This is a traditional way of softening onions so they are soft and translucent, but not coloured.
Sweated onions are the base for many traditional soups, sauces and stuffings.
1. Heat a little olive or other oil in a frying pan, then add chopped onions.
2. Cook onions over low to medium heat until soft and translucent. Stir occasionally and cover with a lid (or a plate) to help the onion cook without colour.
This technique takes patience - it is not quick stir-frying, Chef Pfyl says.
It takes away the raw taste of onions and makes them sweeter and allows other flavours such as herbs or spices cooked with them to be absorbed.
If you want your onions to be caramelised for something like a quiche, cook for longer until they have some colour.
If you would like to request a particular technique, please let us know.
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More information on cooking from Otago Polytechnic can be found on www.otagocookeryl4.blogspot.com Daniel Pfyl, hospitality management lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, shares some professional techniques to make your cooking easier.
