The onion—the humble onion!—tastes like the soil it's grown in. That's right: the allium is as representative of the concept ofterroiras anything else.
According to Guy Crosby, the Cooking Science Guy,that pungency in your yellow onionis a function not only of the variety of onion it is, and of how long it stayed in the soil till it was harvested, but also of the earth itself—specifically its sulfur levels. Where the soil is less sulfuric—say, in and around Vidalia, Georgia—onions come out sweeter, mellower. Where the soil contains more sulfur, onions reflect that fact. The white and yellow onionsmost commonly available at the grocery storealso tend to be cultivated for storage; they're hardier, sharper-flavored versions that stay in the ground longer than more chill-tasting and more delicatespring onions.
They can't all be Vidalias, in other words. And pungent onions don't sit so well with all of us, especially now, when the uncooked onion is a popular summertime garnish: It'shot dogseason.Burgerseason.Salads-that-don't-require-a-lot-of-prepseason. Raw onions are everywhere. Is there a way to tame their bite?
There is, and it's simple: soak them for 30 minutes in cold water.
When onions are cut, says Crosby, their cells are damaged and an enzyme inside them, isoalliin, converts within seconds to a couple of pungent compounds, thiosulfinates and thiosolfonates. (Read more about the science of onion flavoron Crosby's website.) A simple soak leaches some of that enzyme from the onion, leaving behind a mellower flavor and a much more palatable salad topper. (Cook's Illustratedhas also had success with a bath ofwater and baking soda, but simple H20 will do the trick nicely.)
So bring on the panzanellas, the Chicago-style hot dogs, the tacos al pastor with all the fixin's—now you'll taste less of the onion in them, and more of the everything else.
