writers lie and lie and lie about how long … Continue reading