What if you hate onions & recipes call for onions?
#1
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What if you hate onions & recipes call for onions?
Most who know me know I rarely cook. I know how to make 4 things (tex mex chicken tortilla soup; black bean chili; lemon chicken piccata; tortellini w/ pancetta & peas/broccoli). I'm really good at those 4 things, but that's about it.
So I decided to try & make other things. Starting with some soups, chili, stews. All of which call for 1/2 cup or full cup of chopped onions. I hate onions. Really don't like them. For whatever reason I don't mind green onions, so on the chicken tortilla soup & chili I just substitute those.
But on some soups (say chicken noodle) I don't think green onions will work. The taste is stronger, which in something like chili or a spicy soup doesn't really matter. but presumably would in other recipes.
Is it ok not to put in onions on the recipes that call for them (and not all alternate recipes will be soup or chili)? Or is there something else (powder, spice, another type of onion other than green onion) that might work?
Any input appreciated.
PS - please don't tell me if they're chopped up fine enough I won't notice. I do. I hate onions.
Cheers.
So I decided to try & make other things. Starting with some soups, chili, stews. All of which call for 1/2 cup or full cup of chopped onions. I hate onions. Really don't like them. For whatever reason I don't mind green onions, so on the chicken tortilla soup & chili I just substitute those.
But on some soups (say chicken noodle) I don't think green onions will work. The taste is stronger, which in something like chili or a spicy soup doesn't really matter. but presumably would in other recipes.
Is it ok not to put in onions on the recipes that call for them (and not all alternate recipes will be soup or chili)? Or is there something else (powder, spice, another type of onion other than green onion) that might work?
Any input appreciated.
PS - please don't tell me if they're chopped up fine enough I won't notice. I do. I hate onions.
Cheers.
#3
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I like onions. But I think you should try to experiment. What is it you don’t like; flavor, texture?? Onion powder will add flavor without onion texture. Onion-like things could be substituted; leeks, shallots, garlic. But would that still bother you? Only you can discover that. I would hesitate to leave out an ingredient from something that calls for 4 ingredients. But one out of ten won’t be missed.
#4
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I don’t mind onion flavor, I even like it, but hate the texture. Onion powder, leaving the onions out, or adding extra garlic are what I always do, depending on whether the food needs the onion flavor or if I can just omit it and not really notice.
#5
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I like onions. But I think you should try to experiment. What is it you don’t like; flavor, texture?? Onion powder will add flavor without onion texture. Onion-like things could be substituted; leeks, shallots, garlic. But would that still bother you? Only you can discover that. I would hesitate to leave out an ingredient from something that calls for 4 ingredients. But one out of ten won’t be missed.
You all will find this funny, but I actually like a good french onion soup. Having said that, I should say I like the cheese, bread & the broth. If i order french onion soup, when I'm done there's a boatload of onions left in the bowl. I never eat the onions. I eat the cheese, the bread, & suck down the broth.
Cheers.
#6
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I like onions. But I think you should try to experiment. What is it you don’t like; flavor, texture?? Onion powder will add flavor without onion texture. Onion-like things could be substituted; leeks, shallots, garlic. But would that still bother you? Only you can discover that. I would hesitate to leave out an ingredient from something that calls for 4 ingredients. But one out of ten won’t be missed.
#8
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If you are the one eating something feel free to add or subtract whatever you like. As I always say with cooking (not baking) rules are made to be broken. Make something however you want. It is not like it is the main star of the dish...I probably wouldn't suggest leaving them out of French Onion Soup, for example.
I think the onion powder ideas are good if it is just the texture that you object to but just keep in mind that the powder can be strong so start small. What about shallots--do you mind those?
I think the onion powder ideas are good if it is just the texture that you object to but just keep in mind that the powder can be strong so start small. What about shallots--do you mind those?
Last edited by corky; Mar 12, 2022 at 7:11 pm
#9
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I bought onion powder. Since corky said the powder could be strong I went w/ 1/2 of what was recommended. Learned a few things.
