Onions

One of the most important ingredients in the kitchen, onions are used in just about every nation’s cuisine, adding a depth of flavour to dishes, although they are a delicious vegetable in their own right.

Most of the onions we use in cooking are the brown or yellow-skinned variety, available year round. Baby onions, small white- or brown-skinned onions, are good for pickling but can also be added whole to stews and casseroles. They are sometimes called pearl or pickling onions. The Spanish onion, or yellow Spanish onion, is a large variety, popular for use in salads because of its juicy, mild-flavoured flesh. Red onions are good in salads, adding both flavour and colour. When cooked, red onions have less flavour than other varieties, although they can be slightly sweeter. Confusingly, in Australia, red onions are sometimes called Spanish onions.