Can you actually taste a difference between Onions?

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Resource Links:
🧅 Experimenting with Onions ➡ www.cookwell.com/discover/col...
👅 Flavor Fundamentals ➡ www.cookwell.com/fundamentals
🍔 The Mouthful Newsletter (free)➡ www.ethanchlebowski.com/newsl...
▶️ Second Channel (coming soon): / @cookwelldotcom
📚 Videos & Sources mentioned:
▪ Onion Consumption: onion.nmsu.edu/consumption.ht... onion production is estimated,capita consumption of 66.8 pounds.
▪ Onion Nutrition Data: fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html...
▪ Investigation of Volatiles Emitted from Freshly Cut Onions www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
▪ Caramelization: foodcrumbles.com/wp-content/u...
What is caramelization?: www.cookwell.com/fundamental/...
What is the Maillard reaction?: www.cookwell.com/fundamental/...
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⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
2:44 How are Onions grown?
7:06 What are the different varieties of onions?
10:45 What is the Flavor of Onions?
Test 1: What do raw onions taste like?
22:08 Pico de Gallo Test: White vs Yellow Onion
25:32 Italian Hoagie Test: Red vs Sweet Onion
29:00 How to use raw onions
29:57 What do sauteed onions taste like?
34:00 Refried Beans Test: White vs Red Onion
36:02 Chopped Cheese Test: Shallot vs Onion Chopped Cheese
39:26 What are 'caramelized' onions?
40:37 How long does it take to caramelize onions?
42:30 Is it possible to caramelize onions in 10 minutes?
45:59 What is the best onion to keep at home?
Correction: 13:22 Shallot water content should be listed as 79.8%
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MISC. DETAILS
Music: Provided by Epidemic Sound
Filmed on: Sony a6600 & Sony A7C
Voice recorded on Shure MV7
Edited in: Premiere Pro
Affiliate Disclosure:
Ethan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to [Amazon.com](amazon.com/) and affiliated sites.

[@EthanChlebowski]

Let me know what onion tests you want to do at home! Thank you again to Made In for sponsoring this video, check out the cookware I use here ➡️ madein.cc/0424-ethan Video Notes & Corrections: 1. <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="810">13:30</a> - Shallot water content should be 79.8%

[@SuperMordrak]

Wrong color legend at 33:00

[@KhanStopMe]

If you put "Correction: 13:30 the explanation text” in the description, it will pop up on the video - just fyi!

[@EthanChlebowski]

@@KhanStopMeDang, I had no idea that was a thing! Thanks for the tip!

[@SweetChicagoGator]

Oven onion caramelization is superb ! 10 minutes stove top caramelization is insufficient.

[@SirEldricIV]

12:51 Water not What

[@TimCluyts]

Ethan, please do a butter deep dive. In Belgian cuisine everything is baked with butter rather than (olive) oil. We use a LOT of butter so I really want to know if it's worth buying more expensive brands or not

[@EthanChlebowski]

Our plan is to do the butter deep dive this fall!

[@chinesesparrows]

Wow how much planning in advance that butter will be compared in fall wow

[@adamh1228]

I use cheap butter for most baked things or frying, and expensive stuff for using cold (mostly with bread as a side), where the butter flavor is central to the dish(french toast, enriching a sauce), or fancy baked goods. I try to keep 10 lbs of butter in the freezer of various kinds at all times, I've pretty much done the butter episode on my own by virtue of loving my butter! Land-o-Lakes and Challenge are my go-to brands for good butter. I'm not a fan of Irish butter, but that's personal preference on the funky flavor of it.

[@Artofcarissa]

Danish Creamery is my fav, I know everybody loves Kerrygold but DC has a much creamier consistency which I love

[@SweetChicagoGator]

Make your own french butter recipe. Very tasty !

[@The_Chef2511]

Pearl onions are harvested after ninety days of growth and don't reach full maturity. Its the same with cipollini onions but pearl onions are either white or red onions while cipollini onions are typically sweet onions. They all are unique cultivars of their respective onions but the main purpose of these onions are to be grown quickly and then stored or preserved. Pickled pearl onions are great.

[@phoenixbutterfly1677]

Interesting! Thanks for answering the question! ❤

[@Adamisawesome1497]

went directly into the comments for this info, thanks man!

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

That's a really silly statistical question, because you can taste PLENTY of difference in any given onion. The types could still narrow it down where and when you get that seasonal onion they cultivated, not just factory-farm them for a color and a bland taste. You can't just pick a cultivar for a GUARANTEED reliability unless you already guarantee that the "normal' one is absolute lowest common denominator. If breeds of onions DO end up having some great regular difference, it's because they manufactured them that way and picked which genus they want to market which way. Food flavors should be encounterd as cultural expereinces, like woodstock going better or worse. Current culture is fixated on RECORDINGS like hearing the Jimi Hendrix star-spangled banner. You don't sing songs to each other but pay ad money on what gets to be on your mixtape.

[@EdwardDowner]

@@sboinkthelegday3892 Who are you replying to?

[@pjschmid2251]

The one thing you didn’t answer is if they are 90 days of growth in the second season or the first? So are they grown for one season and then put in the ground as a set and grown for 90 days or are they planted from seed and grown for 90 days?

[@m3ducraft]

The thing is. In Mexico we use white onions because that is the only onion we can buy, or is the cgeapest one. But I have never seen anyone complain or say its not mexican if it doesn't have white onion. Only Americans complain about such a thing.

[@HarrisPilton789]

I prefer to cook with white onions. I think they have a sharper flavor than yellow.

[@imonaroll9502]

Yes. We buy whatever is cheapest. Except when we will pickle them. Red Onion is the one we use but will use others when not available.😅

[@vde1846]

In Europe it's the other way around: yellow onion is used for most thing because they are cheaper and more common.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

@@vde1846 Same deal in Canada

[@ukgroucho]

ahh Americans complaining. Who would guess - when they never cook at home, such experts in cuisine.