If one is sauteing (aka, carrots, celery, minced garlic, bell peppers), add the onion powder towards the end. I added everything together at the beginning & the powder started burning a bit/stuck to bottom of pot. I added a tad more olive oil. But then had to take the pot off the burner when i realized I forgot to buy rotisserie chicken when I was getting the onion powder. Luckily I had some frozen in the freezer that was already cut up for soup. Quick defrost & then cooked the chicken.
Then back to making the soup normally. Finish the saute, add the broth, chicken, egg noodles & bay leaf & finish cooking. It actually turned out pretty decent, although a slightly different flavor than I was expecting. I don't think that was due to the onion powder, but more due to the bay leaf (which was removed when the soup was finished). I'm wondering if the onion powder was even needed.
So, if using onion powder don't toss it in at the beginning if sauteing, the soup doesn't really need rotisserie chicken if one has chicken breasts cut/up ready, & maybe leave out the bay leaf. Also cut the recipe in half (for me). I followed the recipe ingredients pretty much according to the recipe & I have a LOT of soup left over. I think it would freeze though right, if I wanted to have some later? I don't think I could eat chicken noodle soup 5 days in a row.
Cheers.
If one is sauteing (aka, carrots, celery, minced garlic, bell peppers), add the onion powder towards the end. I added everything together at the beginning & the powder started burning a bit/stuck to bottom of pot. I added a tad more olive oil. But then had to take the pot off the burner when i realized I forgot to buy rotisserie chicken when I was getting the onion powder. Luckily I had some frozen in the freezer that was already cut up for soup. Quick defrost & then cooked the chicken.
Then back to making the soup normally. Finish the saute, add the broth, chicken, egg noodles & bay leaf & finish cooking. It actually turned out pretty decent, although a slightly different flavor than I was expecting. I don't think that was due to the onion powder, but more due to the bay leaf (which was removed when the soup was finished). I'm wondering if the onion powder was even needed.
So, if using onion powder don't toss it in at the beginning if sauteing, the soup doesn't really need rotisserie chicken if one has chicken breasts cut/up ready, & maybe leave out the bay leaf. Also cut the recipe in half (for me). I followed the recipe ingredients pretty much according to the recipe & I have a LOT of soup left over. I think it would freeze though right, if I wanted to have some later? I don't think I could eat chicken noodle soup 5 days in a row.
Cheers.
#10
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I bought onion powder. Since corky said the powder could be strong I went w/ 1/2 of what was recommended. Learned a few things.
If one is sauteing (aka, carrots, celery, minced garlic, bell peppers), add the onion powder towards the end. I added everything together at the beginning & the powder started burning a bit/stuck to bottom of pot. I added a tad more olive oil. But then had to take the pot off the burner when i realized I forgot to buy rotisserie chicken when I was getting the onion powder. Luckily I had some frozen in the freezer that was already cut up for soup. Quick defrost & then cooked the chicken.
Then back to making the soup normally. Finish the saute, add the broth, chicken, egg noodles & bay leaf & finish cooking. It actually turned out pretty decent, although a slightly different flavor than I was expecting. I don't think that was due to the onion powder, but more due to the bay leaf (which was removed when the soup was finished). I'm wondering if the onion powder was even needed.
So, if using onion powder don't toss it in at the beginning if sauteing, the soup doesn't really need rotisserie chicken if one has chicken breasts cut/up ready, & maybe leave out the bay leaf. Also cut the recipe in half (for me). I followed the recipe ingredients pretty much according to the recipe & I have a LOT of soup left over. I think it would freeze though right, if I wanted to have some later? I don't think I could eat chicken noodle soup 5 days in a row.
Cheers.
If one is sauteing (aka, carrots, celery, minced garlic, bell peppers), add the onion powder towards the end. I added everything together at the beginning & the powder started burning a bit/stuck to bottom of pot. I added a tad more olive oil. But then had to take the pot off the burner when i realized I forgot to buy rotisserie chicken when I was getting the onion powder. Luckily I had some frozen in the freezer that was already cut up for soup. Quick defrost & then cooked the chicken.
