In her bi-weekly column, Kitchen Basics, Susan Pachikara of Cardamom Kitchen demystifies essential cooking skills with step-by-step instructions and her own handsome photos. Whether she's showing us how much brown sugar we're meant to "pack" (or is it cram?) into measuring cups or how to detect when our onions are properly caramelized, Susan is the nonna we never had -- until now. Now, go on and get cozy under her wing.

This week, Susan demonstrates how to caramelize onions.

- Susan

In an earlier post, I demonstrated how to slice, chop, and dice onions. In this post, I will show you how to transform the flavor of an onion from light and punchy to rich and delicately sweet. Caramelizing onions, or cooking them until their sugars brown, brings out their warmth and depth. In the winter, when your stomach demands layers of flavor, add a pat of the sweet-savory combination to sandwiches, or mix it into soup. Also try nestling a spoonful in your breakfast omelet. 

Caramelizing onions is surprisingly simple. It involves cooking away the moisture hidden in each layer of an onion and browning the sugar that is left behind. The process requires patience more than anything else. Resist the temptation to speed things up by cooking the onions over high heat or adding sugar. (Chances are you’ll end up burning them.) Also, reach for white, yellow, or red onions when caramelizing onions. Avoid sweet onions, which can taste overly sweet when their flavors are concentrated. 

How to Caramelize Onions

To make about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of caramelized onions, thinly slice 2 large onions.

In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  

Add the onions and stir to coat them with oil. Season the onions with salt and pepper. Stir the onions every 2 to 3 minutes until they begin to look glassy. 

Lower the heat to medium low and increase the frequency of stirring from every few minutes to every minute as they become stickier, turn light brown, and begin to lose their shape. This will take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your stovetop. 

If the onions stick to the bottom of the pan, add a splash of water and scrap them off. This technique is known as "deglazing." Only do this if the onions are sticking so much that you can't loosen them without water -- some sticking is good as it's the contact with the pan that helps to create the color. You can always add more water if necessary, but adding too much will delay the process as the onions will begin to steam.

Continue to cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they become golden brown.

Caramelized onions are the holy grail of sandwich toppings. How do you enjoy them?

I’d love to see your tips for preparing caramelized onions! Share them with your fellow cooks in the comments section below.

Are you new to cooking? Tell me what skills you'd like to learn and your idea could be featured in an upcoming post!

Want more basic tips from Susan? Check out her previous post: Kitchen Basics: Ginger.

All photos by Susan Pachikara.

Susan writes the blog Cardamom Kitchen to share her culinary experiences as an Indian-American rooted in the Midwest.