[@JBrockwellucf2005]

Can't believe I watched a 48 minutes of onions but still found it informational and entertaining, well done!

[@scottmansfield626]

Gardener here who has grown a lot of onions. To answer question Pearl Onions, Cipollinis, and Baby Onions are different things. Pearl onions are, almost always, a different species from your regular onion. Sometimes baby onions are labeled pearl onions but this is not true. Pearl Onions have the scientific classification name Allium Ampeloprasum and a "regular onion" have the name Allium Cepa. Pearl onions do not grow much bigger if grown into the second season. They at least do not grow to the size of a regular onion. Cipollinis are a specific variety of onion. Baby Onions are just normal onions. All three onions are harvested right after the first season so the right answer is A.

[@paulbrickler]

I never realized that I was supposed to let them grow at least 2 years - but it explains why my alliums were always so disappointing!

[@Ezekiel_Allium]

Not something that really matters, but I have a specific brain tick that forces me to point this out even though I know it's annoying, but with scientific names, you don't capitalize the species name. You're also supposed to always italicize them, so most properly it would be _Allium ampeloprasum_ but frankly who cares about the italicization. Also for shortening the genus, you take just the first letter and out a period behind it, so _A. cepa._ this is why it's technically most properly written as _T. rex,_ not T-Rex, for example.

[@TheSkillotron]

@@paulbrickler You're not supposed to grow them for 2 years, if you do that they'll flower and be ruined. Whether growing from sets or seeds you need to harvest in the first year, seeds just need to be started earlier in the year to give them time to grow before bulbing.

[@BryanRink]

I'm able to get massive bulbs in the first year, but I start the seeds indoors in January and live in a northern latitude so we get really long days in the summer which may help.

[@justdrop]

@@TheSkillotron At 4:50 he says the tops die and the bulb can be left underground or cultivated and replanted the next season. I'm not sure what to believe now.

[@donzadonz1]

As an Indian who recently moved to America, I have found that shallots are much closer in flavor to the red onions that we get in India than the red onions that you get here.

[@nanakomatsu7425]

That's really useful to know for cooking purpose...

[@hollybug-76542]

Shallots are much more expensive here than other onion, besides pearl. Last time I bought one it was almost $3 for one tiny shallot.

[@user-dc3pd7us6e]

​@@hollybug-76542where the hell are you getting shallots for 3 dollars apiece 😂😂💀

[@ecco256]

Interesting! I have been using shallots in Indian recipes ever since it was all I had in the house once, and really liked the results. Thanks for confirming I wasn’t crazy haha

[@wizardofyore]

welcome to america my friend!

[@rayray57380]

As a Libyan I can confirm we eat a hell of a lot of onions. Basically 90% of Libyan dishes (at least the ones I cook) starts with onions garlic and tomato. We even have a dish called "onion" in Arabic or 'Busla'. It's like a tomatoey, onion-based sauce you can put on rice or pasta and it's DELICIOUS. Basically everything is a variation of the same onion sauce with maybe different spices lol. Anything you can think of (beans, fish, okra, meat, other veggies, etc.) is cooked in an onion and tomato-based sauce.

[@wizardofyore]

welcome to libya my friend!

[@missingaria2503]

Man I'd probably die of starvation in Libya, biting into any onion other than shallots makes me want to hurl. Love the flavor, it's just the juicy crunch in the middle of a completely different texture I can't handle. Shallots cook up soft enough that it's not a problem with those.

[@vde1846]

Onion base is so great in stews. As a Swede I use it for most of my cooking because it's so easy to get right :)

[@deb3834]

Tomatoes give me heartburn.

[@venomdank965]

@@missingaria2503 yeah my mom and ex and most women seem to not like onions lol, than again I seen a video women taste buds are more sensitive and can taste more than a man's tongue.

[@AngryAlfonse]

A note about the other onions: If you want onion greens, do chives. If you want both fresh onion greens and cooked onion bulb, do scallions. If you want big stewed chunks of onion for a soup or stew, that's where leeks come into play. Also, I share your passion for shallots. It's nice to get a little bit of garlicky flavor without having to deal with peeling and slicing/mincing garlic. Also, as a single man who lives alone, it's nice to be able to grab a single bulb of shallot for a single dish, instead of having to chop up 1/3-1/2 of a normal sized onion and put the rest in a ziploc for the next day.

[@Jacket0120]

If only shallots weren't twice the price of a white onion.

[@lindax911]

We use a garlic squisher ... ok, properly a garlic _press,_ but we use it to *squish* the garlic ... instead of mincing. You get the same result, but it's a lot faster.

[@janearcher3834]

Leeks have a completely different flavor from onions. They are not fungible.

[@magdalenejackson5375]

​@@Jacket0120I'm growing shallots this year 💯 due to the cost in the store.

[@hongkongfueynz3071]

I love leeks, I always eat it with a white, or cheese sauce 😋 Shallots were something we never ate as a child, they were really expensive, and hence never buy them as an adult. I think I should give them a try!!

[@Shaosprojects]

I kind of enjoy the irony that these plants developed sulfur compounds to deter them from being eaten so that they can survive - and then humans came around and thought they tasted delicious and decided to propagate them. They became evolutionarily successful by doing the exact opposite of what they intended.

[@ericcartmann]

There was no intention...

[@MCden603]

Same with peppers

[@SearchingOblivion]

@MCden603 and tobacco! Probably a bunch of other stuff as well. Can't think of any right now, though...

[@someguy5438]

​@@SearchingOblivion cannabis.

[@nuggyfresh6430]

@@ericcartmann 100

[@thegamingpigeon3216]

Me, ignorant, before this video started- "I'm gonna learn so much, I love this!" Me at the end of the video- *"Bro, what is going on in Libya?"*

[@alquinn8576]

yeah, I assumed India would be #1 but holy hell, Libya, leave some for the rest of us...

