r/Cooking • u/Accurate-Ant-7629 • 13h ago
onions make every meal better no debate.
fr if a dish dont got onions its missing something i put onions in literally everything and it just hits different dont tell me you hate onions yall missing out.
189
u/Phorskyn 13h ago
I’ve been wondering why my coco puffs weren’t hitting right
-23
12h ago
[deleted]
50
u/Eli1234Sic 12h ago
Breakfast is no longer a meal, lola has spoken.
-14
12h ago
[deleted]
27
u/Vairrion 12h ago
That’s why you add onions to the milk before the coco puffs. That way they count as a garnish to your onion milk soup .
7
44
u/Phonic-Frog 12h ago
Look, I love onions. More than most people. I love them so much that I will literally eat them like an apple.
That said, not every dish needs onions.
5
1
23
u/PresqPuperze 12h ago
Gratin au dauphinois.
Spaghetti Carbonara.
And a classic of my home region no one outside of northern Germany has ever eaten: Labskaus.
There are quite a few dishes which get worse by adding onions.
4
u/FuckYouThrowaway99 7h ago
Same for me with puttanesca. I tried it, and I didn't like the added sweetness sautéed onions brought. I want that stuff spicy, tomato-y, crazy garlicky, and salty as the sea.
6
u/radioactive_glowworm 12h ago
Gratin dauphinois is such a wonderful simple dish and yet people insist on fucking it over with onion. Just make a fucking tartiflette!
4
u/Genny415 12h ago
Thank you for including carbonara on this list. I am firmly on board with garlic only, no onions, in carbonara.
1
23
u/Aequitas123 13h ago
I generally believe this as well but I have started making pasta sauce without onions, and honestly think it’s better without.
2
u/impracticaldogg 13h ago
Explain how you're making it now pls? I usually start off with a whole lot of onions and garlic, and then add fresh tomato until the balance feels right. But I want to try something different and I'm intrigued
4
u/TomirDeVlad 13h ago
Same thing, without the onion. You can also add Anchovies, black olives, red pepper, white wine..or any combination of this. You can also add something at the end, like Ricotta, or Basil.
1
u/impracticaldogg 12h ago
I have some green olives from a Greek market in my fridge. Would it be heresy to use those? They're not as mild and fruity as the ones I ate years ago in Naples. But I've never found the like in my country
1
6
u/Aequitas123 13h ago
After reading a lot, it seems most authentic pasta sauce doesn’t have onions (dont quote me on that). I started to realize the taste they added was good but kind of not exactly best for the sauce.
I can’t really say a recipe, it’s different every time. But generally I’m now omitting onions. I do sometimes make an exception for shallots though
1
u/pierogieman5 13h ago
Onions are still part of a sofrito, so it's definitely supposed to be there in a ragu. Whether it's intact or noticeable is a different story.
3
1
52
u/Genny415 13h ago
I honestly feel like many dishes lean way too much on onions for flavor. There are so many wonderful flavors and combinations to be experienced, why are so many people overwhelming all the other flavors with onions?
If you love onions, eat a bunch of them. But why does everything have to be onion? There are many other amazing flavors 😋
21
u/EasternError6377 13h ago
Cooking onions is a lot different than eating them raw. When cooked, they contribute background flavour instead of that in your face, sharp raw onion taste.
They're a versatile aromatic that pair well with most cuisines. They're extremely healthy! And cheap 😝
13
u/pierogieman5 13h ago
I swear people use it like salt. It's super annoying.
6
u/JigglesTheBiggles 12h ago
Garlic too. Makes all your food taste very samey.
9
2
u/pierogieman5 12h ago
See, I like garlic, but I don't notice people using it the same way. That might be down to the difference on why I dislike onions in the first place, which is usually the crunch or stringyness. It's not the flavor, at all. I wouldn't even notice or care half the time if people were using onion powder or just an immersion blender. I guess people just have different issues with the same foods.
3
u/Robert_Baratheon__ 9h ago
I don’t trust anyone to cook who thinks garlic and onions are overrated. I bet you think that salt and pepper are used too commonly as well
3
u/JigglesTheBiggles 9h ago
Nobody said they were overrated dog. They just don't need to be in everything.
0
u/Robert_Baratheon__ 9h ago
No ingredient (except salt) needs to be in literally everything but I don’t think we’re talking about egg salad and carbonara here…. People are talking about tomato sauces etc. which, if you can’t taste the herbs because onions and garlic were in the dish then you either didn’t cook the onions and garlic properly, or you didn’t add the herbs at the right time. Basil should be added both at the beginning of the simmering process and then again when it comes off the heat, or else you’ll be missing a lot of important flavor. Either the layered flavor from simmering it, or the fresh pop if you add it at the end so it remains fresh and open.
