7 Ways to Remove the Bitterness From Onions

How to get rid of the bitter onion taste? We prepared some tricks to help you eliminate the onion bitterness and fully enjoy your meal.

Cover with boiling water

You’ll need:

• an onion

• a small bowl

• hot water

The process:

1. Peel the onion, chop it, and put it into the bowl.

2. Boil water, pour it over the onion, and leave for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Drain the water and let the onion cool.

Rinse with cold water

You’ll need:

• an onion

• a colander

• cold water

The process:

1. Peel the onion, chop it, and put it into the colander.

2. Place the colander under running cold water and rinse the onion for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Let the water drain and use the onion for cooking.

Option: To remove an onion’s bitterness, you can also cover it with ice water for a few minutes.

Use salt

You’ll need:

• an onion

• a small bowl

• 1 cup of water

• 1 tbsp of salt

The process:

1. Peel the onion, chop it, and put it into a bowl.

2. Add salt to the cup of water, and stir the mixture.

3. Cover the onion with the salty water and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Drain the water and use the onion for cooking.

Important: If you cut the onion into big pieces, it may take longer to get rid of the bitterness. Take this into account.

Option: You can also use salt without water. Sprinkle the chopped onion well with salt and let it sit for about 15 minutes. The strong bitterness will go away.

Add lemon juice

You’ll need:

• an onion

• 1/2 lemon

• a small bowl

The process:

1. Peel the onion, chop it, and put it into a bowl.

2. Squeeze the juice out of half a lemon and add it to the onion. Mix thoroughly.

3. Leave the onion in the lemon juice for 10 to 15 minutes. After this time, you can immediately use the onion for cooking or rinse it with cold water to remove the sourness.

Make pickled onions

You’ll need:

• an onion

• 1 tsp of salt

• 2 tsp of sugar

• 3 tbsp of vinegar

• water

• a deep bowl or a jar

The process:

1. Peel the onion, cut it into rings or half rings, and put it into a jar or a deep bowl.

2. Prepare the pickling solution. Mix salt, sugar, and vinegar, and cover the onion with the resulting mixture.

3. Add some water to fully cover the onion.

4. Put the mixture into the fridge and leave it there for about an hour.

Option: You can use a different type of pickling solution and ratio of vinegar, sugar, and salt. You can also add some herbs and spices to the onion during the pickling.

Use a microwave

You’ll need:

• an onion

• a microwave oven

The process:

1. Put the onion into the microwave for about 10 seconds using medium oven power. If the bulb is large, the microwave heating time should be increased.

2. Let the onion cool down and then you can use it for cooking.

Option: You can use this method for a whole bulb or for chopped onions. If you are going to heat onion pieces, you should first soak them in a small amount of salted water and then put them into the microwave.

Pan-fried onions

You’ll need:

• an onion

• a skillet

• vegetable oil

• a spatula

• a paper towel

The process:

1. Peel the onions and cut them in the way that is necessary for your dish.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in the skillet and add onions to it.

3. Panfry the onions over low fire until they become almost transparent, stirring them constantly.

4. Put the fried onions on the paper towel to remove the excess oil.

Important: Keep in mind that this method not only removes the onion’s bitterness but it also changes its texture. The onions become soft and lose their crispiness.

Bonus: To avoid tears while cutting the onions, try this.

Chill the onions

Chill the onions in the fridge or freezer a few minutes before cutting them. This will prevent the compounds from rising toward your eyes.

Cut under cold water

Cold water lowers the temperature of the onion and consequently reduces the amount of irritants reaching your eyes.

Do you know different ways to remove the bitterness from onions? If so, share your knowledge in the comments!