21 Types of Onions and How to Use Them


21 TYPES OF ONIONS AND HOW TO USE THEM


PHOTO AURELIEN GUICHARD / FLICKR


How many types of onions can you name? Four? Six? What about 21? That's right, the infographic below lists 21 different kinds of onions, and you'll be surprised just how many you don't consider.

There's onions that are better for soups, some because they have a higher sugar content, some can be eaten raw and others are better for dishes like french onion soup - there's even an onion that doesnt make you cry.

You probably named red onions, yellow onions, Spanish onions, maybe even pearl onions in your list, but we're pretty sure there's some you missed. Part of the allium family, which also includes garlic and chives, onions are versatile and provide the backbone to thousands of different dishes, there are also many different kinds. Despite playing a significant role in many recipes across many different cuisines, they're still one of the most underrated ingredients on the shopping list, always there, often overlooked.




The infographic, produced by She Knows, covers a range of different onion types with some useful tips on how they taste, what they look like and what they should be used for when cooking in the kitchen. A great resource for anyone wanting to quickly learn more about different onions and how to use them when cooking.

If you want to cook well, knowing the difference for every kind of onion is just one of the skills you should have. We've all stood at the supermarket shelf and gone for a trusty white onion when we could be making much better choices, this is a great place to start learning more about what is a wonderful family of ingredients.

Below are just eight onion types that stand out for us, for their flavour, for a specific use, or just because we enjoy them, however, the infographic lists 21kinds of onion in total, a collection that will have you knowing the difference between your boiling onion and pickling onion in no time at all.

21 TYPES OF ONIONS


1. BERMUDA ONIONS:


These onions are great for stuffing and baking, they're also delicately sweet which means they won't overpower the ingredients you combine them with. There size makes them the go-to choice for stuffing.



2. CHIVES:

Everyone forgets chives but they are a perfect seasoning for numerous dishes. They provide a sharp kick to any recipe and they're particularly great for spicing up soups and salads. Stp underestimating the chive. 



3. RED WING ONIONS:

This is a mild onion type, great for eating raw which make them the perfect choice for sandwiches and salads. You can cook with them but we suggest consuming raw. 




4. LEEKS:

Another type of onion that people often overlook, leeks are one of the most versatile of the onions - they make great soups and if you cook them slowly with meats in a stew, you're in for the real treat. Leeks also pair perfectly with bacon, and what's not to love about that combination? For the ultimate leak kick add them to a creamy turkey and bacon sauce and use as a pie filling - you could also try them in this pea and leek soup recipe. 




5. VIDALIA ONIONS:


You want something super sweet? We're talking eat it raw and don't even blink. The Vidalia is the perfect choice in the family of sweet onions, you really don't need to cook them, for us they are the perfect onion to chop about an inch in diameter and serve raw on top of a juicy burger. If you prefer you burger onions cooked, we suggest opting for the red or white onion.




6. WELSH ONIONS:


Perfect for making stir fry, they closely resemble green onions, though they're usually bigger, and, despite the name, they're mainly used in Asian cooking and have nothing to do with Wales. They're actually native to China.




7. SPANISH ONIONS:

Often confused with yellow onions, the Spanish onion is sweet and has a lower water content than many onions, making them the perfect choice when wanting to cook onion rings - see, we told you a little onion knowledge goes a long way. You can stuff them with some great results but we'd always choose Bermuda onions for that job.


George Perry

8. PEARL ONIONS AKA BUTTON OR BABY ONIONS:

These are mild, small and sweet - good for pickling in a jar and also great to roast with the juices left in the pan after cooking meat, they'll really up your gravy game. Best thing? You don't even need to chop them, just peel and use whole.


These are just a few of our favorite onions, there's also the cipollini, green onions, red onions, white onions, shallots, walla walla onions and maui onions - the list is endless. There's egyptian onions, texas superweet onions and, of course, Spanish onions - it's a whole world of ingredients that, once understood, will offer up all manner of new characteristics to add to your cooking. Take a look at more onion types below:





As you can see from the info above, there's a lot more diversity to onions than you might first expect. To add to your onion knowledge we've also got a great selection of recipes from Michelin chefs cooking with onion in many different ways.

Like this video of the famous chef Michel Roux teaching you how to make a classic onion soup.



We've also added a bonus video teaching you how to chop all the new onion varieties you'll be buying in the store, courtesy of Gordon Ramsay. 

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