Whereas sautéed onions can still have some pungency and texture, caramelized onions are meltingly tender and savory-sweet with—as their name implies—caramel notes. They are a wonderful, flavor-packed garnish for all types of cooked dishes. These cook down to a fraction of their original volume and can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for several months.

I. TRADITIONAL

The traditional method of slowly sweating the onions does not have to be burdensome. Think of it as a kitchen-bound lacuna in the story of your life, where contemplation and mindfulness can flourish as the onions slowly surrender their moisture and turn a deep bronze.

Heat in a very large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is melted:

Add:

Sprinkle with:

Cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and brown, about 40 minutes. When the residue from the juices has built up in the skillet, add:

Stir and scrape the skillet to dissolve the browned bits. They will immediately mix into the onions, darkening them further. Remove from the heat and season with:

II. QUICK

If you do not need to make such a large quantity of onions or simply do not have an hour to spend properly caramelizing them, prepare Sautéed Onions, adding ½ teaspoon sugar halfway through cooking. When the onions are browned, deglaze the skillet with ¼ cup white wine, scrape up any browned bits, and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated.