On the surface, onion looks plain in its humble brown, white or red, paper-thin skin; but its intense flavour and distinctively pungent smell usually overpower other aromas in the kitchen.
Irrespective of the size, colour or taste of the onion, this spice will definitely bring tears to the eyes, pungency to the breath and also delight to the taste buds.
Although there are many types of onions, Funmi Sanyaolu, an agriculturist, disclosed that the common ones around are referred to as storage onions.
“After harvesting, these onions are dried out for some months; hence the dry, crisp skins many of them have. They have a more pungent flavour and are usually named by their colour of white, yellow or red,” she explained.
Onions are a major source of polyphenols and flavonoids. Red onions are higher in total flavonoids than white onions, with yellow onions falling somewhere in between.
Storage
When buying onions, it is advisable to choose the ones that are clean, with no opening at the neck, and has crisp, dry outer skins. Due to mode and time of transportation, some may be sprouting or have moisture at the neck; these types should be used up all at once after cleaning.
Onions should be stored in a well-ventilated space at room temperature, away from heat and bright light.
“What I do is to either put them in a wire hanging basket or a perforated bowl that will allow air to circulate well,” said Shola Olatunji, a caterer who also advised that white onion should not be stored for up to a month like the red ones.
If, after spending some time in the kitchen, the onion starts sprouting green shoots or spotting dusty black spots, don’t throw them out. Olatunji said those greens could be used or simply cut off.
“In the case of the dusty black spot, I just peel that skin off, rinse well and use my onion,” she revealed.
However, Sanyaolu sounded a note of warning about onion and potato. “Don’t ever store onion near potatoes. The onions will absorb the moisture and ethylene gas in potatoes which will make them spoil very fast,” he said.
Olatunji also said onions should never be refrigerated. But cut, leftover ones can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator far from any other foods you don’t want to pick up onion flavour. However, it should be used within one or two days.
Shredding without tears
As important as onion is, many people dread chopping it because it irritates the eyes. Olatunji suggests that to avoid this, one should keep the eyes far away when cutting, by using sharp knife while standing especially near a window.
“Some people have tried wearing glasses when cutting, while some other chill the onion for an hour before cutting. There are some others who cut under running water; but some of the nutrients can be washed off.
Onions can be eaten raw, caramelised for side dishes or blended with pepper for cooking. Of the different types of onion, red onion is very pungent and spicy when raw, but still strong and sweeter when cooked.
Very few people can differentiate between white and yellow onion. White onion is sweeter and milder in flavour; but can’t be stored as long as yellow onion.
Due to their crisp texture and flavour, white onions are mostly eaten raw in salads and sandwich. In contrast, yellow onions are sticky and delicious when caramelised and ideal for long cooking in soups and stews.