[@Cowboy265]

That's... a complicated question.

[@sfr2107]

Lmao

[@brandonhoffman4712]

See ya, wouldnt want to Libya!

[@JeremyMacDonald1973]

I came here for this? What do they eat all the onions in?

[@SheliakDragon]

For most Malaysian kitchens, we always have a supply of shallots, red onions, and yellow onions. For some dishes, we use all three e.g. using all three in sambal ikan bilis gives the sauce a robust flavor profile. I always just did what my MIL taught me to do but now I kindof understand why.

[@MaxxPwrrr]

I like this idea of layering your onion varieties for more flavour complexity~ Imma try it!

[@pandaaamonium_]

I literally just watched a video where someone said "use what you have on hand, it doesn't matter" and immediately thought to myself "Hm, wonder if Ethan has a video about this one". Lo and behold, you do! As always, mad respect to how thoroughly you explain and test everything, always love your videos!

[@DIEKALSTER8]

That was probably "That Dude Can Cook"?

[@pandaaamonium_]

@@DIEKALSTER8 I wanna think it was "Food With Chetna" actually? Could've been anyone though, I feel like I most often hear people say to just use what you have on hand rather than insisting it has to be one or another type of onion

[@squa_81]

Sees a onion deep dive video: It's about 48 minutes long. Seems like an appropriate length for the topic

[@asleepyflower]

The longer the deep dive the more the nerd in me gets hyped

[@arunthebuffoon4554]

I use onions every day. This video is a god send lol

[@kameljoe21]

It was about 28 mins for me plus a 30 second skip on the ad about pans.... Speed watch at 1.7x. Most YT videos can be sped watched and you wont miss anything.

[@meawen7261]

tbh 48 mins isn't long enough

[@kieran7409]

@@kameljoe21 we are witnessing a masterclass in onion knowledge assimilation

[@womplad9864]

You put 90.1% instead of 80 for the shallot at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="807">13:27</a>

[@gjphekkelman]

also "what" instead of "water" in the description shortly before

[@anotherdayinparadise6006]

there's a lot of those. bro was tired making this video

[@EthanChlebowski]

I added it as a correction note in my pinned comment! When the video gets this long there's always at least one or two items that slip through!

[@kchorman]

Also colors not matching the identifier in one of the taste tests

[@HessianHunter]

This section is odd for another reason - animo acids (proteins) and carbs don't all taste the same, even with aroma removed from the equation. The macro balance chart is both too much and not enough information. Onions and apples are both mostly water with some carbs and almost no protein, sure, but that's true of all fruits and vegetables and they don't all taste similarly. Onions and apples "taste" similar with your nose plugged because they have a similar watery and crunchy texture on top of similar levels of simple and complex carbs. As you discuss later in the video, our experience of food is multi-sensory so texture factors into what we colloquially call "taste". Cotton candy is 100% pure sugar with flavorless food coloring, but the airy texture makes the taste experience different from a spoonful of table sugar.

[@BanjinTsuki]

You blew me away with saying it takes 50-60 mins. I've always done them in 10 minutes! I had no idea people were cooking them much longer. Thank you grandma!

[@MaxxPwrrr]

Same. But then I remembered that roasted onions always tasted better.

[@linux230]

Should be called "Ethan's Cooking Lab" channel. Man you are thorough as heck. Good jon Ethan. You go above and beyond in your experiments and I appreciate that. Edit: *job

[@labla8940]

In late 90s early 2000s I found Alton Brown. His butter episode just on the specific properties of butter really impressed me. That one 22 min of info explained how butter works and then I could extrapolate it into all the dishes I ever cooked in the future. Ethan here is doing the same, he is not making a recipe but letting us use our knowledge as how to use an onion under all situation not just that 1 recipe How, what, where. why and when of onions

[@nancyneyedly4587]

Alton Brown was great! He dispelled so many old wives tales of cooking.

[@hichrisperry]

Good Eats was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good

[@spikefivefivefive]

Alton Brown was actually the person who got me interested in cooking by explaining it scientifically.

[@labla8940]

@@spikefivefivefive Absolutely I feel if you watched Good Eats from Start to end you would have a Masters in Culinary Arts

[@MossyMozart]

@@labla8940 - The "Good Eats Reloaded" editions he did on Cooking Channel were even better as he corrected errors and misinformation from the original series. I never saw "Good Eats: The Return" episodes as our cable company didn't carry Food Network. However, I could not take the pandemic home version, "Quarantine Quitchen". He fell off the rails, in my opinion, though I loved the chemistry lab countertops he had in Georgia.

[@kenmore01]

I have finally realized after over 60 years of life that thinly sliced sweet onions mixed with thinly shredded lettuce is an important burger topping!

[@birdiekay686]

GIVE ME THE PHD!! Seriously though, I absolutely love these deep dives. There are so many "opinion" videos from very good chefs, but very few actual objective videos. Thanks so much for all the hard work, it is much appreciated!

[@alexwixom4599]

Minced shallots, smoked paprika, mix em into your tuna with the other usual afair. Best onion for tuna sandwich.

[@victorbortolot6558]

When I was a kid 70 years ago I liked Italian style tuna sandwiches: drained can of tuna (unless the fancy kind packed in olive oil), half that weight in finely chopped onion, olive oil enough to bind, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, chopped parsley. Nowadays, I am likely to go a bit Persian, with sumac and aleppo pepper, maybe a good pinch of za'atar, in place of black pepper. Shallots would be wonderful here, as you suggest.

[@RommelManurung]

The shallots & pepper combo is the recipe for a lot of Indonesian food too. But most people use chilli peppers than paprika because it’s cheaper (& waaay hotter!)

[@SimuLord]

I love that they actually named a chemical "onion lachrymatory factor". You don't have to ask "what does that do?" because it's right there in the name.

