Copycat French's Fried Onions Recipe from Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What can I substitute for French's fried onions? ›

Onion not cut small enough. Onion has a lot of moisture in it. If it's too thick it'll soften and cook rather than crisp. Use a mandolin slicer to slice it as thin as possible.

Heat oil or butter over medium-high heat until hot in a large skillet or pan. Use about 1 Tbsp. fat per small to medium onion (you can use just about any fat).

French's® Crispy Fried Onions are made with only carefully sourced, whole yellow globe onions, not from by-products, to deliver an exceptional texture and craveable flavor. Our fresh onions are fried in trans-fat-free oil, immediately after cutting to maintain their natural sweetness and pungency.

The vinegar soak did rid the onions of much of their burn, but it was replaced by an equally strong sour taste, even after thorough rinsing. Milk was also very effective at removing the sulfur compounds, but it left the onions tasting washed-out.

Crisp fried onions

Crispy deep fried onions are called "French fried onions" in Southern cooking of the United States. Smaller and irregularly shaped (from being deep-fried until they are crunchy) onions are an integral part of the American dish green bean casserole.

Caramelizing or sauteing onions on low or moderate heat causes a reaction between the sugars and the proteins. The onions turn brown, the sugars come free, and the sulphuric compounds react over and over until the pungent flavor is gone and the sweet sugar flavor remains.

When preparing raw onions, soak in cold water before hand to remove some of the pungency and soften the flavor. However since soaking too long will dilute the flavor, soaking in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes is recommended. Squeeze out excess water before using.

You should follow the recipe as usual but to ensure the onions will stay crispy, we recommend that you do not place the onions on top until you are ready to reheat. What is the shelf life of French's® French Fried Onions? The shelf life of French's® French Fried Onions is 18 months from the date of manufacture.

The salt helps bring the moisture out of the onions. It will help them cook down and brown up a little bit faster, so you get a nicer, deeper, browner flavor. They sweat a little bit with the salt.

Should you salt onions before frying? ›

If you haven't been adding salt to your onions as they cook in this way, you'll want to start. According to The Splendid Table, adding salt to onions immediately after placing them in a hot pan to sauté is an indispensable step. The outlet notes that this is what draws the moisture out of the onions through osmosis.

This means frying gently, stirring often until they are soft enough to squish easily between you fingers but are still not the slightest bit brown. It will take you about 10 minutes to reach this point. Cook until golden or brown. If you want golden onions then turn up the heat a little, but not beyond medium.

The heat and the salt will draw the moisture out of the onions, thus 'sweating' them. Onions will also start to glisten and look wet (ie, "sweaty"!). It sometimes helps to cover the pan at this stage to encourage the release of moisture, but be sure you check your onions and stir them frequently.

Onion rings are thick cut and battered and intended to be a side dish. French fried onions are thin cut,and fried plain or lightly dredged in corn starch and are used as a condiment/garnish/topping.

Caramelized onions are slow-cooked to achieve a sweet and tender result, while onions fried in the French style are quickly deep-fried to become crispy and retain a more pronounced onion flavor. The choice between the two depends on the desired taste and texture in your culinary creations.