Efficient method to peel onions? [duplicate]

Efficient method to peel onions? [duplicate] - Close-up Shot of Red Onions

How do you efficiently peel an onion, so both time and material wasted is minimized?

The way I do it: I cut off the stem part farthest from the roots (which has to go anyways, and gives me a nice flat bit to stand the onion on for the next cut), then slice it in half. At this point comes the crux: to peel off the brown outermost layer, I can worry at it with my fingernails or a knife, but that brown stuff mostly flakes/brakes off and doesn't detach in a nice way, except in very rare occasions. Even though it's material efficient, it takes too long.

Alternatively, I can peel off the next-to-outermost good ("meaty") layer together with the brown skin, which goes very fast but wastes that layer.

Is there a way to very quickly and cleanly get off only the brown skin?

cleaningonionspeeling


Best Answer

Kenji Lopez-Alt, cookbook author and NYT columnist, has mentioned offhand a couple of times in his Youtube videos that he feels most people don't peel off enough layers when preparing onions; that the semi-dry, slightly tough outer-layer-ness extends further into the onion than many people think.

It's possible this attitude is a result of his chef background, however, where the quality of the final dish is prioritised more highly than efficiency of ingredient use, et cetera.

Ultimately, the decision is yours; if the value of saving one extra layer of onion is worth the time spent carefully flensing the brown skin off of it and the possibility of a slightly worse texture in the final dish, then go ahead and carefully remove only the brown. Personally, I take off the first white layer; onions are cheap, time and effort are precious, and the scraps are useful anyway.



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What is the easiest way to remove onion skin?

Begin by slicing your onion in half and removing the stalk, and then simply hit it with your fist. The force will make the onion bend, meaning that the skin will simply fall away. You can then simply lift the loose skin off the onion without getting your fingers dirty.

How do you peel an onion hack?

4 Answers
  • Cut the sprout end off.
  • Place the cut end on the board, slice the onion in half vertically (i.e. place your knife on the root and cut down)
  • If the outer skin layer is nice and thick, pull it off from one corner. ...
  • If the outer skin is papery, pull it and one layer of onion flesh off from one corner.



    • The Best Ways To Peel \u0026 Cut Onions (And The Worst) | Epicurious



    More answers regarding efficient method to peel onions? [duplicate]

    Answer 2

    Cutting off the pointy end before you halve the onion may not be helping. If you halve it first, that end makes it much easier to get a grip on the papery layers to start peeling them off.

    I find it useful to remove any very loose flaky layers before I start work in earnest and I do that over the bin to keep the dust and dirt off my board, then if the less dried layers are resistant to peeling, I put the onions on a bowl of water for a few minutes. Once the brown layers absorb a bit of water they are much easier to deal with.

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: MART PRODUCTION, Andreea Diana Sintean, Rajukhan Pathan, cottonbro

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