Red Onions ?

[Asha]

my dh and i are currently having a debate. he says you can just substitute red onions for yellow or vidalia onions when cooking. i say no way. though, i can't give him a substantiated argument why. can anyone tell me something that would make sense to my dh why you cannot use red onions for a substitute? or if i am the wrong one here, please tell me so too. :D

[bookworm]

You can, but the flavor will be slightly different (not enough to matter to me). I'd say red onion is sharper than yellow, and vidalias are much sweeter than either of them (and my favorite).

[maplekitty]

I agree with PP...you technically *could* substitute, but the taste wont be exactly the same.

[Rose]

For me, it would depend on the recipe. The flavor of a red onion can just be too strong for certain things IMO.

[tenofcups]

I almost always use red onions, regardless of what a recipe calls for. I'm surprised, though, to read the opinions that they're sharper or stronger than yellow ones since to my taste, they're more mild but more flavorful in a more pleasant way.

[KarenS]

I agree with tenofcups. I think they're more flavorful and not as bitter or biting as yellow varieties. Vidalias are slightly sweeter, and regular yellow ones have the sharpest flavor, to me. Of course the real difference comes out when they're cooked. Vidalias carmelize the best because they have more sugar. And I love red ones raw in salads, or with cucumber and tomatoes.

But really you can sub any onion for any onion in most recipes and not be able to tell the difference.

Karen

[Asha]

oh, i guess i have lost that debate. shucks!!! in my ghetto neighborhood, it is impossible to find the vidalia onions which don't make us cry, and i can only use the yellow ones which make us cry for hours. my dh wants me to just use the red ones which don't make us cry either, but i told them they are only for salads. i suppose i will try making chili tonight with the red ones, and see how it turns out.

[Asha]

thanks everyone for letting me know it was ok to use red onions. i ended up using them in the chili, and it still turned out yummy.

[vee05]

i just make 4 big cuts and throw them into the mini food processor...and let it sit for a while ...or if u wanna chop.....cut to 4 pieces then wash them :D under cold water...and chop...no tears :)

[Asha]

well, the previous yellow onion chopping put dh into a very cranky mood claiming he didn't sleep most of the night bc his eyes were burning. i don't want to put him through that again. generally, if i chop the yellow onions wearing my contact lenses i have no problem, but dh doesn't wear contacts. now ,that its warmer i guess it wouldn't be so bad bc i can just open the windows and turn on the fans to let the fumes escape the house.

[Asha]

oh, i actually had a friend who was renting a room in someone's house. the "landlord" told her she wasn't allowed to cook with onions or garlic in the house. my friend thought it was a silly request so she continued to cook with onions and garlic. the lady actually kicked her out of the house for cooking with onions and garlic, and she only gave her a week to get out of the house.

[prudies]

I use substitute red onions whenever I can because I think they're so much tastier! I really, really love them.

[alisong]

Psst Asha, if you refrigerate your onions prior to chopping them they won't make you cry (don't store them in the fridge, obviously, but get them cold before you cut them).

[Asha]

i do store my onions in the fridge and it doesn't help. we store them in the fridge bc a few mos back we had serious mice issues and i was reading that they like to eat onions.