Onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, garlic, and chives are certainly different from each other, but they share common chemical elements and flavor characteristics that bind them together in the allium group.

Onions – Onions, Allium cepa, are categorized into two primary classifications, Fall/Winter Storage Hots and Spring/Summer Sweets.  Many are passionate about one type of onion or another; we like both and enjoy the change in availability as the seasons shift.

Fall/Winter Storage Hots:  Through nature’s benevolence, storage onions come perfectly packaged in several layers of papery thin skins that protect the inner, juicy flesh.  Storage onions contain greater amounts of the onion’s famous sulfurous compounds, and impart a stronger punch than the Spring/Summer Sweets.  Storage onions are grown to full maturity as evidenced by wilted tops, left to dry in the ground for a period, then harvested and set to dry and cure.  Common Fall/Winter storage onions include: Spanish, Yellows, Whites, Pearls, and Boilers.

Spring/Summer Sweets:  These onions are grown in mild climates and harvested in the spring and early summer.  Sweet onions have only two-thirds the sugar of a storage onion.  Their milder taste is due to a lower sulfur content, not more sugar.  The sulfurs in onions are protective to the plant in many ways; the lower content in the sweet onions is responsible for their more perishable nature.   Thanks to some fantastic marketing, we know these onions by their famed names and growing location:  Vidalias from Vidalia, Georgia, Walla Wallas from Walla Walla, Washington, Mauis from Maui, Hawaii, and Texas 1015Ys. 

Hot or sweet, onions are highly dependent on their growing environment.  The onion’s bulb begins to swell only when the number of daylight hours reaches the genetically defined requirement.  The final flavor and quality of the onion is reliant on the growing soil, the temperature, and the amount of water available.  A soil high in sulfates will produce a stronger flavored onion.  The hotter the temperature, the hotter the flavor.  The less water available, the more concentrated and stronger the flavor. 

Shallots – Shallots, Allium oshaninii, are magical alliums that possess a mild onion flavor making them a perfect seasoning for fresh vinaigrettes and subtle sauces.  Under the multiple layers of protective, red-brown, papery skins, shallots carry a light hint of purple coloring in their flesh.  Shallots grow in tight bunches giving the bulbs a distinctive shape.  A true shallot will have a flat side where it has been crowded up against its sibling.  The root end may connect two or more bulbs together or display evidence of a second bulb having been attached at one time.  Shallots store well in a cool, dry location, and are an essential kitchen staple.

Leeks – Leeks, Allium porrum, appear in the markets as a bunch of giant scallions.  Prized for their flavor and texture, leek dishes are fully-flavored and mild in their cooked state.  The adjective, “silky,” is often associated with various leek preparations from vichyssoise to leek tarts.  Only the white and lightest green portions of the leek are considered edible.  Growing leeks involves the mounding of dirt around the leek as it grows to reduce chlorophyll development and maximizing the amount of white area.  This heaping of dirt is responsible for making leeks notoriously sandy inside its layers.  Split the trimmed leeks lengthwise and fan the layers under running water to remove all residual dirt and sand.  Ramps are wild mountain leeks available in the springtime, and known for their pungent flavor.

Scallions – Scallions, Allium fistulosum, are also commonly termed green, or spring onions.  Unlike their other alliaceous cousins, the green top of the scallion is used just as much as the white bulb.  Raw or cooked, the scallion is a classic signature ingredient in Chinese and Japanese cuisines.  Scallions turn into easy garnishes when thinly sliced, or delicately sculpted into brushes or flowers.

Garlic – Garlic, Allium sativum, deserves a newsletter all to itself!  Suffice it to say it is a favored cousin to the onion imparting a similar, yet distinctive flavor to a multitude of dishes in nearly every culinary tradition.  A garlic bulb grows underground with green leaves like an onion, but forms cloves around a central core instead of concentric layers.  You’ll often find recipes that admonish you to take care in sautéing minced garlic.  Garlic contains less moisture than other allium bulbs and dehydrates and browns more quickly when heated.  As well, garlic possesses a compound that yields a bitterness when overheated.

Chives – Chives, Allium schoenoprasum, are prized for their green parts but not their bulb.  The tubular stems grow in bunches nearly everywhere and belong in any respectable herb garden.  Similar to the shallot, it helps to think of chives as more of an herbal seasoning than a vegetable served on its own.  Snip chives to top a dish, or mix in a sauce.  In season, the lovely purple chive blossom is a beautiful addition to a salad or as a garnish.

Onions have a notorious reputation for making us cry, affecting our breath, and altering the air quality in our kitchens.  But the very chemistry responsible for these challenging situations is the heart of the alchemy that onions give to our favorite recipes.

Why do we cry when slicing an onion?
Inside onion cells is an enzyme that when cut and exposed to air becomes energized and acts on other exposed onion cell substances, specifically amino acid sulfoxides.  This interaction produces sulfenic acids that release as a volatile gas.  When the gas contacts the moisture in our eyes, a weak version of sulfuric acid is formed.  The dilute sulfuric acid is an irritant to our eyes, and causes them to produce tears to wash away the problem. 

How can the crying be eliminated?
Onion breeders are busy developing a “tearless onion,” but that won’t be available for several years.  Meanwhile, the host of remedies to reduce crying from onions ranges from effective to silly.  The theory behind these techniques is to minimize the amount of sulfurous gas produced and/or limit the exposure of the eyes to the gas. Here are a few techniques we’ve collected:

Onion Goggles

You need a strategy when tackling an onion!  Remember that working quickly will minimize your exposure to the “onion fumes.”  Your strategy will differ based on the desired outcome – slices or dices – but it all starts with a good knife:

Fine Cutlery

Use a Sharp Knife – A sharp knife is the best weapon when confronting an onion.  A keen edge will easily cut through the onion flesh with a minimal amount of bruising and excess release of the noxious gases.  An onion requires a knife with a sturdy blade, one that is not too flexible, and one that is large enough to handle the onion’s size. 

