Our Favorite Sweet Onion Jam Recipe and How to Use It! - California Grown (2024)

FAQs

What does soaking onions in vinegar do? ›

You can get rid of the strong taste by soaking sliced onions in ice water for 20 to 30 minutes or by sprinkling them with an acid such as vinegar. Onions soaked in ice water will get very crisp while those sprinkled with vinegar will soften a bit, but they will lose the strong taste and become sweeter.

Larger and slightly flatter than yellow onions, with lighter colored, less opaque skin, sweet onions contain extra sugar, making them good for caramelizing. Their larger size and sweeter flavor make them ideal for making onion rings.

However, opened cans of onion jams should be refrigerated and would be good for three to six months, but not for a year since onion jams can spoil easily. Do check the onion jams for molds and yeasts.

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.

There are other ways to tame raw onion, of course. You could soak slices in lemon juice for 20 minutes, which lends a slightly pickled flavor, as in this Tomato and Herb Salad with Sumac.

Both a jam and a chutney will contain sugar, although a jam would be much sweeter, with the chutney having a more acidic, tangy flavour from the addition of vinegar. To preserve a chutney a combination of vinegar and sugar are used, whilst in a jam it is the sugar alone which acts as the preserving agent.

If the onion jam is too runny: This may be the case if you've reduced or substituted the sugar. You could add some cornstarch or pectin if preferred. Adjust the texture: Traditional onion jam has the texture of the diced onion.

You can use either oil or butter to caramelize onions — but ideally, you use a combination of both! I like to use olive oil, and this cooking fat tolerates heat particularly well. Meanwhile, butter adds a distinctly rich flavor to the caramelized onions.

Maui and Vidalia onions should be used when a recipe calls for a “sweet onion” specifically, but a white onion will make a decent sub in a pinch. Sweetness is the red onion's greatest strength.

Which onion is the healthiest? ›

Red onions

All types of onions are good for you, but this dark reddish-purple variety, sometimes called purple onion, has especially high levels of quercetin and other helpful plant compounds known as flavonoids.

Red onion. Yes, Red onion. Red onions have numerous benefits for your hair like growth, hair loss control and lots more. You are probably wondering how an onion – a common kitchen staple – can be used in hair and can in fact, be beneficial.

Both a jam and a chutney will contain sugar, although a jam would be much sweeter, with the chutney having a more acidic, tangy flavour from the addition of vinegar. To preserve a chutney a combination of vinegar and sugar are used, whilst in a jam it is the sugar alone which acts as the preserving agent.

Candied onions have many uses: as a garnish, as a stuffing for meat or fish, as an ingredient in stews, soups, creamed vegetable soups, broths, sauces and sautés. They are also used to prepare exquisite pasties or croquettes.

This caramelized onion dip is a total crowd pleaser! Serve with chips, pita or bagel crisps, or on sandwiches and burgers.

Use In Cooking:

Add these flavorful, tender, pearly white onions to bring more flavor to your recipes. You can bring variety to your antipasti platters, chop them up to add texture to your meatballs, add them to stews, or use them to complete your pot roast. They also complement grilled fish perfectly!