Can you defrost onions in the microwave?
In this brief guide, we will discuss the following question, “can you defrost onions in the microwave?” and other queries related to this topic.
Can you defrost onions in the microwave?
Yes, you can defrost onions in the microwave. Put your onions on a microwave-safe plate, cover it and place the bowl in the microwave. Turn the microwave on and keep it for a few minutes. Check on it regularly to avoid cooking it if you do not want your onions to be cooked.
The time needed for the onions to be completely defrosted depends on the size of your onion chunks. The bigger your pieces of onions the more time it needs to thaw perfectly. However, you do not need to defrost your onions before cooking them. You can add it to your pan directly from the freezer.
Moreover, you can keep your onions for a longer time in the microwave if you want to cook them, they generally need about two minutes or sometimes more to be cooked. To do so, you need to cut your onions before freezing them so that you will facilitate the cooking process.
Hence, thawing or cooking a whole onion is not feasible because you will end up having a fully cooked onion on the outside and a raw and frozen onion on the inside. Additionally, think about how you want your onions to be after cooking them in the microwave.
So, if you want to caramelize your onions you should sautee them in a pan over the oven, and microwaving will not give you the needed result. Also, you should know that cooking onions in the microwave takes much more time than cooking them on the stove.
In addition, microwaving the onions is very easy to do because the risk of getting burnt onions is very low. On the other hand, the flavor of defrosted onions might be slightly different than the fresh onions and those fried or sauteed.
How to freeze onions?
There are two ways to freeze your onions depending on how you want to use them in your recipes. The first one is simply slicing your onions. You can slice them in different forms also depending on your recipe. So, start by peeling your onions and removing the end and the top of the onions.
Then, start by slicing the onions according to how you want to use them in your dishes. Once you sliced them, divide your onions into small or large portions so that it will be easier for you to use them. Place the onions in a well-sealed freezer bag.
The other method is storing your onions after pureeing them. This method will need a special kitchen appliance like a blender or food processor. Peel your onions and cut them into halves and place them in the blender and turn it on. Keep it on until the onions are cut into fine pieces.
Once your onions have a puree-like texture, scoop them and place the puree in an ice tray. This tray should be only used for onions because the odor and the flavor will remain in the tray. When the onions are frozen in the tray, they should be removed and placed in a freezer bag.
When your onions are placed in the bag, label them and write the date of freezing. Moreover, whole onions can be frozen but they will be hard to use and diced when they are frozen. Also, cooked onions can be kept in the freezer.
Onions can be left in the freezer for more than six months if stored in an air-tight bag. So, try to consume them within this period because, during the freezing process, the texture of the onions will change.
Ice crystals will form within the product and thus will damage the cell walls. This damage will lead to moisture and texture loss during the onion defrosting process, thus it will be suitable for cooking dishes only.
Additionally, onions are considered odiferous foods. So, when stored and packed in an inappropriate way and an unsealed freezer bag, the onions will permeate their odors to other products stored in the freezer and thus change their flavor.
How to thaw onions?
Onions can be added to your cooked dish without thawing them beforehand. So, they can be added directly during the cooking process.
However, if you want to add your frozen onions to pies try to thaw them before in the refrigerator to remove the excess water because it will ruin your pie
Moreover, you can thaw your onions using water. Place the freezer bag in a bowl of cold water and keep it for several minutes or until the onions are fully thawed. Additionally, you can keep your onions at room temperature for one hour and then use them in your recipe.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we discussed the following question, “can you defrost onions in the microwave?” and other queries related to this topic.