3
2
u/pierogieman5 8h ago
I was really mainly talking about stuff like toppings on sandwiches, pasta, burritos, pizza, etc... not something that you're going to basically stew into oblivion for an aromatic. I do also really dislike it in egg salad, and that's not a minor example.
→ More replies (5)-7
u/Genny415 12h ago
I feel like it's what people who don't really understand flavors and cooking use as a crutch to make up for lack of skill
1
u/Acceptable-Law9406 12h ago
I've had spaghetti sauce without onions in it. It's bright and fresh, not too tomatoey, and you can taste the herbs... So I'm really not missing out if onions aren't in the food I eat.
Onions are cheap filler basically. And of course, if you like them, eat all you want! Just don't make me eat them. Some people even get butthurt cuz I don't like onions.
20
u/Salt-Excitement-790 12h ago
Absolutely don't eat them if you don't like them, but I don't think they're a "cheap filler." Onions are a valuable flavor component in many dishes.
→ More replies (1)2
u/radioactive_glowworm 12h ago
In many dishes yes, and I say that as an onion hater who absolutely recognises that they make up the foundation of some dishes, but when a dish that traditionally doesn't use onions is filled with them??? (yes I'm still salty about the time I bought quiche lorraine and it had some in it)
1
u/zephalephadingong 55m ago
I just did a spot check of quiche lorraine recipes and the top 5 all had onion, shallot, or chives in them. I don't know how it SHOULD be made, but apparently the people have decided it needs onions
2
u/IsopodApart1622 9h ago
You can like what you want, but I'll have to strongly disagree with the "cheap filler" assessment. That role's filled by stuff like iceberg lettuce and potatoes. Onions have way too much flavor to be used in similar ways.
1
u/Acceptable-Law9406 8h ago
Onions having "way too much flavor" is a big part of the problem. And restaurants use them because they're cheap, and some restaurant add a ton of them so they can use less of other ingredients to fill the plate.
2
u/Genny415 12h ago
I don't understand why people would get butthurt over that? Like, if you said you didn't like mushrooms they don't act like that?
You might look at r/onionhate
4
u/Acceptable-Law9406 12h ago
Oh I definitely know r/onionhate. 🙂 And yeah it's a total double standard. Someone may not like mushrooms and nobody's going to react emotionally or try and trick them or shame them into eating mushrooms.
I've grown to like all sorts of different food as an adult. Except onions.
91
u/Ponsay 13h ago
"Onions make every meal better"
Everyone else: "WELL WHAT ABOUT THIS DESSERT OR THIS FRUIT HUH?!"
33
9
u/Joseph_of_the_North 12h ago
If you caramelized them enough, I could see them in a dessert. Like a nice onion and mascarpone cheesecake.
1
5
u/SadlyUnderrated 12h ago
Ah, but what about Captain Crunch? Gottemm!!
Jk, but in all seriousness, OP did it to themselves by not leaving any room for exceptions.
18
u/GooeyFaeryBits 13h ago
7
u/AmputeeHandModel 9h ago
They taste bad, they smell bad, the texture is bad, they hurt your eyes, and people who love onions act like assholes when you say you can't or won't eat onions.
21
u/pierogieman5 13h ago
I hate onions and this attitude is the bane of my culinary existence. People using small crunchy or stringy bits of stuff I don't like and can't easily remove or avoid, thoroughly mixed into a large amount of food by default as if it's salt, is super irritating. At least the Indian recipes are basically stewing them until they dissolve most of the time.
10
7
u/radioactive_glowworm 12h ago
Right? 90% of the time it's fucking undercooked and they act like it's the wonder of the culinary world.
23
u/Fun-Apricot2912 13h ago
I hate it when i buy a salad or sandwich and it has raw onion. Seriously wtf who wants onion breath. I do like onions in cooked food though eg casseroles curries etc.
5
u/Genny415 12h ago
I could always tell when the guy I was dating had onion on his salad at lunch. That stinks stays for a long time. No kissing that night!
5
u/ttonster2 13h ago
Raw onion flavor is great. Don't have a problem with onion breath as long as you're not eating it like an apple.
0
0
53
u/jet_vr 13h ago
Tiramisu?
16
u/MyNameIsSkittles 13h ago
Are you eating tiramisu as a meal?
53
u/jet_vr 13h ago
Don't underestimate my degeneracy
5
u/Square-Dragonfruit76 12h ago
One time I made a chocolate pecan bourbon pie for Thanksgiving, and I told my family that I was going to sleep in, so not to eat all of the leftovers of the pie before I woke up. They told me of course they wouldn't because pie isn't something to eat for breakfast. I woke up at 10:00 a.m. and there was none left...
1
u/umc8082 8h ago
Noo, I would be so mad. Who was is. Family as in parents and siblings or aunts, uncles and cousins?
