Is there any advantage to adding salt to onion while frying?
Is there any advantage to adding salt to onion while frying itself rather than adding it the last? My friends say it removes moisture from onion.
Is it true? Why is removing moisture from onion important?
Best Answer
It is true, in my experience. However, if your recipe does not require salt, you should not be adding it, of course. Removing moisture from onion with the aid of salt helps it reach its desired state (brown or translucent, as desired) faster.
I am most familiar with the use of onion in Indian cooking. I generally add a pinch or two of salt to onion when I start sauteing it. Onion starts sweating as soon as you add salt and start stirring.
The reason that salt draws out moisture from onion is osmotic pressure. The surface of the onion acts as a semipermeable membrane barrier. Since the solution outside the onion is more concentrated with respect to salt, water moves out of the onion to the general liquid side, to balance the osmotic pressure on either side of the onion surface.
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Quick Answer about "Is there any advantage to adding salt to onion while frying?"
The salt helps bring the moisture out of the onions. It will help them cook down and brown up a little bit faster, so you get a nicer, deeper, browner flavor. They sweat a little bit with the salt.Does salt stop onions burning?
How to prevent onions from burning? You have to sprinkle salt on the onions at the beginning of the cooking process as salt will free the onion's vegetation water. This way it's not worth adding tons of fat and onions won't stick to the pan or burn.Do you need salt to caramelize onions?
Onions \u2013 Caramelizing Onions Once the butter has melted and is hot, add as many onions to the pan as will fit in a \xbd inch layer in the pan. Sprinkle the salt over the onions. The salt helps to draw water and dissolved sugars out of the onion's cells.How do you keep onions from burning when frying?
If your heat is too high, the onions will burn. Heat your pan over medium-low, then add your onions. Keep it on that temp for the whole process. No cheating!How do you get the most flavor out of onions?
Raw red onions are especially good in salads. You can remove some of their astringent flavor by soaking them in cold water before adding them to the dish. Quick Cooking Over High Heat \u2013 A minute or two over high heat is just enough time to take the edge off the oniony flavor, but leaves the texture nicely crisp.Science: When to Add Salt During Cooking—and Why (It Makes a Huge Difference)
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Answer 2
Adding salt while frying onions has two advantages.
- It helps to remove the water from onion easily (only if the water is completely removed does the onion get fried).
- The salt helps increase the boiling point of water extracted from the onion, which means instead of 100°C water now boils at say 125°C. This high temp helps to cook/fry the onion faster.
Answer 3
As @Avinash said, salt helps draw water from onion. As the onion cooks in it's own juices we obtain that caramalized or translucent texture. Alternatively, small quantities of water can be added to obtain the same goal, albeit much slower.
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