Unlock the secret: How onions can transform your dish's flavour
Aren’t onions just the greatest? They are healthy and tasty and do so much for the layers of flavour in so many of the dishes you have on a daily basis.
We like them raw, chopped up or sliced in rings, added to salads, deep fried as onion rings, but also caramelised, of course.
Onion flavour depends largely on how you chop it. You will be surprised to know that onion chopped into pieces will taste very different from that cut into strips when used in recipes.
When you cut an onion, it releases flavour compounds that affect its taste, making it stronger or milder.
Taking to Instagram, renowned chef Pankaj Bhadouria shared a dose of cooking science on onions.
In a post showing different kinds of chopped onions - big chunks, rings, slices, minced - the chef shared that the way you manipulate your onions can change the flavours of your dish.
“As Chefs we learnt that the way you manipulate your onions can change the flavours of your dish. At the root of onion flavour are enzymes called onion alliinase and LF synthase, which are released the moment the vegetable’s cells are damaged and jump-start a pivotal chemical reaction.
“The enzymes act on a sulfur-containing molecule called isoalliin,
“The more you break down onion cells by chopping, the more isoalliin is produced. Minced onion tastes stronger than chopped onion, which tastes stronger than sliced.
“Even the way in which you cut the onion affects its pungency. Slicing pole to pole (with the grain) ruptures fewer cells than slicing parallel to the equator (against the grain), and thus produces fewer thiosulfinates,” she wrote.
Followers of the chef agreed with many others thanking her for the knowledge she had shared.
One user wrote: “I totally agree! Even the cooking method (boiling, frying, sautéing, and mincing) affects the taste further.”
A second user wrote: “I appreciate you sharing this Mam. Cooking is a science I always believed in.”
A third commented: I agree. When I tell my help that I want onions to be cut in a certain way she will always argue on what difference it makes.”
Now that you know how you cut an onion can make or break your recipe, below are five different ways to cut onions along with the recipe ideas they can be used in.
Minced
Onions are usually minced using a food processor but can also be done using a sharp knife. In this type, onion is cut into the tiniest of bits. Minced onions can be used in soups, marinades, and even some curries.
Chopped
Chopped onions are slightly larger, and rougher cubes. A larger quick rough chop is great for roasting, sauces, or soups that will cook awhile or get puréed later where you need the flavour of onion but size really doesn’t matter.
They are also great for pot roast.
Diced
Diced and chopped are very similar in appearance. The only difference is that diced is a bit smaller as compared to chopped. If you don’t like prominent bits of chopped onion in your dish, then you can opt for diced onion.
Diced onions can be used in omelettes or salsa or a base of a great sauce.
Half-moon
In this type, peel an onion, cut a layer of thin to medium thickness horizontally and then cut it in half. Half-moon onions are mostly used in burgers and sandwiches, which require a prominent onion flavour.
Rings
These need a slightly different method than the cuts above. You’ll trim the non-root end, remove skins (you may need to make a very shallow cut in the side to help get them removed), carefully place the full onion on your board and start slicing parallel to the ends forming full rings.
If using a knife, you can also slice a tiny bit off of one side of the onion to give yourself a steadier surface when cutting the whole onion. This is great for onion rings, burgers and salads.