What's The Difference Between White, Red, And Yellow Onions?

Just as different kitchen duties require particular knives — chef's knives, paring knives, bread knives, and so on — different recipes call for distinct types of onion. The sheer variety can be daunting, but once you know what purpose each color of onion serves, the decision making is straightforward. In a pinch, you can substitute different colors for each other, but if you want to get the most out of the veggie you may very well have shed tears over, this is how you do it.

Let's start with the most common variety of onion – the yellow onion. These are sometimes also called brown onions, especially if you live in the United Kingdom. For a good, roundabout, jack-of-all-trades onion, this one is for you.



You'll want to be careful using them raw, unless you like a really intense taste. They hold up wonderfully to cooking, which mellows out the bold flavor while still maintaining their structural integrity. If you're looking to caramelize a bunch of onions for , yellow onions are the move.

White onions are milder than yellow onions A kinder, gentler onion than its bolder cousins, the white onion is what you're usually going to reach for if you want something with oniony flavor and raw crunch. These are great as a topping for a burger or as an ingredient in your pico de gallo. They still provide plenty of flavor, but it's milder and less likely to make you feel like you've been punched in the nose by a bulbous vegetable.

They also make an ideal addition in a dish that requires hot and fast cooking, like a stir-fry. If you cook them too long, white onions are liable to fall apart. But in truth, if you switch out a white onion for a yellow onion or vice versa, you won't notice too much of a difference.

Both are well-suited for use in a stock, a stew, or as a side dish, whether caramelized or fried up as onion rings. Red onions are the most intense With their bright, reddish-purple color and glossy shine, you could almost mistake a red onion for a candy apple — but they sure don't taste like one. Easily the sharpest and most intense of the three main types of onion, red onions are the ones that will really get the waterworks flowing when you try to cut them.

Soaking them in ice water helps , as does . Interestingly enough, these sharply flavored onions are also often used raw. Like milder white onion, they add great texture to salads and sandwiches alike, but with a more pungent bite.

Red onions are also especially tasty when pickled. Although their brilliant red color will dull and darken when cooked, the flavor remains pleasing in this context. Chop them up, and add them to your beef stew if you want something piquant to cut through the richness.

Or better yet, put them on a skewer and place them on the grill, where their structural integrity will keep them pleasantly soft without going mushy. Recommended.