Avoid Certain Types Of Skillets For The Best Caramelized Onions

Caramelizing onions might seem simple — just some heat, oil, and patience, right? Sure, if you use the right pan. But if you don't, your caramelized onions could turn out to be a total bust. If you want perfect caramelized onions, the last pan in your cupboard that you should be reaching for is a small, thin skillet.

The slow process of caramelization is all about control over heat. Thin pans, like nonstick and aluminum, heat up quickly and unevenly, with the heat concentrating too much in certain areas and leaving other areas too cool. In these conditions, your onions don't really stand a chance, getting scorched before they can release their natural sugars. The result? Burnt bits and undercooked pieces. Instead, you should be using a larger and thicker skillet, like cast iron or high-quality stainless steel. These pans heat up slower and more evenly, so your onions get a steady amount of warmth to caramelize just right.

Not that you need a skillet big enough to cook, say, 27 ostrich eggs, but the bigger the pan, the more room your onions have to spread out and do their thing. When onions are crammed into a smaller pan, they end up steaming in their own moisture instead of caramelizing. Sure, this makes the onions soft, but it doesn't give them that savory sweetness that you're craving.

Using a bigger skillet leaves more room for the moisture to evaporate, so your onions cook evenly and turn out tender and sweet. Plus, more surface area means every onion gets its chance to brown to perfection. And let's not forget about the crispy bits that stick to the bottom of cast irons. Scrape those up and mix them into the onions, and you've got yourself an even richer flavor for your fancy hot dog condiments or pizza bread toppings.

So, next time you're eyeing that thin pan, we urge you to reconsider. Go for something with a little more body to it. After all, when it comes to caramelizing onions, slow, steady, and spacious wins the race.