Tennessee Onions Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What type of onion is a Vidalia? ›

The Vidalia is a type of sweet yellow onion. They're different from other types of yellow onions because of their high sugar content and low sulfur content. Most onions contain about 5 percent sugar, while Vidalias contain a whopping 12 percent.

Not only are onions the perfect foundation for just about any savory recipe, they also shine in starring roles. Fry them up into glorious, golden onion rings, roast and puree them to make a killer salad dressing, or caramelize them and load them into cheese sandwiches or onto pizza.

The mild flavor of sweet onions makes them perfect for using raw in salads and relishes or chopped as a garnish. Want to cook them? Sweet onions are lovely when turned into onion rings or when simply roasted.

The best Vidalia onions substitutes are yellow onions, shallots, potato onions, and red onions. You can also use garlic, chives, and scallion. We have this guide for you if you want to learn about each and how to use them in your recipes. So, keep reading and find a match.

According to Rodrigo Velásquez, produce category manager at Imperfect Foods, "all Vidalias are sweet onions, but not all sweet onions are Vidalias." He says the key difference is in the flavor: "What sets them apart is their sweetness and sulfur levels—[Vidalias] have the highest sugars and lowest sulfur levels of all ...

Onions are lauded as aphrodisiacs — foods that stimulate sexual desire — and have been shown to enhance testosterone production in males ( 7 ). Older studies also show that fresh onion juice increases testosterone and ejacul*tion in male rats ( 8 ).

How you prepare onions will affect the flavor. Since slicing and dicing releases the odor and flavor, the more finely you chop an onion, the more flavorful it will be. On the other hand, a process like boiling an onion will break down the enzymes that spur the chemical reactions creating a less pungent flavor.

Vidalia, Walla Walla, Cipollini varieties are inherently sweet onions. These varieties have become extremely popular and for good reason. They are good cooked but they are very mild and are excellent eaten raw. These varieties of onion have a thinner husk and therefore don't store as well as wintering onions.

Pizza places often use red onions instead of brown onions for several reasons: Flavor: Red onions have a milder and sweeter flavor compared to brown onions. Their sweetness can complement the savory and sometimes tangy flavors of pizza toppings, like tomato sauce, cheese, and various meats.

Walla Walla onions, botanically classified as Allium cepa, are one of the only non-hybrid, sweet onions that are members of the Amaryllidaceae family. Known as a long-day variety, Walla Walla onions are named for their specific growing region in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington in the pacific northwest.

How does Gordon Ramsay cook onions? ›

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.

Onions - soaking in cold water to soften the flavor

When preparing raw onions, soak in cold water before hand to remove some of the pungency and soften the flavor. However since soaking too long will dilute the flavor, soaking in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes is recommended. Squeeze out excess water before using.

Yellow Onions: The general cooking onion. Usually relatively cheap and plentiful, they're the go-to onion when cooks get cooking. The flavour is strong but mild, with an onion flavour that isn't overpowering. They often have a bit of sweetness to them, they caramelize nicely and they hold up well when cooked.

A Vidalia onion is a hybrid Granex yellow onion lauded for its sweet, mild flavor. Page adds, "Vidalia onions can only be grown in the state of Georgia outlined in a 20-county area." She also notes that Vidalia onions are the official state vegetable of Georgia.

The sweet onions remained a mostly local secret until the 1940s. In that decade, according to the University of Georgia, Earle Jordan planted the yellow granex onion, a hybrid of the Bermuda and Grano onions developed by Henry Jones of Texas A&M. It was this onion that eventually became the famous Vidalia onion.

Sweet onions, like Maui and Vidalia, are technically white onions - but they have a much higher sugar content, and a lower sulphur content, so they don't have that sharp bite to them.

Shallots are a member of the allium family (Allium cepa var., if you took Latin in high school). Its relatives include yellow onions, red onions, white onions, spring onions, Vidalia onions, garlic, leeks, chives, and scallions (a.k.a. green onions).