# Dependence on onions!!



## sahd0w (Jul 3, 2008)

Hi all!  I have a question that really bugs me sometimes.  First let me say, what I'm about to say is very much prejudiced.. I absolutely cannot stand onions!  The taste, the smell, everything about them makes me sick to my stomach.  They leave such a horrible taste in my mouth and their flavor seems to overwhelm every dish they end up in.
So my question is this, why do so many people insist in putting onions in their dishes?  Maybe some people just honestly enjoy the taste of an onion, but in some dishes, where there is an abundance of spice and other things that pretty much negate their flavor, there is a huge amount of onion bits!
It seems to me wherever I go, I have to insist that the cooks don't use onions in my dish, no matter what kind of dish it is.  Are people really that insistent on using onions in every type of food?
I just don't see why they have to end up everywhere!!
Love to hear what you all have to say


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## suziquzie (Jul 3, 2008)

You'd be amazed at how much many dishes are lacking any flavor whatsoever with onion left out.


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## sattie (Jul 3, 2008)

I kinda have that same feeling about bell peppers.  I do like them fresh with salads occassionally, but not a fan of them cooked in dishes.  They impart such a strong flavor that I do not care for.  It seems that it is a common item in many recipes.  In some recipes, it is not a big factor for what ever reason.  But if I am out dining and looking for something new to try, I will avoid anything that has bell peppers listed in the description.


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## bowlingshirt (Jul 3, 2008)

It's just personal preference.


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## lulu (Jul 3, 2008)

The onions you can't taste so well in very spied dishs have created a base note to the flavour , balancing the other flavours.  It must b a tricky aversion inded, you are right, so much has onion in it!


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## jabbur (Jul 3, 2008)

I only have a problem with raw onions like on a salad.  They give me heartburn!  If they are cooked into a dish or fried like with onion rings I do okay.  The hot homemade mayo on my potato salad tempers them enough and I tend to go light on them in that dish anyway.  Most dishes you can leave the onion out but it will taste different!


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## pacanis (Jul 3, 2008)

Guilty.
I used to hate onions. I could tolerate them only if they were cooked to that "transparent" stage , the point where I couldn't see them , but now..... as long as they are sweet onions they find their way into a lot of foods uncooked; salads, tacos, on top of a Ritz cracker with a piece of cheddar and loaded with s & p, an uncooked slice of onions on top of a hamburger.... and a good deal of the food I cook, too. I do not think they overpower anything I use them on or in. And I used to be from your side.

Now radishes on the other hand.....


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## sahd0w (Jul 4, 2008)

Ah see, this is exactly what makes me think I'm the only person with this problem ><  Nobody else seems to mind onions, while I always get sick from their horrible aftertaste and stench.
I do notice that things taste a tiny bit different if they are cooked without onions, but it is a difference I can definitely live with!

I totally understand about the red peppers as well.  Their flavor just overpowers almost every dish they are in!  Definitely not unpleasant like onions, but they could be toned down a bit sometimes =)


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## JGDean (Jul 4, 2008)

I love onions - just not extremely strong ones. At certain time of the year, they are just to "oniony"


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## buckytom (Jul 4, 2008)

i couldn't live without onions. certain things, like burgers, or egg sandwiches, or a balboa (an italian cheesesteak) wouldn't be the same without it.

whoah, i'm having a massive deja vu.


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## Cooper'sMom (Jul 4, 2008)

My DH is very allergic to onions. I have tried cooking different varieties of them in my food and I particularly love Spanish Red Onions and thought I could hide them by chopping it almost to smittereens (sp?) but midnight came and DH kept me sleepless getting up to go to the toilet every 10 minutes or so. He has the gas. That was 3 childrens ago. Every now and then I will slip a little onion in the food that I cooked and I swore each time that I will never do that again. Then last year, I started removing the middle of the onion, the white part where the roots should be, chopped the rest and watched almost all night to see if it had affected him. It didn't so since then when a recipe calls for onions, that is exactly what I do, remove the white middle part of it. So we are in heaven...but that is a different story...


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## MexicoKaren (Jul 4, 2008)

I suppose that onions are probably the most-represented ingredient in many of the dishes we cook. How many recipes start out with "sweating" chopped onions and garlic in olive oil/butter? I think some people just have different body chemistry...I read awhile back that many people cannot tolerate cilantro; it tastes like soap to them. For me, it is a fresh scent of heaven.


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## buckytom (Jul 4, 2008)

lol, cooper's mom. it's always fun to experiment on our loved ones.


