FOOD NEWS
What Type Of Onions Are Typically Used In French Onion Soup?
By Riya Anne Polcastro
When it comes to French onion soup, traditionalists reach for the yellow ones, and with good reason. For a straightforward, authentic flavor, yellow onions are the way to go.
French chef Jacques Pépin likes to use yellow onions in his French onion soup recipe that he whips up in a YouTube clip from PBS' "American Masters: At Home with Jacques Pépin."
Yellow onions maintain their shape through long periods of extensive heat exposure, and the subtle sweetness they have when raw intensifies when they're caramelized.
Caramelizing yellow onions is crucial for French onion soup to create a silky texture and beautiful, golden brown color from the onion's naturally occurring sugars.
In addition to yellow onions, sweet Vidalias (aka Maui onions) make a great alternative. Sweet Vidalias are also yellow, and they caramelize exceptionally well.
Sweet Vidalias don't give French onion soup quite the same balance as regular yellow onions, but you can use both if you don't have enough of one kind or want a sweeter flavor.