[@NeapolitanDynamite99]

Sounds more like the degree to which the onions turn you to ash after eating!

[@borttorbbq2556]

It does sound like an extremely intense compound​@@NeapolitanDynamite99

[@shaka2tu]

What does it do? From non english person 😅 These are hard word, rarely used and maybe has different meaning?

[@Sivanot]

@@shaka2tu Its more of a case of "If you happen to know this obscure word, you immediately know what this does" so yeah, don't feel bad about not knowing it lol. But, now you know for the future that Lachrymatory is a term relating to tears.

[@shaka2tu]

@@Sivanot oh, got it. What i know word with -tory is inflammatory that is inside wound. Which inflame remind me of fire(gasoline) than a wound.

[@zoomingby]

This is the type of stuff that makes this channel so interesting, refreshing, and useful. Applaud the effort and comprehensiveness that went into this. You're a rockstar, seriously.

[@robertbeining141]

A day without onions on my plate and in my belly is not a day worth living. LOVE ONIONS and GARLIC!!! I can definitely taste the difference between all onions. They are such a beautiful thing!!!

[@lorddiana7746]

I have a very analytical approach to cooking and always wondered about the logic and patterns behind the choice of each ingredient or method, and honestly your channel scratches that itch in the most perfect way possible + your recipes and takeaways are so modular it's easy to apply them to the ingredients I have on hand, it's just wonderful and so, so appreciated

[@gamozzie]

The red onions in India are much milder than elsewhere around the world. I used to live there and would love a tomato and onion sandwich, but in Australia, the red onions are far harsher.

[@nancyneyedly4587]

Yes, there are huge regional differences in onions, even the time of year they are picked and how long they were allowed to grow, etc effects the flavour so so much.

[@splashpit]

For me it’s the mangoes and bananas

[@gamozzie]

@@splashpit I miss Indian mangoes. Especially with salt and chilli powder!

[@BlueGamingRage]

As was mentioned in his aside with the distinction between sweet onions and yellow onions, the sulfur content of the soil is a major factor in how sweet any onion is

[@drshaynescott]

Well this explains why my indian cookbook recommends tomato and onion salad. I just thought Indian palates were v. different to mine.

[@mikaelawatches8225]

Oh yeah, I have a MSc in Onionology from the University of Chlebowski

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

Rick Bayless, I will use all the yellow onions I want.

[@sean.durham999]

A nearly hour long video all about onions. This is the kind of hyper focused content I love on KZbin. 😊

[@kennethferland5579]

Chipolini are a specific Italian cultivar of Onion, they are also not really small, I've grown them and other then being flat they can grow the same size as regular yellow onions. Spring onions are indeed imature 2nd year onions, generally the result from thinning a row of planted onions so that the remainder have room to bulb properly. Vidalia Onions are not JUST from Georgia, they need to come from a specific set of COUNTIES of Georgia, centered on the country of Vidalia itself. It is soil conditions which are said to produce extra mild onions, likely due to lower sulfur content.

[@mgratk]

Yep, a "sweet onion" =/= Vidalia. Gotta get real Vidalia. It matters.

[@my_granny]

I've seen people suggest adding a splash of water to caramelized onions as they cook whenever the pan gets too dry, but after I tried that a few times, a came up with a tweak that I like better: using a splash of beer instead! They get very dark, sweet, and flavorful, and since it's just little splashes over high heat over a long cook time, the alcohol has plenty of time to cook off.

[@avivat3010]

The beer might be like adding a bit of sugar?

[@peterl.104]

Doesn’t work for me…I drink all the beer before it goes into the pan. 😊

[@transerobotfrog66613]

thats a great idea! will be doing that in the future to get rid of the 2 cases low alcohol beer that my flatmate bought but doesnt like sjsjsjsj

[@lightlezs7048]

Throwing random liquids that you happen to have on hand into cooking food is a fun activity everyone should engage in every once in a while.

[@splashpit]

I use balsamic vinegar

[@1972hermanoben]

You’re among the very best educators on KZbin, Ethan. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@THEStraysCHAN]

Ethan! Congrats on all the growth for your channel, your team, and you personally. I've been watching for a while and it's incredible to see the level of detail, rigor, and fun you hav doing it. It's been incredible to see your team's design style, web presence, and innovative marketing evolve - and all based on the common love of food. Keep rockin' it and hope that the content grind isn't taking too much of a toll. Cheers!

[@kchorman]

We make pork tacos with a mango salsa that includes chilis in adobo sauce, lime juice, and shallots. Now I know why they're so amazing: shallots.

[@Tatjanak1989]

That sounds awesome. Mind sharing the recipe? I’m thinking: ripe, chopped mango, chopped chilis in adobo sauce, shallots marinated in lime juice. How about cilantro? The mango isn’t puréed, is it? Anything else to keep in mind?

[@gregorymalchuk272]

We need your recipe!

[@diamondfool937]

No hate, but <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="802">13:22</a> you have the shallot listed at 90.1% water, not 80.1%. I'm glad you said something, 'cause I was gonna miss that math mis-match otherwise

[@Andrew-uk1bz]

Also at 36:26 he flipped the labels of shallot and sweet onion under the clips

[@mrharvest]

And apparently "caramelized" is very difficult to spell. I think he needs to have someone proof-read his text and charts, given that the rest of the content is solid 10/10 banger

[@ericcampbell9470]

32:00 colors don't line up with the different onion varieties

[@NoonDragoon]

As someone who buys yellow and white onions interchangeably based on what's cheaper at the time, I have never once noticed a difference in taste between the two. I had never even heard of anyone saying that you should only use white onions for Mexican food until TikTok came around.