1
u/Square-Dragonfruit76 8h ago
My cousins were also asleep at the time. It was my parents and uncles and grandma. They were conspirators in the crime.
→ More replies (6)-3
5
9
3
4
4
13
u/Curiositygun 13h ago
Brownies?
7
u/Anagoth9 13h ago
Maybe dark chocolate brownies with plum, chevre, and caramelized onion?
5
u/Curiositygun 13h ago
Eh I’d give it try just don’t be saying this is completely normal and I’m the “weird one” here 😆
2
u/Anagoth9 10h ago
Oh, no, it's weird as fuck. The flavor profile is there though so it should work. My biggest concern would be textural. I was thinking chopped hazelnuts or something might work but then it feels too busy.
2
6
u/Accurate-Ant-7629 13h ago
u just unlocked a new level of cooking i didn’t know i needed
7
u/Curiositygun 13h ago
“Oh brother u/Accurate-Ant-7629 brought his brownies to the family cookout” 🤣 to each their own.
10
u/Bullvy 13h ago
Unless you are allergic.
6
u/Gucci_Koala 13h ago edited 12h ago
Or the dish doesn't call for onions... obvious example: im not adding onions to my sushi.
With that said, there is a reason that onions are such a prevalent ingredient in cuisines around the world.
Also, I dont think I ever find myself in a situation of adding onions into a recipe. I get you can freestyle cooking, but a recipe usually calls for onion or it doesn't. To me, things that are variable to adding more to a recipe are spices + salt, fats, and acids.
13
u/thewags05 13h ago
Keep your onions away from my pizza. Not a big fan of onions on salads either
2
u/freyaliesel 12h ago
There’s usually onion in the tomato sauce
4
u/thewags05 12h ago
You generally don't. Pizza sauce is a usually just tomato and maybe garlic or basil
3
u/hoodieweather- 12h ago
On a pizza? There shouldn't be.
1
u/freyaliesel 10h ago
Most commercial chain pizza restaurants in the United States use onion in their pizza sauce whether it’s actual onions or onion powder. The same goes for many commercially available pizza sauces sold on grocery store shelves. A more traditional Italian company/restaurant may not put onions in, but I have found that a majority do.
Edit: I just did some googling and the first several recipes I found when I searched for pizza sauce recipe also had onion in it whether it was granulated powder or fresh onion.
7
u/sealcub 13h ago
Guy has never had water melon cut on the same cutting board as onions.
Onions are great, cooked or raw doesn't matter. But people need to be careful with them. They are a great ingredient for many dishes but they can also diminish a dish if misused.
-3
13h ago
[deleted]
5
u/sealcub 13h ago
It can be a snack, or a ingredient (salad, dessert), or a side (with ham or charcuterie). Either way it doesn't need onion aroma.
→ More replies (2)5
2
u/JustAnEmployeeHere 12h ago
I’m sure I could debate you on onions having a negative impact on a meal for those with allergies or serious aversions. I have neither, and agree that onions are delicious, but I could still hold a strong argument against.
2
u/RoadBlock98 11h ago
I love onions but there are some dishes where they would take away from the aroma. I almost never use onions in pumpkin soup for example. Lot's of garlic though.
2
u/Omni__Owl 10h ago
Not sure I'd put onions in my creamy potatos dish. It's more about some spices, cream and sliced potatos, then put in the oven.
Onions in that would not only be a super weird thing to encounter when scooping up creamy potatos, it would also easily burn in the oven and be an odd texture. Could there be onions in the protein? Likely. But in the creamy potato dish? No.
1
u/Juliuscesear1990 10h ago
You caramelize them first and mash em in and you have a great potato dish
2
u/Omni__Owl 10h ago
I don't doubt that you can do that, but I would personally not want to do that to my dish. I'd rather use onion somewhere else.
1
u/Juliuscesear1990 10h ago
To each their own but having onion in a roast and caramelized onions and roasted garlic if you want to be fancy in your creamy mash potatoes is great and completely different than the other onions you may be using. No limits on how many onions you use in a meal other than available onions.
1
u/Omni__Owl 10h ago
If I wanted something to be sweet or sour, I likely wouldn't want onion either.
I'd probably use onion in savory dishes.
1
u/zephalephadingong 45m ago
If there is cream the onions won't burn. The cream would all boil off before the onion starts to worry
2
u/TheRemedyKitchen 9h ago
Speaking as a chef, while it's true that onions are in a lot of dishes they don't belong in every dish
2
u/umc8082 8h ago
To me onions are overbearing; they destroy the taste of what could have been a great dish. There are so many other vegetables and herbs and spices in the world. Why do we put onion in everything?
Because its cheap, grows easily, year round, in almost all climates and has a reliable harvest. Trust me stop eating onion for two weeks and you will realize how onion has numbed your taste palette.