If you haven’t updated your knives in recently, you’ll be amazed and pleased with the fine quality choices available!  We proudly carry ?Wusthof-Trident, J.A. Henckels, Masahiro, Mercer, Kai/Shun, Forschner, Global, Kyocera, Kikuichi and Mac, and would be pleased to assess your needs and make a recommendation.

Onion Holder

It’s easy to tell if your knife is sharp; it glides easily and effortlessly through your food.  As well, hold the knife under a bright light with the sharp edge facing you.  The light should gleam evenly off the edge.  A nick in the edge is revealed if the reflection is interrupted at any point.

Mandoline

Slicing –  When you desire onion slices, start cutting at the stem end of the onion.  An onion holder is helpful in stabilizing the round bulb while slicing.  (It’s also good for tomatoes, potatoes, and many other fruits and vegetables). 
For perfect slices, thick or thin, a mandoline or a hand-held slicer is the perfect tool.  The sharp, sharp blade is wide enough and strong enough to slice through any onion.  Always use the mandoline’s holder to grasp the onion (or any food) and safely slice in less than a minute to your desired thickness.

Onion Dicer

Dicing – Again, a sharp knife makes quick work of the onion task.  Halve the onion, stem to root, and place the cut side face down on the cutting board.  Leaving the root end intact, make several vertical cuts parallel with the stem to root line, in the width of the desired dice.  Make one or two horizontal cuts toward the root end, but leaving it intact.  Ninety degrees from the first vertical cuts make vertical slices, and the dice will fall away.

With storage onions, you may be able to peel back the outer layers and form an impromptu handle for holding the onion.

A vegetable dicer creates a perfect dice with one strong push.  The speed and catch-all tray minimize fume exposure.

Five-Bladed Herb Scissors

Tip #2:  Use a medium-to-low heat when sautéing onions.  Doing so will avoid a bitter result typically found when high heat is used.

Tip #3:  To reduce the potency of an onion, rinse the slices or dices in cold water.  Some recommend soaking the cut onion in milk, then rinsing with water prior to use.

Tip #4:  To prevent whole onions from “popping out” when grilling or roasting, pierce through the onion in a couple of locations to create a few steam vents.

Tip #5: Harvest chives while they're in season. Use multi-bladed herb scissors to snip chives, (or any herb), and freeze them immediately.

Onion Saver

Q:   What’s the best way to store onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, garlic, and chives?
A:   Store leeks, scallions, and chives in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.  Shallots, garlic, and storage onions may be stored in a cool, dry environment.  Sweet onions may be stored in a cool, dry environment but for a limited amount of time.  Their paper skins are not as thick and protective as the multiple layers found on storage onions.  Store the onions in a single layer with plenty of air circulation; do not store in a plastic bag.

Q:  What’s the best way to store a half-used onion?
A:   When you only need a portion of an onion, use the stem end of the onion first. Store the onion cut side down in zippered plastic bag, or in an Onion Saver.  (The Onion Saver is effective in keeping onion odor in and not affecting the rest of your refrigerator).  Alternatively, if you plan to use the remainder of the onion within 5-6 days, dice or slice the whole onion and store the unused portion in your refrigerator in secure wrapping.

Microplane Fine Grater for Juicing

Q:  My recipe calls for “onion juice.”  How do I obtain that?
A:  For small amounts of onion juice, cut the onion in half leaving the skin on.  Juice the onion half with a citrus juicer just like you would an orange.  Alternatively, grate the onion with a Microplane or very fine grater.  For larger quantities of onion juice, employ an electrical juicing machine

Q:  Occasionally, the onions and garlic I’ve stored have sprouted a green shoot in the stem end.  Is it still ok to use?
A:  Use of a sprouted bulb is not harmful, but the bulb will have withered and not have the full flavor or tender texture you expect.  Using the bulb as stored food, the sprout extracts moisture and cell material from the bulb.  The sprouts, however, are enjoyable to eat and use; simply snip them into your preparation with your kitchen scissors.

Onions, Onions, Onions, Delicious Recipes for the World’s Favorite Secret Ingredient by Linda and Fred Griffith.  Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY.

Simultaneously entertaining and informative, this single subject cookbook is a delightful excursion through the world of onions.  The Griffiths have taken a broad view of this common vegetable and brought an elevated consciousness of its existence to the reader.  The book covers the historical perspective of onions through the ages, spans a multitude of literary references to the humble bulb, interviews famed cooks about their onion attitudes and tricks, but ultimately focuses on using the onion through the presentation of more than 200 recipes showcasing this common vegetable.  The book is chock-full of interesting sidebars and chapter interludes that deepen your appreciation for the onion, its growers, variations, and a host of other fascinating information.  We had a hard time choosing which recipes to feature below, and know you’ll be challenged, as well, about where to start and stop with this book!

Sweet onions are at the height of their season right now. Any one of these recipes will do justice to this powerful vegetable. Each of the recipes will showcase your culinary talents with the onion and be instant additions to your recipe box!

Baked Red Onions Stuffed with Wild Rice, Spinach & Mushrooms
Doubling as a side dish to grilled meats, or as a vegetarian entrée, these baked onions make a beautiful presentation.  The purple of the onion, the green of the spinach, and the earthy browns of the wild rice and mushrooms pose elegantly on the plate.  But as good as these stuffed onions look, the taste is out of this world – sweet, savory, and thoroughly satisfying!  The dish may easily be made ahead of time and baked at the right time.  The leftovers, if there are any, reheat nicely for a worthy reprise.

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