Onions

Information brought to you by
the National Onion Association

Healthy Onion Recipes Onions provide layers of flavor, color and texture to many dishes. They also provide health-promoting phytochemicals and antioxidants. One medium onion is just 45 calories, is free of sodium, fat, and cholesterol and provides dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and other key nutrients.

Types

Onions grown in the United States are available year round in three colors: yellow, red and white. Domestic onions can be divided in two categories: mild and cooking.

Available throughout the spring and summer, mild onions have a subtle to sweet flavor and contain more water than a cooking onion. In the kitchen, mild onions can be used in any recipe, but are ideal to use raw or in lightly cooked or grilled dishes. Most of the specialty sweet onions are part of this category and sold under a number of different trade names. Mild onions, especially the yellow varieties, are easy to recognize with their tissue-thin, light-colored layers of skin.

Cooking onions are harvested in the fall and available through April. Known for their more robust, intense flavor, cooking onions are higher in solids and lower in water content which enable them to keep for longer periods of time than the mild varieties. Although cooking onions can be used in any recipe, they are best for soups, roasts, caramelizing or in any dish requiring a longer cooking time. For raw applications, soak onions in cold water overnight to lessen their pungency. Multiple layers of thick, dark-colored papery skin are characteristic of cooking onions.

Onions in the Kitchen

Cooking Tips

High heat makes onions bitter. When sautéing onions, always use low or medium heat.
Prepare onions as close to cooking or serving time as possible. The flavor deteriorates and aroma intensifies over time.
Yellow onions make up 88% of the market, are full-flavored and a reliable standby for cooking almost anything. Yellow onions turn a rich, dark brown when cooked and give French Onion Soup its tangy sweet flavor.
Red onions, with their wonderful color, are a good choice for fresh uses or in grilling and charbroiling. They account for about 7% of the market.
Five percent of the market is dedicated to white onions, which are traditionally used in classic Mexican cuisine. They have a golden color and sweet flavor when sautéed.