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## Robo410 (Jul 4, 2008)

onions are a base of cooking.  Their acids tenderize other foods and their sugars caramelize and sweeten. Some types are stronger than others.  The sweet onion...vidalia, walla walla, etc are very mild.  However, you may be sensitive to the flavors. You certainly can cook without them but there really is no substitute for them.  Same holds true for peppers in Latin cuisine.

Furthermore, both of these vegs are high in vit C and just plain good for you. So much cuisine from all continents and cultures rely on these base building veg.


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## stinemates (Jul 4, 2008)

I think onions are really a base for every cuisine in the world. You'd be hard pressed to find a meal without them.

You must be a super taster! Do you often find yourself tasting very subtle flavor or is it only the onions that have that particular effect?

For me, I love em! Lots. And bell pepper? Love em stir fried, can't stand either raw.


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## giggler (Jul 4, 2008)

I don't think this is so hard, just leave onions out. you may need to find something else to sort of round out the flavors, just try different things.

My SO. hates the flavor of "cooked" celery, even just a little. this at first gave me fits, as I'm rather "old school" and put chopped celery in most everything....

Now, I just don't use it, and found that either chopped bell peppers or chopped carrots, "depending on the dish" sub quite well...

Eric, Austin Tx.


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## Bigjim68 (Jul 4, 2008)

I wouldn't know how to cook without onions.  I have garlic and shallots in the counter basket, red, green, Vidalia, and white in the fridge.  Most of my own creations start with the onion family.  I wrap whole Vidalias in foil and throw them on the grill or in the oven. and substitute for potatoes.  I come by it naturally, my mother's favorite sandwich was homemade bread, butter, and slices of onion.  This is the one onion preparation that I do not care for.


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## HMGgal (Jul 4, 2008)

I'm cooking for my pregnant daughter right now and she's so weird about onions. For her, it's more the "slimy" texture of a cooked onion. I'll catch her picking through the dish and she will find them, no matter how small I mince them. Well, I will stand there and grate the darn things (not a great option for carmelizing and sweating), but at least the flavor is there. I've substituted green onions and leeks--neither of which bother her. So OCD. I guess I could just really chop them coarsely to make them easier to pick out, but I have a hard time watching a person pick through my food. My SIL has the soap cilantro thing, but I could roll in cilantro and will put it just about anything. Cilantro perfume? I'm there!


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## Barbara L (Jul 4, 2008)

I'm one of those people who loves onions in just about everything.  Things like stew, chili, and spaghetti (and many others) wouldn't be the same without onions in them.  I love raw onions on burgers.  I like green onions chopped and added to a salad or to the top of a baked potato with sour cream.  Plus I love onion rings and the big fried onion flowers served at restaurants with a nice spicy sauce (had Lonestar Steak House's "Texas Rose" a couple nights ago).

They say your tastes change every seven years (this has held true for me, with eggs), so maybe someday you will learn to like them.

Barbara


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## Barbara L (Jul 4, 2008)

HMGgal said:


> I'm cooking for my pregnant daughter right now and she's so weird about onions. For her, it's more the "slimy" texture of a cooked onion. I'll catch her picking through the dish and she will find them, no matter how small I mince them. Well, I will stand there and grate the darn things (not a great option for carmelizing and sweating), but at least the flavor is there. I've substituted green onions and leeks--neither of which bother her. So OCD. I guess I could just really chop them coarsely to make them easier to pick out, but I have a hard time watching a person pick through my food. My SIL has the soap cilantro thing, but I could roll in cilantro and will put it just about anything. Cilantro perfume? I'm there!


They sell bottled onion juice (spice aisle).  Have you thought about trying that?  As you said about grated onions, it would at least add the flavor.

Barbara


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## Cooper'sMom (Jul 5, 2008)

You know, I forgot to tell you -- I sometimes use leeks instead of onions in my recipes that calls for onions because they are of the same family and DH is not allergic to it.

And yes, buckytom -- I used to experiment with my children too when they were living with us, especially if I have a dinner party in two weeks time or something. I will plan my menu and try each recipe every other day or so and if I got good kudos, I put a check mark beside the menu or else I try another one. Nowadays I only have DH to try my experiments with... so usually when I am going to have a party, I only cook my tried and tested recipes.


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## blissful (Jul 5, 2008)

You know, I didn't know someone could be allergic to onions, now I do. Once I knew a guy and he said he was allergic to mushrooms, but, I think he just didn't like them. I maybe need to keep more of an open mind....
If it makes you sick in any way, just don't eat it....listen to your body.

