If one of the secrets of the best kitchens lies in the care of their broths and stocks, the other could be found in the care with which the sauces are made, the foundations of a multitude of preparations. Y there is no good sauce without its poached oniona basic technique that any professional must master, such as breathing, whose practice in home cooking will substantially improve our dishes.
According to the Royal Academy, ‘pochar’ comes from the French pochertranslated as ‘poach’, and defines it thus:
- tr. Slow fry food. ‘He poached an onion’. U. tc prnl.
We have it so linked to the onion itself that even the RAE uses it as an example to illustrate its meaning, although we can really poach others ingredients, with or without onion, such as leek, celery, carrot, mushrooms, courgette, tomato, cabbage, etc. In general, it is applied to vegetables, vegetables and mushrooms, and it is a technique that works especially well with foods rich in water.
More than frying, if we get more technical, poaching consists of cook gently with very little fat a food, over low heat, allowing its own juices -water or fat- to be released, barely stirring, and without letting it brown or stick to the bottom. The objective is to obtain a soft texture and tender, more or less caramelized but not toasted and always avoiding a crunchy texture.
The onion is the star ingredient in this technique, as it is present in a huge variety of recipes of all types and conditions, and in practically all the cuisines of the world. Closely linked to Mediterranean cuisine, it cannot be lacking in America, Africa or Asia, where it comes from. The poached onion is a bit like the cement of stir-fries, sauces, stews, stews, stews, soups, creams, purees, tortillas, scrambled eggs and more.
It is such a basic technique that it is often overlooked or neglected; let’s see how to embroider it at home with some tips and basics.
what onion to use
Any variety of onion will be worth it to poach it. It depends a bit on taste, availability or the recipe itself, which usually indicates it, although we can often replace it with another that we have more on hand. Ideally, the sweetest and freshest onion It will be the one that provides the best results, since it will have more water, more sugar and less sulfur.
Thus, we can prioritize the call sweet onionbut also spring onions, shallots and medium-sized white onions, even red onions -although these are used more raw-, ensuring that they are fresh and youths. The older they are, the more water and flavor they lose, and they acquire an unpleasant texture that tends to brown too much when cooked.
what is the best cut
The type of cut directly influences the enzymatic reactions and in the taste of onion. If we cut it into two halves, lengthwise, we will see that it is made up of oval parts or cells that point up and down, the ends of the root and the stem.
At the time of poaching we want the onion fire resistance a long time without going overboard, and that in the end it gives us an intense but soft flavor, sweet, not pungent or violent to the sense of smell or palate. We seek, therefore, that by cutting it we minimize these enzymatic reactions.
For this, it is best to apply a cut parallel to the ends, vertical, going through the body of the bulb from top to bottom with the knife. The easiest thing is to slightly cut the ends crosswise, as if we were removing some caps, to leave a flat surface that helps us keep the onion firm against the board. Also cut it first in two, in half, from end to end, support that scarred face on the board and continue cutting it into parallel pieces from end to end.
Once cut into parallel slices, we can chop it more or less finely. How much More smalls whatever the dice, the faster it will poach, releasing more juices and sugars, achieving a more homogeneous, soft and tender result.
This cutting method is not a set rule; the onion can also be poached cut crosswise, julienned or in feathers, and the recipe may expressly ask us to do so. But if we are looking for a sublime poached, it is preferable to apply the vertical cut before chopping it into small dice.
how long to cook
The answer is simple: the maximum we can, within reasonable limits. Ideally we will have the fire to the minimum possible until achieving a chup chup soft, without reaching the point of frying or strong boiling, with the lid on so that the heat does not escape and also speed up the time.
Poaching onions needs at least 10 minutes, but we recommend extending it for at least 20-30 minutes. If it is lengthened even more, especially when mixing the onion with other ingredients, we will achieve a much more pronounced and less aggressive flavor, with an exquisite texture. If there is time, don’t be afraid to poach the onion for a long hour.
Final advice and recommendations
The practice and experience they make a good cook, and in the end you learn on the fly to set your own times. Not all onions react the same, nor do all dishes require the same patience to obtain good results.
When you go to dedicate time to it, use more onion than you would normally use in a hurry, as it will shrink a lot. If you add a pinch of salt, the water will begin to sweat sooner, and it will cook better in a pan or casserole non-stick that transmits and conserves heat well, such as those made of cast iron or vitrified. Use the minimum fat and also try others other than extra virgin olive oil to experience other flavors, such as Buttervirgin coconut oil, fat from ham, chorizo or bacon, or even poultry fat.
in recipes with meats, sausages or fatty fish, you can brown these ingredients first to release their fat and flavors; strain the excess a little and take advantage of the remains to poach the onion with those tasty fats. Wait for the onion it is already somewhat soft and transparent before adding the garlic, if it has it, and let it release its aroma to then add the other vegetables to the poached sauce.
In the preparation of sofritos, where we want all the vegetables to melt in the same intense sauce, times can be accelerated by leaving the onion to fry alone for fewer minutes, or by combining it directly from the beginning with other vegetables such as leek or celery. The tomato, yes, goes better towards the end, because it will release a lot of water.
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3 Claveles – Forged Chef Knife, Matte Polished, Stainless Steel, Toledo line – (20cm – 8″)
Photos | iStock – Framework Verch licensed under Creative Commons 2.0
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