Keep onions from burning and turning black when sauteeing ?!
Answers: ok when i make my mangu, i sautee the onions. but the only thing is. is that when i sautee the onions they always burn ! they just get even smaller and turn into black crisp. I cut the onions into pieces. i put tha vegetable oil on a small pan on medium heat and add the onions, and move them around so theyre not in one spot for too long. what am i doing wrong ?
Sautéing is the same as pan-frying - to cook quickly in a little fat. It comes from the French word "to jump," because the food in the pan is supposed to sizzle as it cooks and perhaps be stirred around. It's a common cooking method and is very easy to do, but there are some pointers to keep in mind for best results.
Things You’ll Need:
* Vegetable Oils
* Skillets
Step 1:
Sautéing is a quick cooking method, so have everything ready to go and near the stove before you begin.
Step 2:
Start a burner on the stove and set it to medium heat or higher.
Step 3:
Place the skillet over the burner and allow it to heat. This is an important step; the skillet should never be cold when you add the cooking oil or the food.
Step 4:
When the skillet is hot, add enough oil or other cooking fat to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Sautéing properly depends on the cooking fat forming a layer between the food and the pan, so make sure you use enough. Too little oil will cause food to cook unevenly and probably stick. Yet if you use enough and heat the pan properly, the food won't absorb a lot of fat.
Step 5:
When the oil is hot, add the food you're sautéing. Lay it in the pan carefully, because the pan should be hot enough now for it to sizzle rapidly. The sound should tell you whether the pan is hot enough. No sizzle means it's too cold, and if it splatters and pops, the pan is too hot.
Step 6:
Foods that have been cut up, perhaps for a stir-fry, will need to be stirred regularly so that each piece has the same amount of contact with the bottom of the pan.
You have to sautee them on low heat. Low and slow.
ok, the first thing is to turn down the heat. When you saute something don't do it on high heat or even medium high heat. Start with medium heat and leave it there on medium heat. If it is barely sizzling then turn the heat up just a little bit. A little sizzle is good a lot of sizzle is bad and heavy sizzle with popping is very bad. Preheat the pan for 5 minutes, then add the oil, then add the onions and other vegi's. Try using a heavy pan like cast iron. With cast iron you never need over medium heat to cook 'cause it holds and spreads out the heat so well.
turn down the heat
It might be the pan is too thin. I would turn the heat down and slowly cook them, doesnt matter you can always turn it up if you need slightly but it is harder to take out the heat that quickly. If you see them starting to go brown take the pan off of the heat. Also make sure your pieces are equal in size to make sure they all cook at the same rate. And don't drown them in oil , just enough to coat. To properly sautee you are supposed to cook low and slow and with a lid until they are clear.
as soon as they get limp add the other ingredients which will keep them from burning.
too hot.......put it on low add oil and onions to a cold pan and let it all heat up together. This works for onions but other things need a hot pan.
You have the heat to high and cooking them too long. Have the heat on low to medium and sautee them. Use a spoon or something to turn them and don't cook too long, just till they're golden color. Hope I helped.
turn your heat down and quit getting in a hurry... caramelizing onions can take up to 30 min. Dont' forget to add a bit of salt to them, to help draw out water.
I don't know how long you're cooking them, but you should only be cooking them until they go from white to clear, and it should only take a minute or two on medium. I saute 1 cup of onions in 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter, and I start with a preheated pan. It takes me about 2 minutes to get them to a very light golden color.
If you are adding other veggies [after this point] and getting the black onions, then remove them, until the other veggies are cooked the way you want them. Then add them back in.
If you need carmelized onions for French onion soup or steak, then set you heat on low, and just stir every once in a while. You need a lot of time for this kind of onion. The flavors develop as it is cooking, and it CAN"T be rushed without sacrificing flavor.
first off let the pan heat up on low for about 10 to 13 minutes. Add butter (not veggie oil, instead of that if you have olive oil use 2 teaspoons or 1 depending on how much onion) depending on the amount of onions you use alitte use a teaspoon a lot use a couple (2) tablespoons. Also, watch them let them start off by themselves for about 3 minutes and then stir them let them sit. To me it is always about watching them because if you don't you will burn them.
Onions are loaded with sugar and sugar burns easily ....cook them on a VERY low heat...