[@EngelsNederfiele]

Baking Soda, when speeding up softening during cooking/rapid swelling of pulses and other vegetables from personal experience does seem to reduce acidic and bitter notes, along with the aroma elements in the flavours of savoury cooking. I have seen where British cooks suggest adding diluted spirit vinegar, plus small quantities of dark brown sugar whilst caramelising onions on the stovetop to increase the speed of softening, retain pungency, add umami and assist the sweetening/colouring process; traditionalist Brits like to retain some 'Kick' in their onions.

[@awkie]

I’ve avoided the whole onion family (onion, shallot, spring onion - not garlic though) my whole life, because there’s a particular flavour in onions that triggers a gag reflex for me, i just cannot eat it, not raw or cooked or caramelised. Literally makes me involuntarily retch. Recently though, i discovered that shallots don’t have this particular flavour! Completely changed my cooking, i always have shallots on hand now. Still not my absolute favourite, but i managed to enjoy my first “onion” (shallot) soup recently, so i’m happy.

[@NamesForDogs]

I wish I could enjoy onion, since it's so prevalent, but I have a very low threshold between "I can't taste onion" and "I can't taste anything but onion and I might vomit." I've tried shallots, I've tried hing/asafoetida, but no luck. I love garlic. I will happily eat pretty much anything else, aside from humans, household pets, balut, insects, and dried coconut.

[@RyanEglitis]

Similar for me - I hate white, yellow, and red onion, but shallots are fine, leeks are great, and I love garlic. I can tolerate green onion, but it's not my favorite. Onion flavorings are fine too - don't mind onion powder or things like Funyuns.

[@Broken_robot1986]

Dang that sucks.

[@jessejames247]

You do a little gagging how does that make you feel ? 😂

[@ViewerEm]

hey that might be your body trying to prevent you from digesting something youre allergic to. you might have an onion allergy. just a heads up

[@KeiFlox]

Ethan out here tear bombing himself with onions for weeks to bring us this, big props. Love the deep dive videos and I've been eagerly waiting for this one to drop!

[@mikepatton8691]

Speaking of tears, he either didn't mention it or I missed it, but does one onion cause more discomfort than another when cutting them up? I've taken to running the onion under water after slicing it in half and it seems to cut down on tears/discomfort.

[@reklessbravo2129]

​@@mikepatton8691sweet onions are less uncomfortable than other varieties

[@billmullins6833]

@reklessbravo2129, that makes sense since sweet onions are just onions grown in low sulphur soil. The lachrymatory agentsare sulphur compounds so an onion grown in low sulphur soil would have less of those compounds to "share".

[@carmenmendez6836]

Yes I can, not only buying them at the store but grow them in my garden, my favorites are green onions, you eat the whole onions but they grow faster, longer and larger and the flavor is fragrant, the white onions flavor are dull and flat, the yellow onions are sharp and make you cry while slicing them, the purple onions are tasty, and with a subtle taste! So yes they're different, they taste different and act different while growing. My two favorites are the yellow onions and the green onions. Bon appetit 😊

[@robmelis7537]

I am a very advanced home chef and spent a great deal of time money and interest on cooking. For over 30 years I have prepared meals from scratch with complex and advanced recipes almost every day except when traveling. Interestingly.. Richard Bayless and his recent comments have made me think a lot about onions recently. This was extremely well done testing and also very enjoyable. I do believe that you and I have VERY SIMILAR palettes as I agreed fully with all your comments. If I am cooking for guests I typically go with shallots unless the dish is very centrally showcasing the onion. Shallot would be odd in a pico bot most people think shallots taste better or more “fancy” when you use them. At least that is my experience. Congratulations on having a great and well respected channel.

[@MaxxPwrrr]

pico bot be bangin' homie

[@flm9]

Please do a playlist for these deep dive videos. They are so interesting and i don't want to miss any of them

[@kastro8065]

The onion deep dive video I've been wanting to see has finally happened!

[@billjoyce]

I agree and remember requesting it.

[@EthanChlebowski]

Hopefully we did it justice, there are so many different angles to consider when using onions!

[@theunidentified8672]

Music by day onions by night. KA$TRO you’re everywhere

[@Komatik_]

@@EthanChlebowski I was about to say that I wished a lot of your earlier videos had more experiments, and saw this was nearly an hour long. Wishes probably answered in advance, but I'll watch this in full when it's not 3am 🤣

[@kastro8065]

@@theunidentified8672 HAHA legit laughing hard right now. Y'all know I don't play around when it comes to cooking too! 🙏

[@No-sv6mu]

I love onions. Put them in everything. Grow them in my backyard garden (green onions, chives, red onion, and of course garlic). I have been known to go through a 50 pound bag in a month ❤

[@richardbernard6845]

The video is an outstanding detailed analysis of the Allium family. I got a lot out of this and have never seen anyone else, take this subject apart like you did. Bravo, you have matured and come a long way since you left the east coast.

[@mama5552]

Most onions are grown from seed these days and harvested after one growing season. Also the pungent flavor can be found in all colors and are selected out depending on market expectation for a specific appearance. (source: I work as an assistant for a small onion breeder )

[@christianhansen3292]

grew up with yellow onions maybe cause they were the most available. as a kid i hated now i love them. funny i ate onion ring(Snack) so dried form totally different!

[@Edgeofthecontinent]

I was wondering about that. Thanks for your comment.

[@ericakusske3321]

I was looking for this comment. Grew up near Walla Walla. I wonder if the way they grow those is part of why their shelf life is so short. They're started at the end of one growing season, overwintered, and then harvested at the end of that growing season. So technically, 2nd year. Gardening, I was taught that doing that or planting sets, would give them the chance/signal to flower, which is what makes shelf life short.

[@luke9822]

I always appreciate his blind, triangle tasting methods. I just wish it wasn't a statistically insignificant sample size of one. With the immense amount of money this channel earns based on subscribers/views, Ethan could easily have a handful of qualified taste testers each time. Even a handful of friends would be much more significant than just him.

