notbob wrote:
>
> So, what heat and amount of oil does it take to make good, evenly
> carmelized, onions? This is a question I don't recall being asked every 30
> days on rfc. What say you?

I just use a splash of oil. I slice the onion from pole-to-pole
and make subsequent slices in more-or-less the same direction,
so I end up with spear-like onion pieces, not rings or dice.
I always use yellow onions for this.

I start at medium heat, and I may cover briefly to help get
everything hot, but I do not cover for long if at all because
I do not want to steam the onions. That turns them into mush.
That's also why I don't start on low or medium-low. Onions
have a lot of water in them, and you have to drive it off
before caramelization can begin.

After several minutes of frequent stirring, if the onions seem
properly dried out, then the heat can be throttled down if
you want to make very uniform golden brown onions. At low heat
and occasionally stirred for a long time, maybe an hour, you
can get some very nice crunchy onions that way which can
be whizzed in a coffee grinder or powdered in a mortar and
pestle to make a very nice additive for soups.

However, I'm usually in a hurry to make a filling for wraps,
so I just keep it on medium until I've got enough browning
for flavor. When it's done, I sometimes dump in diced
Chinese eggplant or sliced shiitake mushrooms and give
them a quick cook. In these cases, I'll cover the pot
and turn the heat all the way down, stirring occasionally.