I had a nice crop of onions, both red and yellow, from my garden this past gardening season. I use a lot of onions in cooking, but the act of peeling them is driving me bonkers.
Nice onions that they are, they are just about impossible to peel. That last skin lying next to the inner onion just won't come off. It's as if it was super glued on. I stand at the counter and try and try to peel it off but all I can manage to separate are very little pieces of the onion skin. Losing all patience and hacking at the onion results in wasting more onion than I want to.
I don't know if it was the way the onions grew this year or something (bad) that happened when I dried and cured them for storage. I didn't do anything different than I usually do.
Have any of you ever experienced this? Any ideas or tricks for peeling an onion that wants to hang on to its innermost/protective skin? I'm having the problem with both the yellow and red onions.
23 comments:
Do you mean the very thin, almost transparent skin? If so - I just leave it on the onion - getting all of the outer skin off - chop the onion and then some of the transparent skin comes off - some doesn't - but I don't find it offensive to cook with or to eat. If you are talking about something else - then I am of no help at all.
I have the same problem.....actually started swearing at them while preparing your Cream of Mushroom soup. But I have no idea, so as usual am no help, just another person who has onion problems. And my onions were from the store.
I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but I have had the same problem with mine (plus they are NOT storing well) and with the organic onions I buy at the farmer's market. Maybe it's because of the dry season last year? Aliens invading our onion skins?
I had that problem in the past and was frustrated and fought it until I decided that my time was as valuable as that onion, and just peeled one extra layer off of the onion. Peeling off the first good layer was a slight waste of onion, but saved a lot of my angst and time. Since I always compost all that stuff anyway, it wasn't really wasted, but simply repurposed into next year's fertilizer.
Sometimes we forget that our time has value too, and try too hard to save each penny in value.
I'm a lot like your onion, I'm afraid...just wanting to hang on to that innermost protective skin. *grin
JoAnn - Nope, it's not the almost transparent skin, but I know what you're talking about. That one is no trouble. The one that's "glued" on tight is the very last colored, papery (that you wouldn't want to eat), stiff covering.
Carolyn - Eeeep. You're having the same trouble with the ones from the store? Hmmmm, what's going on here? You're not alone in swearing at your onions. What should take maybe ten seconds is taking me several minutes. (I have more important things to do than this!!) ;o]
Susan - Personally, I'm voting for the aliens invading our onion skins.
Trailshome - I need to adopt your very smart (smart, as in intelligent) attitude. Just take that whole first layer of onion and be done with it. Who needs to get an ulcer from an onion, I ask you? And you're right in that the "wasted" layer of onion will be next year's fertilizer. Thank you, O' Wise Woman!
Akannie - Eeek, so you're saying my onions have "issues?" (And don't we all!!!) :o]
I think it must be this years crop of onions. Here in Iowa and with store bought onions, I am having the same problem.
My red onions are sticking a bit more than usual on the outside layers. However, the white ones aren't keeping too well. Yellows are biggest and best this year.
Love that heart shaped, barn owl face style, piece of wood on your splitter. :)
Myrna - What in the world could it be that has affected onions in so many different regions of the country? We all didn't have the same weather. You know . . . too dry, too wet, too hot, too cold, early spring, late spring . . . !
Foxy Lady - We came across that heart-shaped piece of wood year before last when wood working. If I had had the talent I would have liked to have kept a slice of it and . . . don't something artistic with it! I thought it would be appropriate for these weeks around Valentine's Day!
Same issue with the onion skins and storing. I think it has to do with the lack of water myself...or in the ground to long, or I looked at them wrong or, aliens!
I have store bought onions now since I'm only able to get about 5 lbs from my garden, but I have noticed the same thing this year every time I' preparing them, I wonder what that's all about!?
You're welcome.
Katidids - Aha! Now we know what happened . . . you looked at all the onions wrong! ;o]
Erin - It seems so strange in that so many onions are affected and think of all the different varieties and conditions where they were grown . . . !
Ummmm, I'm with Trailshome, and will be the first to admit I am not an onion expert in any regard. Just get so frustrated, simply take an extra layer (or dare I say '2') off if I need to. LOVE your heart-shaped wood in your header. Glad you took a photo and shared with us. Have a good day Mama Pea!
Lisa - Looks like quite a few compost heaps are gonna have an "onion-y" aroma this year!
I thought that piece of "heart" wood was so unique. Now I wish I'd kept it instead of splitting it up. What I would have kept it for I don't know but . . . :o}
A chainsaw-lol
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