[@kdcbattlecreek]

If you have more tasters, how do you pick ones with similar tastes?

[@notgate2624]

I found myself not even wanting to skip the ad because it was so informative. Super rare for me lol. Good job

[@saoirsecameron]

“Stop using yellow onions in your Mexican food!” Tell that to basically every Mercado and carniceria I’ve ever been to

[@VeraBrightfeather]

I was gonna say, lol. Those kinds of videos are incredibly idiotic and ignorant. Food varies by region, and the rule "use what you have" trumps tradition every time. Not only do people like Mr. "Don't use yellow onions in your Mexican food!" not understand that food varies based on region, often due to availability of ingredients, but when people try to portray alterations as "not real" (insert nationality here) food, it tells me they do not understand how migration alters food culture. That being said, if your goal is to make "traditional" ethnic food, yeah, try to get the same ingredients you can find from that region you are cooking from.

[@tabula_rosa]

That recent video where they had a bunch of second generation millennial immigrants eat orange chicken & they all (none of whom had ever been out of the US) complained about it, & then they had their chinese parents try it and & they all loved it and said it'd be incredibly popular if they served it to their friends in china, really needs to be required reading for every food content creator.

[@johnzheng8652]

​@@tabula_rosaChannel name? Couldn't really find the video by looking at titles/thumbnails.

[@georgehalverson7340]

@@johnzheng8652 It’s Rick bayless, the most respected gringo chef by all Mexicans! While I usually agree content creators are arrogant and don’t do their research, his work comes from a place of deep respect

[@georgehalverson7340]

@@johnzheng8652ope realized you meant the orange chicken video, it’s buzz feed parents trying panda express

[@DullBoyJack]

Cippolini are indeed "first year" onions grown from seed. What you buy in the store (if fresh) are basically sets.

[@glenbeck1294]

This is exactly what Ethan is best at: answering all the questions in the back of my head.

[@fabe61]

Put off watching this for a bit because I figured 50 minutes of onion content would be too much, but it really flew by. Good stuff!

[@atomicsnipe]

I think the main confusion you have with caramelized onions is that what you and the rest of the comments section is doing is not caramelizing onions, it's over sauteing. When really caramelizing there is no maillard. It takes a lot of heat control and several hours, it looks very similar but the brown flavor is absent. It becomes onion candy paste.

[@MaxxPwrrr]

THANK YOU

[@mackdaddyraincake]

Small correction, large onions can be grown in a single season. It’s just a long season of over 100 days. Growing from sets (smaller immature onions grown the previous year) is just a way to shorten days to maturity.

[@jessarsenstudios]

I was gonna say this. Glad someone did.

[@onniichan5960]

Thats not really a correction, just extra info

[@joewiddup9753]

Well, I don't have more than 100 frost free growing days. No large onions in one year for us.

[@user-rl7zz5pq4p]

this is exactly the type of content i crave. Thank you for making this video

[@bhaka4521]

Pearl onions, along with Cipollini and Baby onions, represent small onion varieties specifically cultivated for their size through certain agricultural practices. They are typically grown from sets, which are immature onion bulbs. These sets are planted and harvested within a single growing season, usually before they can grow into full-sized onions. The cultivation process involves planting the onion sets closely together in dense patterns. This method of planting restricts the space each onion has to expand, thereby limiting the size of the bulb that each plant can produce. This agricultural technique is key to ensuring the onions do not grow beyond a desired small size. Additionally, the timing of the planting and harvesting is crucial. These onion varieties are often harvested earlier than traditional onions, which also contributes to their smaller size. For instance, while a typical onion might be left in the ground to mature fully, these small varieties are pulled much sooner to maintain their petite scale. This type of cultivation is used not only to achieve specific sizes but also to manage the yield of crops more effectively. By controlling the size and harvest time, farmers can produce these onions more quickly and efficiently, fitting multiple growing cycles into a single growing season if conditions allow. This makes Pearl, Cipollini, and Baby onions popular choices for growers aiming for fast crop rotation and efficient use of space.

[@tann_man]

At this time where I live Allium canadense is growing in wild fields. Its grows cloves and flowers at the top of the edible stems. They have a unique garlicky but mostly onion taste, are easy to forage and are even popular in flower gardens.

[@bloopbloop9687]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1998">33:18</a> i sont think 1 and 5 are supposed to be the same color, i had to rewatch this segment a few times to know the order

[@FunctionallyLiteratePerson]

Yeah, me too

[@DanielCrist]

Yeah, in the actual list with names the first one Sweet, is in a golden orange-yellow, whereas number 1 under the bowl is a blue-violet color. This mistake is even more confusing because in the list of names there are two very similar golden colors used, and in the sequence of numbers there are two very similar violet colors used.

[@patstefkovich5474]

I cant believe all the work you put into your videos. Thank you so much ❤

[@jj9363]

I love this pivot into "Good Eats" like deep dives. Thanks for the entertaining and informative content

[@theclownofclowns]

love where you've taken the channel, man. it really gives me a lot to think about with my own cooking journey. like I was watching this and I was like damn I've never even sat down and smelled a bunch of different types of onions (or some other ingredient) next to each other--I feel like that is invaluable info. gonna do it

[@justit2015]

Didn't realize macro shots of chopping unions was so mesmerizing

[@Marcus_Aurelius_1978]

Well lot's of things were answered that I've always wanted to know! Thank you for that!

[@ViCT0RiA6]

be honest, how much did you cry during the making of this video?

[@winterispretty6464]

I cried tears of joy

[@mrblueblood4917]

I know bro cried so much just for this video, the dedication is real folks, gotta appreciate that.

[@SeanFerree]

Agreed 💯

[@melissaharris3389]

To help with watering eyes while cutting onions have a damp paper towel beside your cutting board and cover the the freshly chopped onions with it. As mentioned, the sulfur compounds that cause you to cry are attracted to water so give them something closer then your eyes to bond to.

