Onion is an incredibly useful vegetable crop, because it contains a lot of vitamins. But due to the fact that it has a specific taste, not everyone loves to eat it, besides not every dish accepts bitterness of onions. So what to do in this case? It turns out that there is a solution! There are several ways to help remove bitterness from onions, while maintaining its beneficial properties.
Why onions are bitter
This may seem surprising, but the onions contain about the same amount of sugar as a percentage, as in the watermelon. But why, despite this, does it still have a bitter taste? In fact, everything is very simple. The reason for this lies in the composition of the vegetable. Sugars contained in onions are interrupted by other substances - glycosides and essential oils. It is precisely due to these components that onion acquires such a pungent taste and a harsh smell. How bitter the onion harvest will be depends on several factors.
- First, the sort of crop planted affects. In sweet varieties (Globo, Campillo, Black Prince, Exibishen, Yukont, etc.) there is practically no sharpness and bitterness.
- Fertilizers play an equally important role in this issue. In order to reduce the sharpness of onions, it is recommended to use phosphate fertilizers. Just increase the dose of superphosphate, which is recommended, 1, 5 times, and the onion harvest will not be so bitter.
- Wrong watering is another reason for the bitterness of the onion. It is important for onions that there is enough moisture in the soil, otherwise it begins to accumulate more dry matter, which is why it becomes bitter. Therefore, if there is a drought, it is advisable to water the vegetable at least once a week.
- The time of gathering onions can also cause it to be too bitter. In the autumn in a bow a maximum of essential oils, therefore harvest a crop in the summer if you want, that the vegetable was sweeter.
If you need onions with a less harsh taste, when choosing, pay attention to its shape. In oblong bulbs of a large size less bitterness than in flat ones.
Ways to remove bitterness from the bow
- Peeling an onion, chop it finely or cut it into half rings. Then put the vegetable in a bowl and pour boiling water on it. After 2-3 minutes, the onions should be placed in a sieve and rinsed with cold running water.
- Chop the onion and place it in a container with saline. Saline solution is prepared in the following proportions: 1 tablespoon of salt should be in 1 liter of water. If there are many onions, you can add a tablespoon of salt with a slide. In the resulting solution, hold the onion for 15 minutes, and then rinse with cold water using a colander.
- Put the onion into slices in the microwave. In order for onions to lose bitterness, it is enough to warm it in a microwave on average power for 10 seconds.
- Marinating also perfectly removes bitterness from the onions. For this you will need to add a pinch of sugar and salt to the dish with chopped vegetables, citric acid at the tip of a knife or a tablespoon of lemon juice, a glass of boiled water at room temperature. In the resulting mixture onions should be a quarter of an hour. Remove from the marinade, rinse the onions with cool, boiled water. Instead of the marinade, you can use vinegar. Mix sliced onions with a little water and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. After 10-15 minutes, the onions should be washed. This method is good because, in addition to eliminating bitterness, gives the onion an additional taste and makes it crispy.
- Seasoning is also a reliable method to rid the bow of specific bitterness. Cut the onion into the necessary pieces and fry it in vegetable oil until it becomes transparent. Saute onions should be on medium heat.
Sweet onion varieties, before exposing one of these methods, you must first try. They taste much less than other varieties, so, perhaps, they will suit you with their taste.
With the help of the presented tips, it will not be difficult to remove unpleasant bitterness from the onions, which can spoil the taste of the dish. Thanks to them, onions will not only be useful, but also tasty.
