Half Microwaved Half Baked French Onion Soup Bett

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Half Microwaved/Half Baked French Onion Soup: Better Soup, less crying!
by compatta on January 15, 2011 Table of Contents Half Microwaved/Half Baked French Onion Soup: Better Soup, less crying! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Half Microwaved/Half Baked French Onion Soup: Better Soup, less crying! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: Cut the Onions and...Microwave them! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Caramelize and Deglaze the onions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Add onions to crock pot, have on high for 3 hours (or more!) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Pour and Serve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 6 8 9
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Half-MicrowavedHalf-Baked-French-Onion-Soup-Bett/
Author:compatta
i am just like any other guy. i like to build stuff and make stuff (yes, that does include cooking and not neccesarily mechanical car work)
Intro: Half Microwaved/Half Baked French Onion Soup: Better Soup, less crying!
I have a good feeling that a lot of our members at Instructables have probably never ever tasted what really good french onion soup tastes like because just like any good soup, its takes lots of sweat, tears, and time to make a really good French Onion Soup. As i've made some pretty good French Onion Soup in the past, I want to share with you a new technique of how to prepare French Onion Soup. (I believe its French because it supposedly involves the use of sherry in the Soup). The essentials of making really good french onion soup are: -Not merely sweated or sauted onions, but rather a nice golden brown onion slivers that have a bit of gooeyness, sweetness, and intensity of flavor due to converting the natural starches within the Onion to nice Caramel overtones. -Twice as much Onion as a regular recipe. I really love the onions and can't get enough of it. -Piece of stale/Toasted bread to go on top of the French onion Soup. (Croutons) -Time to simmer in all the flavors. The recipe that i have been really successful with is: 10 lbs Yellow Onions, unpeeled 1/2 cup Real, unsalted butter (1 stick) 1 1/2teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground 2 tablespoons paprika 3 sprigs of thyme 3-14 oz cans of beef broth, divided (recommended Swanson's) 3-14 oz can of chicken broth 1.5 cup dry white wine (optional-I used Chardonnay. Sherry will do fine also) 1/2 cupall-purpose flour (Optional) 3 teaspoons Kosher salt (more to adjust for preference) French baguette or Croutons Swiss, Mozzarella, or Gruyere Cheese. Note : If your going to use Dry white Wine, Use 5lbs of Sweet Onion. Otherwise Any White wine will do (and if your not 21 yet, white grape juice will do fine). Overall, i would recommend users to cook with Yellow onions as A) they are more available and B) May not be as sweet, but than again we don't want to eat candy soup do we?
Image Notes 1. You should have about 10 onions, assuming they weight about 1 lb each. Cut into two polar pieces (meaning cut from top of the stem to the bottom of the root)
Image Notes 1. at the last 10 minutes, make sure it is uncovered so that it can release a bit of its steam.
Image Notes 1. The browned onions after 45 minutes of slaving on the stovetop. This is what the onions look like without the onion juice (which i separated in the microwave and using a collander). Make sure whe your delglazing, to scrape off all the frond/flavor on the sides of the pan (it looks burnt but its seriously really delicious).
Image Notes 1. Afer deglazing the onions with Chardonnay and making sure to scrape all the frond (flavor) off the sides of the cooker, this is the result of all the onions. Imagine only half of this as the original recipe only commanded for 5 lbs of onions.
Image Notes 1. Notice how i threw the garlic in. As Garlic is definitely an aromatic ingredient, it a slight garlic aroma that i really like. Since i didn't slice and dice it, i can remove the Garlic pieces after i think it is done.
Image Notes 1. French Onion Soup in a Porcelain Bowl.
Step 1: Cut the Onions and...Microwave them!