Then back to making the soup normally. Finish the saute, add the broth, chicken, egg noodles & bay leaf & finish cooking. It actually turned out pretty decent, although a slightly different flavor than I was expecting. I don't think that was due to the onion powder, but more due to the bay leaf (which was removed when the soup was finished). I'm wondering if the onion powder was even needed.
So, if using onion powder don't toss it in at the beginning if sauteing, the soup doesn't really need rotisserie chicken if one has chicken breasts cut/up ready, & maybe leave out the bay leaf. Also cut the recipe in half (for me). I followed the recipe ingredients pretty much according to the recipe & I have a LOT of soup left over. I think it would freeze though right, if I wanted to have some later? I don't think I could eat chicken noodle soup 5 days in a row.
Cheers.
#11
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Not bad, but as I cook for my parents and my Mom dislikes onions, for the recipes which SkiAdcock mentioned, I have found that using a box/cheese grater to grate the onion really works well as it cooks down and she doesn't have to try to pick chopped or diced onion bits out.
#12
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#13
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I bought onion powder. Since corky said the powder could be strong I went w/ 1/2 of what was recommended. Learned a few things.
If one is sauteing (aka, carrots, celery, minced garlic, bell peppers), add the onion powder towards the end. I added everything together at the beginning & the powder started burning a bit/stuck to bottom of pot. I added a tad more olive oil. But then had to take the pot off the burner when i realized I forgot to buy rotisserie chicken when I was getting the onion powder. Luckily I had some frozen in the freezer that was already cut up for soup. Quick defrost & then cooked the chicken.
Then back to making the soup normally. Finish the saute, add the broth, chicken, egg noodles & bay leaf & finish cooking. It actually turned out pretty decent, although a slightly different flavor than I was expecting. I don't think that was due to the onion powder, but more due to the bay leaf (which was removed when the soup was finished). I'm wondering if the onion powder was even needed.
So, if using onion powder don't toss it in at the beginning if sauteing, the soup doesn't really need rotisserie chicken if one has chicken breasts cut/up ready, & maybe leave out the bay leaf. Also cut the recipe in half (for me). I followed the recipe ingredients pretty much according to the recipe & I have a LOT of soup left over. I think it would freeze though right, if I wanted to have some later? I don't think I could eat chicken noodle soup 5 days in a row.
Cheers.
If one is sauteing (aka, carrots, celery, minced garlic, bell peppers), add the onion powder towards the end. I added everything together at the beginning & the powder started burning a bit/stuck to bottom of pot. I added a tad more olive oil. But then had to take the pot off the burner when i realized I forgot to buy rotisserie chicken when I was getting the onion powder. Luckily I had some frozen in the freezer that was already cut up for soup. Quick defrost & then cooked the chicken.
Then back to making the soup normally. Finish the saute, add the broth, chicken, egg noodles & bay leaf & finish cooking. It actually turned out pretty decent, although a slightly different flavor than I was expecting. I don't think that was due to the onion powder, but more due to the bay leaf (which was removed when the soup was finished). I'm wondering if the onion powder was even needed.
So, if using onion powder don't toss it in at the beginning if sauteing, the soup doesn't really need rotisserie chicken if one has chicken breasts cut/up ready, & maybe leave out the bay leaf. Also cut the recipe in half (for me). I followed the recipe ingredients pretty much according to the recipe & I have a LOT of soup left over. I think it would freeze though right, if I wanted to have some later? I don't think I could eat chicken noodle soup 5 days in a row.
Cheers.
I am wondering about this recipe...are you using chicken stock or water? If you are using already made stock, all of the seasonings and aromatics have gone into the making of the stock already so you just need to add your torn up chicken and noodles and maybe a few veggies if you want. If you are trying to make stock from scratch there should be chicken bones involved. It sounds like you are trying for something too complicated especially since you are a beginner. Why go to all this trouble? Either way...no matter what you cook, be sure to keep tasting as you go--do not wait until the end.
Freezing is fine although I think I wouldn't freeze the noodles...maybe make them fresh to add to the thawed soup when you want it again.
I am still not sure...do you hate the flavor or the texture of onions?
