A recipe calls for me to sweat finely chopped onions. What do I do, and why?
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related: cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/2391/… as ocaasi said in their answer, this is just at the end of the same spectrum– Sam HolderJul 28, 2010 at 20:01
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3 Answers
First, finely chop the onions. This makes them smaller, faster-cooking, and less of a textural presence in the dish. Do it by cutting straight through the poles of the onion, resulting in two halves. Then chop off the knobs and peel off the outer layer. Run the knife 8 or 9 times along the vertical (from pole to pole), but don't sever one end completely. Cut finely across these verticals to make a fine dice. Run the knife over the pile a few times if your cut isn't small enough.
Second, cook the onions. The purpose of sweating is to draw moisture out, concentrating the flavor and enhancing conversion from starch to sugar. Heating the onions releases their aroma and reduces the chemical bitterness they exhibit when raw. Heat up some oil in a pan to medium-low heat. Add the onions. Add salt. I wouldn't cover the pan, since the lid will prevent steam from escaping. Stir/shake to prevent sticking or burning. The onions will get soft and then translucent. (Eventually, if you kept going they would get limp and browned; this is referred to as caramelized and considered a different thing than sweated, so although it's just further along the same spectrum, you shouldn't go that far for this recipe).
That's how I'd do it and why. I don't know if it's a textbook answer.
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to be on the safe side, and to prevent catching, I'd err on the low side with the heat and stir/shake the pan often Jul 28, 2010 at 20:16
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I generally assume cooks will overfuss with cooking ingredients, but the alternative (stick/burn) is definitely just as bad. Also, I get away with slightly higher heat since my cookware (teflon over electric) isn't that professional, so it would depend; stainless steel could easily burn on medium. I incorporated your tips into the answer.– OcaasiJul 28, 2010 at 20:44
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4Generally when a recipe calls for sweating onions, they intend the onions to not be caramelized... or brown. You should stop once they get to translucent.– NickJul 28, 2010 at 21:15
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I'll edit to clarify. I though the parentheses made it clear but I can see how it'd be ambiguous).– OcaasiJul 28, 2010 at 21:31
You need a pan with a tight lid, put it on the hob on a low heat with a small amount of oil. Add the onions to the oil, stir them round so that the onions are coated with oil, put the lid on and leave them for 5 minutes. Take the lid off, stir and put the lid back for another 5 minutes. Repeat this until the onions are soft and translucent but not browning.
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What is a hob? I've seen you use this term before, but can't seem to get a relevant Google hit.– hobodaveJul 28, 2010 at 19:13
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@hobodave, sorry, a hob is a stove top/gas burner (As per images.google.co.uk/images?q=hob) =)– RobJul 28, 2010 at 19:49
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Sweating onions doesn't mean to put on a lid. It just means to cook them until they are translucent and giving up liquid, over a low enough heat that they don't caramelize. Jul 28, 2010 at 19:50
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4@Michael, I never said it did, but the way I was taught to sweat onions involves putting the lid on, so that's the one I've documented :)– RobJul 28, 2010 at 19:51
Sweating is done with lid on pan. Not using a lid would be like using the sauna with the door open.
Sweating is the process of releasing flavors with moisture and low temperatures. Fat, in this case, is used just to hold the non-volatile flavors as they're released from the onion. No browning takes place. The pan is covered so the lid traps steam, which condenses and drips back on to the onions. Some cooks cover the onions directly with a piece of foil or parchment, than add a lid as well. The cooked onions have a more mellow favor with this technique as the more you cook an onion, the sweeter it gets. Sweating onions is especially desirable when making white sauces that contain onions, as no color is added to the sauce. Also used in make risottos.
