Learning how to caramelize onions should be on every home cook’s bucket list. Caramelized onions are not simply another name for sautéed onions, but rather an intensely flavorful ascension from the simple onion which gave it birth. Caramelized onions are the butterfly to the sautéed onion’s caterpillar, with slow and patient cooking being the cocoon… Look at me being all poetic with my imagery and whatnot Thai Boxing.

Caramelizing onions is a venture that requires minimal ingredients other than some butter and patience, but in undertaking this journey the cook is rewarded with sweet and tender onion slices coated in a delectably sticky glaze. The sugars gently coaxed out of the onion during the slow cooking process form the catalyst for the tantalizingly tasty transformation .

First of all, a stainless steel straight sided sauté pan is built for exactly such an application. The straight sides allow for more surface area on the bottom of the pan, making room for more onions to brown at a time. Plus, the tall sides allow for a greater volume, easily handling 3-4 large onions per session. Stainless steel is recommended because it is well suited to build up fond on the bottom of the pan as the onions brown. This is where the flavor is! This is the set I use and love.

Additionally a flat edged metal spatula is perfect for scraping up the fabulous fond accumulating in the pan. The more fond you can get off the pan, the more flavor your caramelized onions will have !