Caramelized Onion Dutch Baby With Melty Gruyère Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Can you caramelize onions in a Dutch oven? ›

Cooking instructions

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.

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.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Combine the oil and onions in a nonstick Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven with a lid. Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the onions are deep brown in color.

Our Test Kitchen likes to use butter when caramelizing onions, as it offers the richest flavor. If you avoid dairy or don't have butter, you can caramelize onions in other fat such as margarine or olive oil. Add the onion slices. It's okay if they overlap a bit here because they'll shrink as they cook down.

Yes, you should cover the onions when caramelizing them. Covering the onions helps to trap the steam and heat, which aids in the caramelization process by softening the onions and allowing them to release their natural sugars. This results in a sweet and flavorful caramelized onion.

Tip: use apple cider vinegar for white and yellow onions and balsamic vinegar for red onions. Tip: the vinegar serves to deglaze the pan, adds acidity, and brings this recipe together by boosting the tangy and savory flavors of the caramelized onions. If the onions stick to the pan, that's fine.

When you add baking soda during cooking it changes the pH which increases the Maillard reaction causing the onions to brown more quickly. The higher pH also causes the onions to soften more quickly, which we cover below when we discuss the texture.

Should you stir onions while caramelizing? ›

Stirring the onions and scraping down the sides of the pan often to ensure no strand darkens faster than another is key. A heatproof rubber spatula is the tool for this job; it's stiff enough to scrape the bottom of the pan and flexible enough to clean the sides.

Baking soda makes the onions more alkaline, which speeds up the browning reactions necessary for properly caramelized onions.

You definitely want the flavor of butter in your onions—but butter has the tendency to burn. For insurance, use a combination of butter and oil, which has a higher smoking point. But how much do you use? Depending on the consistency you want your onions, you can use more or less fat.

The best type of pan for caramelizing onions is a wide, thick-bottomed cast iron or stainless steel pan. Although onions can also be caramelized with alternative cooking methods and containers, like a crock pot or slow cooker, nothing beats a sturdy sauté pan.

Absolutely. An earlier version of this recipe suggested using sugar and baking soda for even faster results.

The trick is to use a heavier pot or pan—a tri-ply stainless steel saucepan or enameled cast iron Dutch oven is ideal—that can transfer heat slowly and evenly, preventing the hot and cool spots that are the bane of good caramelization.

The onions cook down quite a bit, so one onion doesn't make as much as you may think it might. Next, you melt the butter in a wide low pan - this Le Creuset is one of my favorites. I prefer an enamel coated pan so you get a nice fond - the brown bits - to form on the bottom of the pan.

I love non-stick pans for making pancakes and eggs, but they're not the best pick for caramelized onions. Instead, I recommend using a cast-iron skillet. As the onions cook, a delicious fond will develop on the bottom of the pan. If you scrape it up and stir it into the onions, it will make their flavor even richer.