[@mrblueblood4917]

@@melissaharris3389 Wow thanks for the advice! I'll definitely try this out!

[@asleepyflower]

Got the notification for this and sprang for my laptop lol Love these deep dives

[@TonisonConstructson]

SAME! I drop pretty much any other video for Ethan

[@arunthebuffoon4554]

Yeah, these are so useful and educational. Even when the difference is negligible, it allows me to be _mindful_ of my cooking techniques

[@tanyadrochner2105]

So good! Love your videos. I always learn so much and I appreciate your scientific approach for the layman. :)

[@palhargitai]

Instead of caramelizing onions for each dish I make an onion marmelade every couple of weeks and use that for dishes when I want some caramelized onions but I can't be bothered to make those at that time specifically (which is often). Also it seems I haven't been keeping up with your videos enough as I just noticed the different colors and the very consistent language when discussing the various experiences, it's makes it much easier to follow.

[@stevek6636]

I've actually wondered all these things but it's just like going out of your way to find this information is not something you normally think of. Thank you for making a video of this.

[@TedBarton91]

You rock Ethan. Love the long format and happy you’re willing to take the time needed to thoroughly explain a topic rather than rush it through. ❤❤

[@scottwayland1821]

In terms of both raw and cooked, I think there are two variables and techniques that are relevant to the study: rinse and cut angle. When you rinse white onion before it goes into a dish or salsa for instance, perhaps we might observe the differences between white and other varieties. The other aspect is how the longitudinal vs. horizontal cutting works to maintain the cell integrity and net transport of flavors and fluid as the pieces are cooked

[@MaxxPwrrr]

What do you mean by "rinsing" exactly? Like, rinsing them once they've been chopped?!?!

[@stephenrobb8759]

​@@MaxxPwrrr... I rinse onions after cutting if they are too strong . I get horrible headaches if I don't.

[@MaxxPwrrr]

@@stephenrobb8759 oh wow, that's so interesting!

[@arex20]

Great video, man. I always wondered about the difference and you answered my questions! Thanks!

[@harsh3948]

Ethan please do a deep dive into how much oil is needed to actually cook. Like a spray vs a tablespoon. In my experience the taste doesn’t change as much

[@AscendtionArc]

Unless the oil is heavily flavoured, it's more about speed and sticking, though to much oil can dilute flavours on your tongue. With a lot of oil, you can crank up the heat and stir less, with a film, you'll need to stir a lot, or add liquid.

[@harsh3948]

@@AscendtionArc Yes, but a lot of time traditional cooking never specifies the exact amount needed (a lot just eyeball it) and this ends up adding a ton of calories. for example, my friends always try to coat the entire pan with the oil straight by pouring it down from the bottle because they "feel" it prevents sticking and helps browning faster (as opposed to taking a small amount and spreading it manually with a tissue). A lot of food recipe channels on youtube do this mistake as well. This is obviously bad when the pan is bigger than a scrambled egg one lol. We are also then raised to believe that the less/no oil version is now "blander" & harder to cook and this makes it harder to switch to a healthy cooking style.

[@Jason-tz7ir]

​@@harsh3948 clearly you just don't cook much... How much oil you need is so broad he'd need to make a 24 hour video... Your oil issue is experience based. Start cooking and you'll figure it out.

[@drshaynescott]

Oh i think i disagree with your view. My parents dry fry everything or just use a little spray oil because they are often calorie conscious and i feel their food has terrible texture and lacking in flavour as a result

[@1Hippo]

@@harsh3948 Oil doesn't speed up browning, just makes it more even. If you do a no oil version the heat transfer happens only on some small spots where it touches the pan, which will burn fast. On all other areas happens no maillard reaction so the majority of new flavour is missing. Also some compounds are only fat soluble, if you don't use anything that can change the taste significantly. Most foods are only able to soak up little, at that point it doesn't matter how much is left in the pan. I like to use rather more than necessary instead of too little. High quality oils are not unhealthy, they provide essential fatty acids. In addition the digestion and energy release is really slow. Anyway if calorie reduction is a concern I would look more into reducing processed foods with high sugar content. Especially simple sugars go extremely fast into the blood and it's possible to eat an insane amount without feeling full. I don't see a problem with oil/fat usage in home cooking.

[@floraidh4097]

One thing to consider is the color of your leftovers, because I made tuna noodle casserole with red onions once, cause it was what I had on hand. It was some nice color added to a very white meal on the first day. I barely like the meal on a good day, but when I got it out to reheat the leftovers the lovely red had turned a milky grayish blue. It was more than a little off putting.

[@melissaharris3389]

It's the anthocyanin that makes the onion (and a lot of other food) red-purple. It changes color based on pH, like red cabbage. So it can turn bluish when in an alkaline environment and very red/pink in acid. This color change isn't usually noticeable in Indian food because the gravy is colored with turmeric and chilies.

[@GaryMarkowski]

Lan Lam has a nice technique for browning meat, onions, and mushrooms. You can add water when first starting to cook, and turn up the heat. The water prevents the temp from getting higher than 212 F. After 5 - 10 minutes, the water will be cooked off. Turn down the temp to medium and add a little oil. This will cut down the cooking time in half. I have tried this and it works nicely. Thanks for this video! 🫕🍲😀

[@benhaze1010]

Love love love these amazing informational videos! I always struggle deciding which onion type to buy...

[@mikeschmitty4438]

Im not crying, you're crying.... cause this channel is so good!

[@TheHoplight]

Really love this deep dive data heavy stuff. It's obvious to me that you put alot of time and effort into your content. Keep up the good work man!

[@Scudzzorz15]

I seriously love watching you actually miss the test. I'll watch it forever....

