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Makes about 4 quarts
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil, such as peanut or canola
- 1/2 cup yellow popcorn kernels (3 ½ to 4 qt popped corn)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp ground cayenne pepper (or chipotle powder, if you want a smoky-spicy-salty-sweet flavor) *Psst: we used chipotle powder for the process shots and cayenne pepper for the hero image, hence the difference in color.
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/2 oz (3 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
- 1 cup (113g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tbsp water, more as needed
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- gel-based food coloring, optional
TIPS:
- Storage: Sprinkles will keep indefinitely in an airtight container in a cool dry spot.
Makes about 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
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2 ½ lb sweet onions such as Vidalia or Walla-Walla (about 4 medium)
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2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
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Kosher salt
TIPS:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Serves 3
Ingredients
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18 jumbo (21/25 count) shell-on shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tail on
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3 cloves garlic, crushed
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2 bay leaves
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2 Tbsp kosher salt
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½ cup ketchup
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1 ½ Tbsp white horseradish
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½ tsp fresh lemon juice
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½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
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pinch kosher salt
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¼ tsp sambal OR 1 to 3 dashes hot sauce (optional)
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parsley springs and lemon wedges for serving
TIPS:
- Cooking the shrimp off of the heat poaches them gently and keeps them from overcooking.
- Add the shrimp heads and shells to the poaching water to infuse your shrimp with even more briny, flavorful goodness.