You Can Sauté Onions (As Well As Garlic and Shallots) in the Microwave
Fried onions are the perfect finishing touch. Whether it’s a medium-rare steak and creamy potato soup, or a sticky bowl of macaroni and cheese (or something like a salad), fried onions, leeks, garlic, etc. – a rich, slightly pungent flavor. In short, they are desirable. Plus, they’re a little more comfortable with the Microwave Method from Cook’s Illustrated .
Not only is it much easier to cook in the microwave (no continuous stirring required), it frees up space on the stove and contains oil splashes. The details vary slightly for each onion – click the link below to read – but the basic method is the same: add the chopped onions to half a glass of butter in a microwave-safe bowl and cook at 2 minute intervals at full power until they begin to brown. stirring between them. Once they are slightly colored, reduce the cooking time to 30 seconds and continue cooking and stirring until they are “dark golden”. Transfer your savory food to a paper towel to dry and crisp, and season with salt.
Although Cook’s Illustrated only mentions leeks, shallots and garlic, I tried this micro method with plain old onions and it went pretty well. However, I found they weren’t as crispy as I wanted at first, but this was easy to fix by placing them back in the microwave on a fresh paper towel for about 10 seconds. It’s also good for re-frying after they’ve been stored in the refrigerator, which means you can pre-knead a bunch of fried onions and then re-chop them at your leisure, and I love the leisurely onions.