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WHAT'S NEW
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All about onions
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From white, yellow, red and green onions to leeks, shallots and scallions, find out how to make the most of these members of the allium family.
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By Tammy Sutherland
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Onions can sometimes seem like the unsung heroes of many delicious dishes. Occasionally they're the main focus, such as in French onion soup, but often they're used early in the cooking process and soon forgotten. Some may even use onions grudgingly, knowing that the prep work will produce uncontrollable tears.
But leave these bulbous vegetables out and you'll undoubtedly feel like something is missing. Here's a primer on common onions and how to use them.
White onions and yellow onions
If a recipe calls for chopped onions, reach for white and yellow onions. From a couple of inches in diameter to about triple that size, size doesn't affect the taste. For the best onions, choose ones with dry, papery skins that don't have any soft spots.
Flavour and use: An excellent choice for almost any dish, when you sauté these onions their pungent flavour turns sweet.
Storage: Store white and yellow onions in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place.
Red onions
Arguably the prettiest alliums in the bunch, red onions are covered in dark red, almost purple, papery skins. Choose dry, firm vegetables without soft spots or discolouring.
Flavour and use: The sweet flavour of raw red onions is ideal for salads or salsas. Or grill red onions in kebabs.
Storage: Red onions thrive in cool, dark places.
Leeks
If your rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song garners more jeers than cheers, perhaps you should add leeks to your shopping list. According to lore, the Roman Emperor Nero believed that eating this member of the allium family could improve his singing voice.
With long, flat green leaves that lead to a large, cylindrical white stalk and a somewhat bulbous root end, leeks are sometimes described as giant scallions. Choose leeks with unmarked white portions and bright, crisp leaves. If you're looking for a more tender leek, choose one on the smaller side.
Flavour and use: Known for a sweet, mild flavour, whole leeks can be cooked or chopped and used in soups, salads and other dishes. Clean your leeks carefully to remove soil. In her book Garlic, Onion, & Other Alliums (Stackpole Books, 2003), Ellen Spector Platt recommends cutting off the root end and the tough greens and then repeatedly washing to remove any leftover grit. She even suggests giving them one final washing after you've sliced them.
Storage: Wrap your leeks in a plastic bag and store them in the fridge for up to five days.
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