Makes about 1 ½ cups

Ingredients  

• 2 ½ lb sweet onions such as Vidalia or Walla-Walla (about 4 medium)  

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

• Kosher salt
  
  

TIPS:

• Tip 1: Start with sweet onions. Although all varieties of onions work, starting with sweet onions eliminates the need to add sugar, as some other recipes suggest. Remember that onions are naturally sweet. When cooked for long periods with controlled heat, the sugars break down and transform into smaller sugar molecules, resulting in deep browning and concentrated sweetness.

• Tip 2: Slice the onions lengthwise. This helps them hold their shape without falling apart during the long caramelization process. Radial cuts are best because they deliver more uniform slices. Simply cut following the natural curve of the onion and its lengthwise ridges that run from top to root.

• Tip 3: Salt the onions at the start of cooking. This will draw out their moisture immediately. Consequently, they might take a little longer to start caramelizing, but the result is more even browning and a rounded flavor. 

• Tip 4: Get a big pan. It’s absolutely essential to use a large skillet for this, a 12-inch cast iron pan is ideal. The pan might seem overcrowded when you’ve added all the onions, but they’ll slowly begin to shrink down as their moisture cooks off. Adding water in small amounts when the onions start to stick to the pan will loosen the fond (the flavor-packed browned bits that stick to the bottom of the pan) and prevent burning.

• Tip 5: Most importantly, be patient and don’t raise the heat. Some recipes advise that a pinch of baking soda will speed up the browning process; this is true, but don’t do it! The baking soda will turn your beautiful onion slices to mush. Caramelizing onions takes time, but it’s so worth it! As a reward for your patience, you get 1 ½ cups of silky sweet, caramelized bliss.