When grandmothers from the countryside fry onions, they also sneak a special ingredient into the pan, which results in a cavalcade of flavors and aromas that cannot be compared to anything else.
The basis for preparing most dishes is none other than frying onions. Many cooks swear by the essential aroma of onions, either slightly fried, caramelized, or used as an ingredient in stir-fries. However, we can enhance the gastronomic pleasures even more with a certain ingredient.
Onions are the most common ingredient in the kitchen
The common onion serves as the secret weapon of every cook when preparing dishes, as it forms the basis of countless dishes as one of the main ingredients of many national cuisines.
Nothing beats the sweet aroma of caramelized onions, but deliciousness doesn’t come easily… True caramelized onions, which are dark brown and soft, smell as sweet as bonbons, take about 45 minutes to cook, sometimes longer. In addition, the cooking process has to be closely monitored to avoid burning the onions, so it is a rather cumbersome process.
What ingredient do grandmothers add to the pan when they fry onions?
However, since we don’t always have enough time to properly fry onions, crafty cooking enthusiasts speed up the process by using a secret ingredient. Moreover, this ingredient not only speeds up the process, but also increases the intensity of the onion’s aroma and taste.
And this secret ingredient is none other than baking soda.
During the heat treatment process, onions release moisture and the tight plant tissues begin to break down, i.e. the onions soften. As a result of the heat processing, the sugars from the walls of the cells are also dissolved, and the caramelization process begins, which is actually nothing more than the reaction of sugar molecules and proteins with each other During this process, called the Maillard reaction, own dyes and aromas are produced.
Baking soda added during the process changes the pH of the onions, which speeds up the process, so the onions brown faster and also soften faster.
However, it is important to point out that it is not worth using too much baking soda, because if overdone, it can change the aroma of the onions, even to the point where it becomes bitter and inedible. The recommended amount is just one knife tip.
Therefore, if you want to speed up this basic process with an old and well-proven practice, we strongly recommend the use of baking soda, since in addition to saving time, it can also lend a great aroma to the dishes being prepared.