What ingredients are involved in this step -10 lbs of onions. sliced. -1 stick of butter. -Salt -Crushed Black pepper. Yes! The true secret to making really good French Onion soup is making sure that: -The onion is cut into slivers. -The onions are sufficiently sweated. -There is that nice amount of gooeyness to the onions and are naturally brown (you can't really get that from putting them in an oven...you loose that gooeyness) -More Onions are always needed! You ask yourself, "How am i supposed to sweat and caramelize 10 lbs worth of onions?" Well, if you were to use the old style of sweating and caramelizing the onions, you would **EASILY** consume 3 hours with at least 2 cast iron pans constantly attempting to sweat all those onions correctly and making sure we don't introduce any bitter burntness into the onion themselves. *** How to Reduce Crying *** In my mind, the easiest way to reduce crying is simply...Wear goggles. (wearing gogles prevents the sulfuric gases from reacting with the moisture in your eyes...causing you to cry) Don't Have Googles? Place the onions in the refrigerator until they are cold to the touch. (The ideal gas law we learned in chemistry says that gases will stay in solution if they are at a colder temperatures). Don't like doing either? Have a little fan by your cutting area to "blow" the fumes away from you. I am aware there is a
technique to prevent the release of gasses by cutting the onion a certain way, but i even deem that too advanced. ***The No Sweat Technique*** to sweating and cooking onions. By basically putting them into a microwave and covering them with plastic wrap, you are slowly cooking them at 220 degrees Fahrenheit, which happens to be the boiling point of water, and converting the starches inside the onions into sugars without burning them! In order to make the soup extra interesting, we will be: -If doing 4 lbs batches, cover for 15 minutes with plastic wrap. -Add salt and crushed black pepper (about 1 teaspoon-your will have about 3 batches), -mix together. Microwave for an additional 10 minutes uncovered. (Note: You can increase the speed of sweating your onions by using 2 microwaves) Once you sweat them all initially, you want to place them on a plastic collander which sits on a tiny bowl inside of a bigger bowl. This allows for it to further cook while also separating the "onion juice" from the onions itself, helping it further decrease the hydration of the onions. You can taste-test the sweetness of the onions by cooking it in 10 minute intervals and tasting the sweetness of the onions . As long as there is a sufficient mass of moist onion, it will not burn or get too dry. After microwaving each batch for about 20 minutes, pour the liquids into another dish and either A) drink it or B) Use it to Caramelize your onions after they turn brown. Start to immediately Caramelize those ones. Be sure to save that liquid! We will be using it later. By the way, if you ever want to make some really good toasted red potatoes and carrots, marinate them in olive oil, salt, and pepper and microwave them for about 5 minutes covered. This ensures they are moist on the inside and than throw them in the oven to develop a nice crust. SO overall the steps are: 10 minutes covered, add salt, 10 minutes uncovered (repeat for each of the 3 batches) Put all the sweated onions in a collander on top of a bowl inside a larger bowl for 10 minutes. Mix around and sweat for another 10 minutes. (Note: The method is somewhat similar to the Cook Illustrated method, except the Cook Illustrated method assumes you have a dutch oven. By using indirect heat, it allows it to cook the onions at a fast speed without having to slaving the onions for about an hour. This step eliminates the need to sweat it initially and it reduces the volume of the onions so that you can use it for the next step...ideally in the oven inside a crockpot.)
Image Notes 1. This literally made my house reek of nice onions. ummmm....
Image Notes 1. You should have about 10 onions, assuming they weight about 1 lb each. Cut into two polar pieces (meaning cut from top of the stem to the bottom of the root)
Image Notes 1. When cutting onions, make sure to curl your fingers so that your don't cut
Image Notes 1. Imagine you knuckles here. Your knife should be no higher than your
yourself. the knife should be right in front of your knuckles.
knuckles when cutting onions. 2. Notice than when you cut it, the "poles" of the onion should now be perpendicular to your knife. if your confused at all, make sure the sides you cut at 45 degrees are horizontal to you.
Image Notes 1. These were cut 45 degrees on both ends to help take off the skin and make it easy to cut.
Image Notes 1. This is the onion with both sides cut at 45 degrees. Notice the poles look like the magnetic poles of the earth (somewhat).
Image Notes 1. Notice all the onions, Mis en place (everything in place), just ready to cut. When i was cutting my onions, i only cried a bit, but you can definitely decrease the amount of cutting by not placing your head directly above the onions when you cook them.
Image Notes 1. The first 10 minutes in the microwave, make sure they are covered so they steam and cook at a faster rate.
Image Notes 1. at the last 10 minutes, make sure it is uncovered so that it can release a bit of
its steam.
Image Notes 1. This improved Onion cooking technique allows you to slowly dry the onions while also being able to separate the juices from it (so that its not braising the onions in its own juice). 2. Pretty Self Explanatory. Make sure to place the bowl below the PLASTIC (not METAL!!!) collander when placing it inside the microwave.
Image Notes 1. In this modification, it allows the moist onion juice to separate from the onions itself while it cooks in the microwave.
Image Notes 1. This is the remains of theOnion Juice which separated from the onions using our plastic collander device. Seriously addictive stuff. Otherwise, i boiled it a bit to reduce its moisture independent of the onions itself.
Step 2: Caramelize and Deglaze the onions.

