Frozen Pearl Onions: Way or No Way?
Even Ina Garten uses them, but I think they ruin a dish. I'll try cipollini onions or just use regular carmelized onions even though they're not as pretty, but never again will I use the frozen. I think I used Birds Eye. Have you cooked with them? Have I done something wrong, or not used a great one? I just dumped them in a few beef dishes and later wished I hadn't. No Way, unless you can convince me otherwise.
You?
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24 Comments:
Frozen PEARL Onions. Please fix the typo SE????
PerkyMac at 10:42PM on 01/21/09
PMac...whilst Im not a huge fan of frozen pearls, I did, just this one time, make a fabulatastic balsamic onion dish that was amazing with some well seasoned boneless strips...
saute garlic in olive oil
crank the heat and add a bag of frozen pearls
let them go til some of the water evaporates out of them and they get a little tinge of color. I believe they also shrank a little in size.
add in 1/4 cup red wine
add in 1/4 cup good balsamic
salt and pepper
thyme
2 T brown sugar
simmer for a few minutes. crank it and reduce down til syrupy and the onions are the same color as the vinegar. Throw in 2 T. good butter. Swirl. Serve!
ChelleyD01 at 11:10PM on 01/21/09
No way. They are bland, tasteless, sickenly sweet, watery and contribute a 'not-right' counterpoint when I have eaten soups and stews with them as an added ingredient. It detracts from the meaty flavor of the dish. I would always prefer shallots, in pan sauces, cippolinis in roasted veg dishes and regular old yellow onions, sauted first, in spaghetti sauce, stews and soups.
lamora at 11:11PM on 01/21/09
Haven't used them in years, but once upon a time I did like them in a good homemade stew.
dmcavanagh at 11:12PM on 01/21/09
I've never used them, and probably never will. I'll take shallots, cipollini, caramelised Spanish or yellow onions instead of frozen pearl onions any time. If I felt that I absolutely needed to use pearl onions in a certain dish, I would peel them (same way as I peel cipollini - dunking in boiling water first, then peel) by hand and use fresh.
So there we go - NO WAY.
brooke29 at 12:11AM on 01/22/09
"Fantabulous" was always a favorite word for me, but I'm adding "Fabulatastic" to the list.
And it's No Way for me. It's not very hard to peel (or peal, lol :)) and use fresh ones.
buffy at 1:03AM on 01/22/09
I honestly can't think of a single frozen food, or foods that works better than peas & onions... if done right the peas are almost crisp... the never pick up the soggy texture or salty flavor you associate with canned peas... I dare say frozen peas are almost as good as fresh... as far as the onions go, they're exactly what you expect.. a bit slippery when you bite into them, while being slightly sweet... totally a winning combination
Jeff
http://screamingfresh.com
screamingfresh at 1:49AM on 01/22/09
only had the frozen ones once when they actually tasted like something besides sopping wet little sponges, and that was roasted. and even then I'd much rather use fresh cippolinis or even fresh pearls, hell probably rather just cut up a sponge and use that, the texture ends up about the same. NO WAY!
huneybumper at 7:27AM on 01/22/09
@screamingfresh - I heart Curtis Aikens! Thanks for the link, I'll look forward to every episode.
overw8 at 7:44AM on 01/22/09
I don't like onions in general but these are no way to the tenth power of onion-ness.
HeartofGlass at 9:21AM on 01/22/09
I've seen Ina add them to her chicken pot pie recipe, and I was really surprised at her choice. I've never cooked with them myself, because they always reminded me of the peas and onions my grandmother used to serve, alongside her jello salad, and well...just....no.
juliebugsmama at 9:35AM on 01/22/09
I use them when I make chicken pot pies, I get the ones in the cream sauce, the sauce gives a nice additional flavor to the mixture.
Southern_bella at 9:40AM on 01/22/09
No way. I've used them to make creamed onions, but I find them mushy, watery and generally tasteless. (Though it's really the texture that bothers me.)
Junie at 9:52AM on 01/22/09
Ditto Junie- I used them at Christmas to make creamed onions. ( I figured if Ina uses them...) What a disappointment! While fresh pearl onions are truly labor intensive-the flavor and texture payoff cannot be duplicated.
Bhdancegirl at 10:33AM on 01/22/09
May the churchbells PEAL as I strongly apPEAL to Adam, Alaina, Ed, Robyn to please make my topic say PEARL. This isn't about peeling onions, nor is it about lovely apPEALing onions, rather, it is about PEARL onions, frozen to be even more exact. Please edit, fix, rectify, and work your magic? I'm going to add a few words you may have on a warning list: SHILL, SCAM, BASTARD, SUCK, BUCK, LUCK, TUCK, F*CK, WINNER, CONTEST, .COM, ADVERTISEMENT. Brain fart - there must be hundreds. Fix typo, pretty please with a maraschino cherry on top and whipped cream of your choice.
PerkyMac at 10:34AM on 01/22/09
WAY! I use them in pot pies and stews all the time. i peeled fresh pearl onions once and once was enough.
VerasTastyFreeze at 12:51PM on 01/22/09
I'm gonna have to say NO WAY on this. I feel they don't bring too much to the party. Not alot of taste and kinda has a watery/moooshy thing going on. Don't use them too much so buying them fresh and going through all the hassle isn't a big deal.
finsbigfan at 1:03PM on 01/22/09
LOL, Perky!! =)
And NO WAY for me. The one time I had them they were watery, as others have said, and sour (not in a good way, in an "I think these have gone bad" way). The balsamic idea sounds good, but I think I'd still be afraid of what I was covering up with the balsamic and garlic. I'd rather just use regular onions, or shallots.
akk328 at 1:39PM on 01/22/09
i rather have them pickled, thank you very much.
sweetieBird at 2:23PM on 01/22/09
I'm fairly indifferent on this one... they certainly aren't my favorite, and I doubt I would ever find myself reaching for them if I had something better (e.g. cipollini or regular caramelized Spanish onions) available... however, I don't hate frozen pearl onions or have a particularly strong disliking for them... I just don't have a particularly strong *liking* for them either.
Steen at 3:26PM on 01/22/09
ick. Unfortunately, the BF loves them and sneaks them into all sorts of weird concotions.. like cucumber and leftovers stir fry.
Embackus at 6:47PM on 01/22/09
I wonder if they might lose that icky taste if they were sauteed or roasted? I have only thrown them into a casserole type dish and their horrible taste was distinctive. I had to pick them out and throw them out. Maybe I'll give the balsamic stir-fry a try. Cook all the moisture out of them first!
PerkyMac at 9:52AM on 01/23/09
I don't think I'm a fan of pearl onions, fresh or frozen, so I'm going to have to choose "No Way" on this one.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 3:23PM on 01/23/09
No way! I used them once in the legendary Barefoot Contessa chicken pot pie, and systematically picked them out of my bowl after the first one.
I used fresh pearl onions in something over the holidays, and hated peeling them, so I think pearl onions are out for me. Cipollini are a hassle to peel, too, but at least you get more for the effort.
cyberroo at 3:32PM on 01/23/09