Here's a little tip I've been using a lot lately in my casseroles and baked dishes: Grate your onions and shallots, instead of mincing or chopping them. Here are two reasons I do this.
- It spreads flavor throughout the a baked dish better - Grating the onions, garlic, or shallots means a better distribution of flavor throughout the casserole. Instead of big chunks the onion or shallot is finely distributed throughout the mix.
- You don't need to cook the shallots or onion before baking - This is the time-saving reason I do this! If an onion is finely grated instead of cut in big chunks, there is much less need to cook it before folding it into a casserole mix. In my lemony chickpea casserole, for instance, I don't cook the shallots before mixing them in. I just grate them finely and stir them in. Shallots are less assertive than onions, of course, so that helps, but it also helps that you aren't getting any big crunchy bits in your mouth while eating the casserole. Grating the shallots means they are well-distributed, and also well-cooked in the oven.
Do you ever grate your onions or garlic instead of mincing them? When do you find that this helps in a recipe?
Related: Best Way to Stop Onion Tears? Put Bread In Your Mouth
(Images: Faith Durand)
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I always grate my garlic now that I have a microplane. So much faster than mincing garlic (what a pain!) and it distributes so nicely. Hadn't thought to try it with onions - thanks for the tip!
I have grated my onions and shallots before (when recipes specify it, like for latkes and hashbrowns, marinades, or Indian recipes) but I hate doing it...my eyes are watering just looking at that photograph.
I don't weep nearly as much with chopping. Are the results worth the grating, you think?
Cook's Illustrated recommends grating onion when making a ragu. It mellows and melts into the sauce. I can vouch for it.
But... sometimes you really want to onion to stand out. I chop then.
this is a fabulous idea for very picky eaters I never can get the onions chopped small enough they don't complain.
I agree with Slow Lorus. The last time I grated an onion I was blinded from all the crying!
I grate... but with a standard box grater. Carrots and celery can be quickly prepped this way, too!
L
I tend to whizz them through the food processor...really I like to put a few onions through at the beginning of the week and use them up over the next couple days - saves 5 nights of knives and chopping boards, not to mention time. But we like onions every night so this is just more practical for us.
Why didn't I think of this? Brilliant!
I noticed the weeping when chopping an onion is less if the onion is cold. It also helps to do it under the vent hood.
My Mum, who is a great cook has this thing about onions - she just cannot stand them in any form if she can detect their texture, she literally has a gag reflex. However, no cook worth their salt could ever do without using onions so she has taken to either grating them finely and letting them melt into the dishes or pureeing them into a pulp and frying with some olive oil or butter to take the raw edge of.
I have a mini food processor attachment for my stick blender. I tend to use this if I'm chopping onions and garlic for dishes that make more than two serves.
Also use it to finely chop/grate mirepox veggies (and zucchini) for a bolognese sauce - the veggies all 'disappear' into the sauce and vegetable haters don't even know they're there.