Ingredients involves in this step -1.5 Cups Chardonnay -All the onions -1 stick of butter -2 pans (the fastest way) Time = Flavor (and love) Two ways to caramelize onions You can either do the traditional way, which involves 45 minutes of manually stirring the onions on high heat, or you can do the Cook Illustrated method of caramelizing onions (Here is a good illustration: [Link HERE ]. For the container, you can either use a Dutch oven (recommended) or you can use a Crock pot at 400 Degrees (Remember-Caramelization happens at 410 degrees!). I did it the traditional way and it involved 45 minutes of slaving over the onion, slowly! (I only did this because i didn't wanted to be caught placing my moms Crockpot in the stove!) But, if you have a dutch oven or crockpot, i would recommend the Cook illustrated method in which you place the onions inside a crockpot at 400 degrees Fahrenheit inside your home oven and let it slowly caramelize. (no mixing is involved either!) As i did 10 lbs of onions as opposed to 5 lbs, overall the microwave method will save you another hour. **** Deglaze the onions **** Once you are confidant with the browning and flavor development of your yellow onions, place about 1 cup to 1.5 cups of Chardonnay, white wine, or Sherry (Never put red wine in it! Its bitterness and tannins will definitely kill the flavor!!!!) and make sure to scrape the frond on the sides and bottom of your pan to get all those caramelized flavors into your soup. **** Pour the onions into the Crock Pot **** Pour all the onions into the Crockpot. Simple enough right? Well, in order to get the rest of the flavor, i decided to deglaze the pan again (maybe i wanted to clean them with broth...) with Beef broth and made sure all the sides are clean (all onions and flavors should now be submerged in the beef broth). Clean the pans with broth and dump into the crock pot.
Image Notes 1. This is the remains of theOnion Juice which separated from the onions using our plastic collander device. Seriously addictive stuff. Otherwise, i boiled it a bit to reduce its moisture independent of the onions itself.
Image Notes 1. Melt 1 stick of butter and let it melt until it is clear. Add the onions. Notice this is a Non-stick Saucier type pan. As long as its non-stick and has high sides, your good to go.
Image Notes 1. If you were using the Cooks Illustrated method to caramelizing your onions, you would use either a crockpot or dutch oven to slowly caramelize the onions. Indirect heat prevents burning! Image Notes 1. The browned onions after 45 minutes of slaving on the stovetop. This is what the onions look like without the onion juice (which i separated in the microwave and using a collander). Make sure whe your delglazing, to scrape off all the frond/flavor on the sides of the pan (it looks burnt but its seriously really delicious).
Image Notes 1. You'll need your oven at least 400 degrees for at least 1 hour to caramelize your onion (or slower due to convection being less efficient than conductive heat)
Image Notes 1. When deglazing with chardonnay, notice all this Frond on the walls. Pour 1.5
cups of chardonnay and make sure to scrub the walls with a spoons to incorporate all that flavor.
Image Notes 1. Afer deglazing the onions with Chardonnay and making sure to scrape all the frond (flavor) off the sides of the cooker, this is the result of all the onions. Imagine only half of this as the original recipe only commanded for 5 lbs of onions.
Image Notes 1. This step was about deglazing the pan itself with Beef Broth. Other than ensuring it was clean, it definitely contributes to flavor.
Step 3: Add onions to crock pot, have on high for 3 hours (or more!)
Ingredients involved in this step -2 Teaspoons paprika -6 cloves of smashed garlic -64 oz of Garlic Broth and 28 oz of Chicken Broth ***** Garlic ***** Take 6 cloves or pearls from the garlic and cutt the ends off. Put the knife on top of the garlic and smash with your hand. By Smashing with your hand, you crush the garlic and make it easier to separate the skin from the garlic. Throw all 6 of the smashed garlic cloves into the soup. If your a bit more adventurous and have the resources, i would recommend adding either shallots, green onions, or Leeks on top of the pot. Anything from the Onion family will definitely help to improve its flavor. **** Paprika **** Mix in 2 tablespoons of paprika into the soup (enough said!). Give it a bit of spice. **** Thyme **** Mix in 3 sprigs or branches of Thyme into the soup. (Aromatics) **** Cooking settings **** -If you want to eat it within 3 hours, put it on high. -If you want even better flavor, put it on low for at least 6 hours. -If your crazy about flavor, but it on high for 3 hours and let it mingle on the off settings for the remainder of the night. (it will have at least 12 hour of slow flavor! Yummm) As a good cook, make sure to taste your soup and adjust it your preferences.
Image Notes 1. This is the exact mixture of Beef Broth and Chicken Broth that i used. If you feel the mixture is too thick, add a bit more water.
Image Notes 1. Notice this end of the garlic is cut off to make it easier to separate the skin from the garlic itself.
Image Notes 1. You literally crush the garlic with your hand on the knife itself.
Image Notes 1. Notice how i threw the garlic in. As Garlic is definitely an aromatic ingredient, it a slight garlic aroma that i really like. Since i didn't slice and dice it, i can remove the Garlic pieces after i think it is done.
Image Notes 1. Just Throw 3 branches of thyme in.
Step 4: Pour and Serve