[@pinaypie4]

Finally someone answered my curiosity , like sometimes while cooking I often ask myself why was the difference between red and white onion. Thank you for this :)

[@blainebickle1178]

This is exactly the kind of unique content I love about your channel. You're a huge asset to home cooks!

[@AJHuyer]

Great video Ethan. I feel like your content has been constantly improving for a long time. It's on such a high level now, with excellent pacing, editing and of course the fascinating content.

[@peaceofedenhomestead841]

Great video! I love your deep dives, and I'm really looking forward to even deeper dives in your new channel. I already subscribed, even though you haven't been able to produce any content yet. :)

[@Texsoroban]

Man I love your content. I have been under the impression for decades that white onions were strong, yellow were milder and red milder still. Now my world has been turned upside down, and I'm going to be doing onion experiments when I get home.

[@erikeaston2783]

LOVE this video on onions… you do an AMAZING job of comparing and answering questions that nearly ALL of us home cooks have (I assume). Thank you for your content! NEVER STOP! I learn SO MUCH from your vids!

[@themroc8231]

An important quality of onions is their ability to retain liquid. Here in argentina for example we use them in meat empanadas to make a mix that is dry enough not to make the dough soggy when you cook them, but will be incredibly juicy when you bite into them. You have to put a lot of onions and cook them to the right point so their taste is not overwhelming.

[@Thingsthatgopew22]

And also, schallots are supposed to not break down as much during long cooking times. At least thats what I was told in culinary school, but I have never tested it. But it seems like schalottes turn out much more "together" after two hours in the oven compared to yellow onions. That might be a great feature when making a sauce, where you would like a smooth texture and full flavor. Simply pass the sauce through a strainer and the onions stay behind.

[@jeremiahhazelton4496]

Love the content! I have definitely learned a lot from your videos and you do a very good job of presenting the information in a reasonably objective way. I couldn't help but notice that some of the music chosen to accompany the video could have been better and the mix was a little off. Again, I love the content and your channel is doing good things for people looking to get into cooking. I hope my criticism is helpful to you.

[@kinexkid]

I don't think pearl onions are a mature variety, they have to be either sets or early harvest. When you let onions get to that second growing season and get into full growth, I've noticed that they will almost always differentiate in the center. Like when you cut open a large yellow onion, there's a good chance of the outer layers being full circles, but the center will be two separate growing half circles. I love strong flavors, especially vinegar and onions, so I've always loved cocktail onions as a snack since I was a kid and ive eaten more of them than i can count. And I have never once encountered a cocktail onion, which is a pearl onion, that had those two half circles in the center. It was always just the early growth of full circles all the way down to the very center

[@EthanChlebowski]

Yea I was kind of leaning towards them being an early second season harvest, but it wasn’t super clear!

[@Gtstreet84]

I love these videos. Thank you so much for doing these. Please keep them coming. So much fun to watch!

[@ivy_inferno]

I switched from yellow onions to shallots in my rosée sauce a couple of months ago and it was a game changer, it's so much better! I'm glad I tried it :)

[@WoodsintheBurg94]

I switched from yellow onion to shallots in my mushroom gravy, and I could tell the difference.

[@mustwereallydothis]

I completely misread the poll question with the caramelized onions. To be more specific, I didn't really read it at all. I quickly skimmed the question and went with my assumptions. I thought you were asking which batch I preferred, the ones cooked longer or those cooked for less time. I was utterly convinced that each picture was unique, becoming darker as the cooking time increased. I percieved a huge color and texture difference between all the photos. Imagine my shock upon learning that they were all identical. The human mind is wild sometimes

[@random-style]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="278">04:38</a> Sign here if you also want "nipple" to finally be recognized as an official measurement unit (and don't tell me he said another word or I'll sue you) 👇

[@nancyneyedly4587]

"Nickel" the CC confirms it.

[@random-style]

​@@nancyneyedly4587 I would sue you so hard that you wouldn't be able to sit on a chair

[@Dealman15]

@@nancyneyedly4587 Yeah, it doesn't even sound remotely close to nipple. Some people just hear what they want to hear.

[@InsomniaCast]

It is 100% nickel and is said correctly. It also makes since in the context. You just have a dirty mind :D

[@PissBoys]

We Americans will use literally anything but the metric system.

[@Czeslaw_cn4tv]

Love these videos. It helps so much to understand the variables in cooking without having to do all the experimentation.

[@YourIdeologyIsDelusional]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2553">42:33</a> You were making birista with less oil than normal, up until the point you added water. You make Birista in mostly the same way, you pull the onions out before they get dark brown, and throw them on a paper towel where they finish browning and crisp up as the hot oil drips off. And yes, you get a less sweet and more savory, fried taste, which is perfect for Indian food. Birista is used in Biryani and as a crispy sprinkle to top curries.

[@KarissaPukas]

I just love these videos so much 💗 thanks again!

[@jan-hendrikmoritz8546]

One point for me is how big the onion is. Here in Europe most of them are medium size. Where I live, red onions are quite small so I pay the same price/kg but have more skin to peel/ throw away Surface m² to Volume m³ ratio. So I only buy them, when friends come along and the visuals are a factor.

[@melissaharris3389]

Where I live red onions are generally larger!

[@jwdex]

You can tell a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and more tears went into this one

[@bkaley8974]

Awesome presentation! On a side note...When I make chicken or tuna or salmon salad using diced onions, carrots, celery, broccoli, olives, my house smells predominantly of onion for many hours. As does when I prepare spaghetti sauce. I really love raw and cooked onions. This video really educated me!. I need to get shallots and experiment. I do remember High school chef class. We tested the difference between an apple and onion with our noses blocked. No one could tell the difference! Thanks again!

[@MusashiOf5Rings]

I'm new to the channel and this is an excellent video. I've watched a few others and looked at the website and I really like all of it. The thing I think you should add, though, is a section on knife skills on the website. That's been my biggest struggle as I try to improve.