Onions are like salt, they make everything taste better, but again did you know there are many kinds and that you should pick based on the flavor you want?
Scallions - I love scallions and add them to everything from Guacamole to Orange Chicken. They are light in flavor and can be added as garnish without overpowering the other flavors. You can use all of the leaf portion and most of the stem except for the root.
Yellow - These are the most common and used in all kinds of cooking where you want the onion present but not too strong. They can get sweet if fried as they caramelize.
White - The sweetest so add them to non-spicy dishes
Red - Quite spicy and often make you cry but add a nice punch to dishes, salads and especially good for Indian and Italian cooking where you want a bit of a bite
Shallots - Shallots have a lot of flavors and are somewhere between and onion and garlic in taste, great for delicately flavored european dishes
Leeks - Need to be cooked fully but impart a heavenly flavor and color especially to potatoes and root vegetables
Garlic - while technically not an onion, it is often used with an onion and makes almost everything taste better. I even add it to steaks and of course garlic bread
Chives - While often confused with green onions they are mostly used as a garnish for example with baked potatoes or other potato salads to give them some flavor. Unlike green onions where the bulb is prominent and used, chives don't have much of a bulb and is usually discarded.
Try out different combinations of onions to see the nuanced flavors.
Check out my Roasted Root Vegetables recipe as it uses a few of the onion family members to create its amazing flavors. Red onions are also the base of my favorite Indian Chicken Curry.
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