After a sufficient amount of time and the Soup has simmered just a bit, If you like a bit thicker consistency, consider adding 1 cup of hot soup to 1/2 Cup of flour and make sure to mix it throughly. Once you mix it thoroughly and it is without clumps, mix it back into the soup. At this step, it is a good idea to taste your soup and adjust it for your preference. -Add a bit more salt if you think its not salty enough -More pepper if you think it needs a bit of kick, -Add Cayenne pepper if you think its too sweet. -Add a bit of Worcestershire sauce to give it more complexity (i forgot mines...) **** How to serve French Onion Soup **** -Now with our delicious French Onion soup, ladle a bit of hot French onion soup into a bowl. (doesn't have to be a Fancy Crock bowl...any bowl will do fine.) Throw some croutons on. (Crouton never go stale...cause they already are stale. If it was my bet, get either a crusty French Baguette or Sourdough to accompany your soup) -Throw some shredded mozarella on the top. (Many suggest Gruyere and Fonntina, But what am i going to use those for? Besides, there expensive and i make lots of pizza anyhow.) -Garnish with a bit of sea salt or kosher Salt to finish it off. -Broil. (you don't need to broil as the heat from the soup will naturally melt the cheese anyways) Your good to go!!! I hope you've learned a good amount of what it takes to make really good french onion soup. Though i could have improved it with making my own broth, its a almost (almost) painless way to make French Onion Soup.
Image Notes 1. 99 cents Baby! Image Notes 1. French Onion Soup in a Porcelain Bowl.
Image Notes 1. With Croutons
Image Notes 1. With Cheese
Image Notes 1. Melted with sharp cheddar and Cotija Cheese. Generally, the dryer the bread, the more liquid that is absorbed. It basically becomes deliciously soggy bread and yummy onions.
Related Instructables
Instant French Onion Soup for < $0.25 by pir8p3t3
Slow French Onion Soup by Abelman
Make Decadent & Delicious French Onion Soup by KayaATX
Fantastic French Onion Soup by deyb1
Vegetarian French Onion Soup by shesparticular
Onion soup by canida
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mdeblasi1 says:
Jan 30, 2011. 10:24 AM REPLY I made this last week for my partner's birthday. Where the garlic idea was concerned I took a cue from French garlic soup. Put the cloves in whole to cook, then pureed the thoroughly softened garlic & returned it to the pot to help thicken the soup. I used about 5 very large cloves for the pot.
the one snow man says:

"Ogres are like onions!"
Jan 27, 2011. 8:00 AM REPLY
mikeasaurus says:
mmm onions!
Jan 21, 2011. 3:25 PM REPLY

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Image Notes 1. French Onion Soup in a Porcelain Bowl.

Step 1: Cut the Onions and...Microwave them!

yourself. the knife should be right in front of your knuckles.

Step 2: Caramelize and Deglaze the onions.

Image Notes 1. Just Throw 3 branches of thyme in.

Step 4: Pour and Serve

Image Notes 1. With Croutons

Image Notes 1. With Cheese

Instant French Onion Soup for < $0.25 by pir8p3t3

Slow French Onion Soup by Abelman

Make Decadent & Delicious French Onion Soup by KayaATX

Fantastic French Onion Soup by deyb1

Vegetarian French Onion Soup by shesparticular

Onion soup by canida

the one snow man says:

Jan 27, 2011. 8:00 AM REPLY

Jan 21, 2011. 3:25 PM REPLY

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