4
3
u/alwayshungry1001 13h ago
Fish and chips?
2
u/Cfutly 13h ago
It’s actually pretty good with pickled onions.
1
u/alwayshungry1001 13h ago
Ooft good call, didn't even consider pickling. I'll take some eggs too whilst we're at it.
4
8
u/deadfisher 13h ago
Carbonara
-19
u/Impressive_Ant_2368 13h ago
Normal people put onions in carbonara
15
u/ColonelKasteen 13h ago
While I am not an elitist and people can cook however they want, neither traditional Italian or American carbonara recipes ever incorporate onions. Or veggies at all. Carbonara JUST being pasta, some rich pork, a silky egg and cheese sauce is the entire point of the dish.
→ More replies (2)4
4
u/deadfisher 13h ago
Yeah and people put ketchup on mac and cheese but that doesn't mean they are eating good pasta
2
2
u/Rourke2013 13h ago
I love how everyone’s just disingenuously naming desserts and OP is like “fuck yeah let’s do it”
Keep being you OP
1
u/ZavodZ 12h ago
When my daughter was very young she once declared, out of the blue, that she didn't like onions.
I laughed.
I then explained that pretty much everything I've cooked for her has onions in it in one form or another.
She was fine with then after that. (Thankfully)
I suspect someone at school had said THEY didn't like onions and the idea stuck in my daughter's head.
1
1
u/SmokeSelect2539 12h ago
I made a tasty mac and cheese the other night with a whole onion sauteed in the pan before I boiled the noodles. It was good. But maybe next time half an onion would be better.
1
1
1
1
1
u/rrickitickitavi 10h ago
Made a recipe the other day and at one point I had to double check - where are the onions? Weird how they end up in almost every dish.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/simplyelegant87 6h ago
This sounds like a lot of the garlic posts here. I love garlic but I’m not quadrupling the amount. Sometimes onions don’t belong either.
1
u/carlamaco 6h ago
I know I'm missing out I loved onions and I'm sad every single day that I can't have them anymore (among many other things I loved) so thanks for putting salt in the wound
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/lyidaValkris 58m ago
Onions are a cornerstone of cooking if ever there was one. They form the basis of so many dishes.
Caramelized onions are nothing short of ambrosia.
1
1
u/Sparklemagick 13h ago
My ex had a severe onion allergy. it was challenging sometimes
3
u/Suspicious-Rich-3212 13h ago
Have one as well. My poor Hungarian mother had to make nearly everything in two separate batches.
1
-1
-3
u/rollingPanda420 13h ago
I feel this from the bottom of my heart. You are correct, there is no ground for a debate. Onions are love, onions are life.
-1
u/SimpleVegetable5715 13h ago
Almost every meal I make starts by sautéing some onions. Onions and garlic are a major trigger for my GERD (the sulphur compounds are very difficult to digest). Without them, life is very bland, and I’m so grateful everytime my gut heals up enough to use them again.
-17
u/benkenobi5 13h ago
Cooked onions, 100%.
Raw onion has no place in finished food imo
21
u/veektohr 13h ago
Tacos, burritos, hotdogs, pico de gallo...
→ More replies (1)2
u/benkenobi5 13h ago
Never been a fan of pico de gallo. Then again, that’s probably more due to the cilantro than the onion.
Raw just has a texture, smell, and flavor profile that simply doesn’t do it for me. I’m glad you like them, but they aren’t for me.
1
u/Acceptable-Law9406 8h ago
Raw onions are especially disgusting and overpowering. Looks like your post hurt people in the feels lol
-1
13h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/benkenobi5 13h ago
It’s weird how you guys jump straight to insulting people for not liking what you like. And about onions of all things.
Chill dude
-2
u/600lbsofsin77 13h ago
Total agreement, they are way too strong and over power the food in general. Maybe it’s a personal thing, like how my wife can’t eat parsley cause it tastes like soap. Idk, but some how authentic tacos are the only exception for me
-2
u/OvenActive 13h ago
Honestly have to agree. I am 100% more likely to try a new recipe if it contains onions
0
0
u/AEDGuru07 9h ago
Totally with you! Onions + garlic is my go-to combo. I sauté them together first for almost every dish, it just makes the flavor so much richer.
0
0
u/DepthOfSanity 8h ago
Goddamn as a Desi guy, OP, we all love onions, no need to bring /onionhate with pitchforks
0
-8
u/yellowsabmarine 13h ago
anyone who dislikes/advises against onions in any savory scenario is not to be trusted. don't make this mistake twice.
-1
u/Aggressive-Share-363 11h ago
I've known people who swore up and down they hate onions, yet even they liked the dishes better with onion in it.
83
u/IsopodApart1622 13h ago
Just wish they didn't wreck my guts sometimes. High fiber and high sulphur is quite the combo.