#14
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My brother has an issue with onion texture too, and not taste, so I've cooked around this on occasion. The onion powder is a good idea but it's going to take a lot of practice to figure out how to use it to resemble onions in most dishes. Works best as part of a meat rub in my opinion. Grated onion, as someone else said, is the way to go. In fact, a lot of the flavor is in the juice that's produced when you grate it. In a soup, grated onion would disintegrate completely. I've used this method several times and just tell my brother I left the onions out. He's never noticed.
I like green onions in chicken soup, but sprinkle them on when you serve it rather than cooking them.
I like green onions in chicken soup, but sprinkle them on when you serve it rather than cooking them.
#15
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I don't like the texture of onions. Don't think it's as much the taste (after all I drink the broth in french onion soup at restaurants & just leave the onions in the bottom of the bowl). Some recipes (such as the chicken tortilla soup & chili) green onions chopped up worked (don't ask me why I don't have a problem w/ that).
But on a future recipe I might try the grating (vs. chopping) of onion & see how that works in a recipe/if I can't tell like some have suggested. If so & it adds flavor, great. If not, moving forward I'll just leave the onions out on recipes.
Here's the recipe I used for the chicken noodle soup. It was on the side of the chicken broth container. This was the first time I bought chicken broth at Sam's (saw chicken broth "32 oz 6-pack" for $6 when I was cutting down an aisle), which might explain the larger quantity of broth & why I had so much leftover. Sam's probably figures one is cooking for a family.
Ingredients:
* 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 large onion, diced
* 2 large carrots, diced
* 2 large celery sticks, trimmed & diced
* 1 bell pepper, diced
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 dried bay leaf
* 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
* 2 (32 oz) cartons chicken broth
* 2-1/2 cups egg noodles
* Fresh parsley chopped for garnish
Directions:
1. In a medium size pot over medium high heat,, add olive oil & onions. Saute for 5 minutes, then add garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaf,, bell pepper, black pepper & cook for another 3 minutes until softened.
2. Add broth & shredded chicken & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium & add noodles. Cook for 6-7 minutes until noodles are tender. Remove bay leaf.
3. Ladle into bowls for serving & top with fresh parsley.
Really, other than the onion powder snafu & forgetting the rotisserie chicken at grocery store, having to pull out chopped up chicken breasts from freezer/cook them really fast & then continue w/ the soup process, making the soup wasn't that hard.
Having said that, I tried a recipe for a risotto that was more complicated/probably shouldn't have tried that being a beginner.
Cheers.
But on a future recipe I might try the grating (vs. chopping) of onion & see how that works in a recipe/if I can't tell like some have suggested. If so & it adds flavor, great. If not, moving forward I'll just leave the onions out on recipes.
Here's the recipe I used for the chicken noodle soup. It was on the side of the chicken broth container. This was the first time I bought chicken broth at Sam's (saw chicken broth "32 oz 6-pack" for $6 when I was cutting down an aisle), which might explain the larger quantity of broth & why I had so much leftover. Sam's probably figures one is cooking for a family.
Ingredients:
* 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 large onion, diced
* 2 large carrots, diced
* 2 large celery sticks, trimmed & diced
* 1 bell pepper, diced
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 dried bay leaf
* 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
* 2 (32 oz) cartons chicken broth
* 2-1/2 cups egg noodles
* Fresh parsley chopped for garnish
Directions:
1. In a medium size pot over medium high heat,, add olive oil & onions. Saute for 5 minutes, then add garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaf,, bell pepper, black pepper & cook for another 3 minutes until softened.
2. Add broth & shredded chicken & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium & add noodles. Cook for 6-7 minutes until noodles are tender. Remove bay leaf.
3. Ladle into bowls for serving & top with fresh parsley.
Really, other than the onion powder snafu & forgetting the rotisserie chicken at grocery store, having to pull out chopped up chicken breasts from freezer/cook them really fast & then continue w/ the soup process, making the soup wasn't that hard.
Having said that, I tried a recipe for a risotto that was more complicated/probably shouldn't have tried that being a beginner.
Cheers.
Last edited by SkiAdcock; Mar 15, 2022 at 6:58 pm