Creamed Pearl Onions Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to cook pearl onions quickly? ›

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add onions and cook until outer layers are soft, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain onions and run under cool water until cold enough to handle. Peel onions with your fingers and discard peels.

Like other onions, pearl onions need to be peeled before use. Unlike their larger onion counterparts, pearl onions are trickier to peel thanks to their tiny size. The fastest way to peel pearl onions is to use a blanching method.

They're round like the classic white or yellow onion you typically see at the grocery store, but they're much smaller, ranging from about a quarter of an inch to about a half of an inch in diameter.

Caramelize the onions: Heat about 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the onions and stir to coat. Let cook, stirring every 5-10 minutes, until deeply caramelized, about 1 ½ - 2 hours.

Store pearl onions in a cool, dry, well ventilated location, not in a plastic bag and not in the refrigerator.

In the United States, Boiling onions are often used and sold interchangeably with the smaller pearl onion.

White-skinned pearl onions are most common, though gold- and red-skinned varieties are also available. Mild and sweet, pearl onions are delicious eaten whole. Try them roasted, pickled, or glazed, as well as in stews, braises, and gratins.

Pearl onions, when unopened and still in their container, can last for two to three months at room temperature, just ensure they are in a dry, cool, well-ventilated area free from high humidity. Do not store them in plastic bags as this can lead to mold development.

Pearl onions contain chemical compounds that have health benefits including helping cardiovascular health and stabilize blood sugar levels, and acting as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

Where do you store pearl onions? ›

Keep storage onions in a cool, dark, and dry place. Moisture and light lead to mold (ew) and sprouting (annoying, though not a deal-breaker), so stow your storage onions (red, yellow, and white as well as shallots and the diminutive pearl and cippoline) in a dry, well-ventilated basket, bin, or large bowl.

While cipollini onions resemble smaller versions of sweet onions, pearl onions closely resemble white ones. In fact, they are often referred to as white co*cktail onions—and make their way into martini glasses. Ways to Use Them: Use them a lot like you would cipolline onions— roasted, glazed, or even pickled.

Sweet Onions – Walla Walla and Vidalia are the most common kinds of sweet onions. These onions lack the sharp, astringent taste of other onions and really do taste sweet.

Microwave Cooking Instructions

COVER and MICROWAVE on HIGH for 7 1/2 MINUTES* (4 MINUTES* for HALF package); STIR HALFWAY through cooking. 4. DRAIN. (Cook time based on 1200 watt microwave: cook time may need to be adjusted for your microwave.)

Add chopped or sliced onions and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. That's the time it takes to sauté onions so the harsh onion flavor is removed, and they barely start to sweeten.

Baking soda makes the onions more alkaline, which speeds up the browning reactions necessary for properly caramelized onions. But it also weakens the pectin that holds the onion's cells together, turning what should be soft but distinct pieces of browned onion into a nauseating stew of pea-green mush.