They don't make onion ice cream for a reason!
Me, however, I like onions in most of my savory stews and soups and some salads too.


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## sahd0w (Jul 7, 2008)

Hey all!!  Thanks so much for your replies.  You've given me a LOT to think about!!
I definitely know what the problem with celery is.. they bother me a lot too lol.  It's similar to the red pepper thing.. their taste gets into everything else and they're very distracting!  I love celery sometimes, but I've had it in some pasta sauces and it's been pretty awful!
Also, I remember someone telling me to try and cook with a leek because it wouldn't bother me, so I tried it and it didn't leave that horrible onion-taste anywhere, which was lovely.  I still am convinced that green onion has the same effect, as the flavor sticks around for almost hours after I eat anything with them in it.

So it seems pretty unanimous that MOST dishes would have onion in them!  This is just what I don't understand.  Why is it the "norm" for them to be there?  I know they're great for you, but I just can't make myself like them.
I remember when it started, too!  When I was young (13ish) I used to love French onion soup.  Then one day, I got that sick taste in my mouth after I ate it, and since then everything I have not been able to eat things with onion.  Like, I can eat them (I don't want to be rude  ) but I always regret it after I finish.  Sigh.  Maybe when I'm pregnant one day I'll begin to like them again, so I can stop fighting all the brilliant cooks out there!!


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## jkath (Jul 7, 2008)

sahd0w, 
I completely understand!!
I used to put onions into most of my dinners, but somehow around the time I turned 40, my insides all changed, and I have a huge list of what I cannot eat anymore (I get really sick) Onions are a huge no-no now, and I've had to recreate all my recipes!
I do put the bulbs from green onions into meals that need the onion taste, as they don't affect me, but it's horrible when I want to make something and the first thing in the recipe is to do something with a whole onion....!


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## Rom (Jul 8, 2008)

Won't tell u how my fiance ate an onion like an apple at dinner last nite then..oops just did hahahaha - and yes i am not joking :S  

I love the flavour, i just dont like to bite a piece of onion thats all.


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## sahd0w (Jul 8, 2008)

Rom said:


> Won't tell u how my fiance ate an onion like an apple at dinner last nite then..oops just did hahahaha - and yes i am not joking :S



That sounds awful =((((

I eat tomatoes raw, and I have a friend who hates them as much as I hate onions 
At least with tomatoes I don't bother everybody with terrible breath afterward


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## Bigjim68 (Jul 8, 2008)

I remember when Vidalias first came on the market, that was just what they suggested.  That they were sweet enough to eat like an apple.


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## HMGgal (Jul 8, 2008)

Barbara L said:


> They sell bottled onion juice (spice aisle).  Have you thought about trying that?  As you said about grated onions, it would at least add the flavor.
> 
> Barbara



Well, who knew? I will look for it--thanks! Onion juice? Blech, but it will solve the problem, sounds like.


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## Bigjim68 (Jul 8, 2008)

Bigjim68 said:


> I remember when Vidalias first came on the market, that was just what they suggested.  That they were sweet enough to eat like an apple.


Another option if it is just the texture you don't like is powdered onion.  I use it very rarely, generally in homeade spice mixtures and rubs.


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## Callisto in NC (Jul 8, 2008)

I love onions and they are definitely a necessity in my cooking.  It wasn't always that way but I found that the food just tastes much better with them.  For one, I could never imagine a red sauce that didn't start with sauted onions and garlic.  Not much of what I now cook doesn't have onions.  I've just matured and grown to like the taste the more I work with food and can tell when I've not added enough.  I don't find them over powering.  I find them complimentary.


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## Constance (Jul 8, 2008)

I don't think I could cook without onions. My mother never used onions much, and garlic less, and her food was always kind of bland. But when I got married, by Cajun MIL taught me how to season food, and what a difference it made!
Still, if you don't like'em, you don't like'em. We're all different. 

And wouldn't it be a boring world if we were all alike?


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## sahd0w (Jul 9, 2008)

Ok, ok I admit I'm the minority.  I'll just have to deal with the fact that other people like onions.  I think I can live with it


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## lulu (Jul 9, 2008)

This thread did reind me than when cooking for fussy children when I was a nanny I would magimix/food process onion/carrots/celery to go in pretty much everything, no that no vegetable matter was truely detectable.....might work for some who are put of the texture and idea more than the taste....


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