Q: I love caramelized onions, but too frequently I go from deliciousness to burnt onions. I don't know if it's the heat level, time on the stove, sugar, olive oil vs. butter. What are your suggestions to make amazing caramelized onions without turning them into little burnt crisps?

Sent by Lindsay

"Begin by cooking the onions ..." is perhaps the most common phrases in savory recipes the world over. But what does this mean exactly, and what if you have to 'sweat' your onions instead, or cook them 'until translucent'? Read on for our handy guide (with pictures!) on how to cook an onion. More

I recently began testing a quiche recipe for an upcoming whole grains breakfast class I'm teaching here in Seattle. I'd made the recipe once before many months ago, but I wanted to test it again to refresh my memory before getting in front of a room of students. Back then, I'd written the recipe to call for shallots, but when I went to pick up the ingredients last week, two grocery stores in a row were out, so I buckled and bought a white onion instead. Was the result the same? More

Q: I recently made a broccoli pesto using raw garlic. I only used one medium clove, but the garlic was very pungent (especially when we ate leftovers a couple days later). Is there a way to tone down the garlic in a recipe after you've already made it?

Sent by Melissa More