Leave the onions to dry out for a day or two in the sun, and then move them to a dry space indoors for two to four weeks to continue drying. Onions come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and flavor intensities and can be prepared in an endless number of ways. Some types of dry onions, such as Vidalias and Walla Wallas, are harvested very early and have a thinner skin and a higher concentration of sugar than other dry onions. These onions have such a sweet, mild flavor that they are often eaten raw. Keep bulb onions in a cool, dry place with air circulation—in a loosely woven bag—not plastic. Marinate pearl or cippolini onions and thread them on kebabs for grilling. How To Cook spring onions Spring onions can be stir-fried. They also can be used fresh in salads or added to kabobs for barbecuing or cooked in stir-fries. If you cool the onion for 1 hour in the refrigerator or 20 minutes in the freezer before cutting, the effect of the enzyme will be lessened. 4 Cook slowly on low heat for 40 minutes. Cut the stalks off of the white part of the onion. Bulb vegetables which include onions, garlic, and ramps -- all related and members of the lily family -- are usually just culinary accents. Most of these onions are harvested beginning in mid-summer and can be stored in the winter. Turn the oven to 300 degrees to preheat. Place in a heavy based frying pan with olive oil. Many onion varieties are available to the home gardener and most are relatively easy to grow. Yellow onions are used in classic dishes such as onion quiche, pizza, onion soup, dishes à la soubise (a rich sauce made by combining béchamel with puréed cooked onions) and à la niçoise (hot and cold dishes that include tomatoes, black olives, onions, and sometimes anchovies). Once planted, they develop into a full-size bulb after about 3-½ months. Yellow onions, with the least water content, will keep for 2 to 3 months in a cool dry place. They can also be glazed or pickled and added to stews and simmered dishes. The poorest storage is at room temperature in the range of 60-70ºF (15-21°C). Garlic should be stored in the same way as other dry onions, but because it has lower moisture content, it stores well in the refrigerator. Green onions should have necks that are blanched 2 to 3 inches (5-7.5 cm) above the root. Ways to Cook Bulb Vegetables Most bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked. Avoid those with soft spots, sprouts, or mold. The most common types, from sweet to sharp, are red, yellow (also known as Spanish), and white. Onions can be baked au gratin, fried, stir-fried, or creamed. But what does this mean exactly, and what if you have to 'sweat' your onions instead, or cook them 'until translucent'? Spring onions have a sweet and sharp flavor. Onions are bulbs, closely related to garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions, and chives. Scallions and green onions are very young, immature onions that haven’t fully formed a bulb. These onions should be stored in a well-ventilated, cool, dark place away from potatoes, which give off moisture and cause the onions to sprout and rot. Daniella Malfitano is a chef, entrepreneur, author of six digital cookbooks (available on and Amazon and iTunes), TV host and creator of the PBS television series "Delicious Discoveries with Daniella Malfitano" and educator for her traveling cooking and wellness company Delicious Discoveries. If the sprouts have just started, cut them out and use the rest of the bulb for cooking. Top sandwiches, salads or burgers with slices of red, white, or yellow sweet onion. You can cook these vegetables in any way that you like including boiling, simmering, steaming, stir-frying, sautéing, roasting, grilling, broiling, stewing, braising and frying. Though bulb vegetables aren't rich in vitamins and minerals, they are rich in organosulfur compounds that give them their antioxidant properties. They don’t store well and are best used quickly. Simply boil whole onions in a pan of boiling water to tenderise them ready for adding to dishes like boeuf bourguignon. Add chopped, sautéed onions to a cream sauce for vegetables. Small onions can be parboiled with a cream sauce. Cut the green tops across (kitchen scissors are good for this) or lengthways with a knife, then lengthways again, according to what shape you’d like. Read on for our handy guide (with pictures!) Daniella's passion and enthusiasm for food is contagious and it is evident in everything that she does! Deep-fry onion rings in a wet batter until the crust is golden brown. Bunching onions varieties include: ‘Ishikura Long’, ‘Red Beard’, ‘Redmate’, ‘Southport White Bunching’, and ‘White Lisbon’. Varieties of pickling onions include ‘Brown Pickling’, ‘White Paris’, ‘White Pearl’ also called ‘Barletta’, ‘Borettana’ also called ‘Cipollini’ and ‘Italian Button’, and ‘Purplette’. Copyright © 2020 Chef2chef.com. Slice the bulb into rounds. Here are some tips on how to pick out onions at the grocery store: Dry onions can be red, white, or yellow in color and are harvested when the bulb has reached maturity, the shoots have died, and the onions are left with a papery covering. The tops of green onions should be green, fresh, and crisp looking. Pickling onions can be used as a condiment or garnish or they can be pickled by soaking in iced water and vinegar. Scallions are actually a separate and distinct variety. Use onions as a condiment raw or cooked, chopped, minced, or sliced. It is best not to store onions in the refrigerator because the moisture and lack of air circulation causes them to rot quickly. Most bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked. 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