what difference does slow cooking onions with/without broth make?
I'm reading recipes for slow cooker onion soup (and onion soup in general). There seems to be two camps- cook the onions with broth (~8 hours), cook the onions without broth (~6 hours) and add it in for the last leg of cooking (~2 hours)
what differences can be expected with these two techniques?
Best Answer
The issue is caramelization-- by cooking onions fairly slowly for a long period of time you can bring out the natural sweetness of the onions and caramelize the natural sugars present in the vegetable. Onion soup (assuming you mean a French onion soup kind of onion soup) starts with caramelized onions and then adds broth, simmers, tops with bread/croutons and cheese, and bakes til bubbly and browned for a delicious soup that is rich, lightly sweet, and sometimes a little salty.
Making onion soup in a slow cooker is usually done for convenience, as the process of caramelizing the onions can be time consuming and requires frequent stirring (so it isn't idle time as with a crock pot or slow cooker). This process is important for the richer, sweeter flavor it imparts to the soup.
The camp that adds onions alone to the pot and cooks for a while before adding broth is attempting to caramelize the onions, albeit in a more hands-off way, which would give a soup that is very close to the traditional method.
The recipes that simply add raw onions and broth immediately are forgoing the depth of flavor provided by caramelizing the onions first-- unless they have indicated that the onions should be caramelized before being added to the slow cooker, there's just no way to replicate that flavor, so soups that start this way will have a less developed (not necessarily weaker-- but probably closer to raw onion than sweet caramelized onion) onion flavor.
Personally, I find the broth-later versions to give a better result, richer and with more flavor.
Pictures about "what difference does slow cooking onions with/without broth make?"
Can you put raw onions in slow cooker?
Put your slow cooker to work to cook onions! All you need is onions, a little butter, a slow cooker and some hands-off time. Caramelizing onions in a slow cooker is the best way to get golden, buttery onions. A few years ago I read that you can cook onions down in a slow cooker.What does onion do for broth?
Onion is a great way to add moisture without adding liquid. It caramelizes beautifully and has a unique sugar. It also makes the palate water and it thereby stimulates a chemical breakdown and, likewise stimulates the taste receptor activity.Can I cook in slow cooker without liquid?
You only need to add water to a crock pot, if the meal or recipe you're slow cooking requires it. Some meals, like a ham, do not require any liquid to be added. Other recipes, like slow cooker bread or soup, do require water. And finally, some recipes will require added liquid (like broth), but not water.How long do onions take to soften in slow cooker?
Instructions: Add the alliums, enough oil to coat them and salt to your slow cooker. Stir well to coat and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. If you like, add a tablespoon of molasses or brown sugar during the last hour or so.The Best Way To Make Caramelized Onions? Low And Slow!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Angele J, Pixabay, Engin Akyurt, Ylanite Koppens