Fried Onions

A short entry that assumes more skill than it states: the whole thing rests on heat management and on when the salt goes in.

• Omelet panIn Farmer's day this generally meant a heavy iron or steel skillet with sloping sides; such pans were often reserved for omelets and wiped rather than scoured. Any wide cast-iron or carbon-steel pan works; the sloping sides just make turning with a fork easier.
• QuantityFour medium onions is roughly 1 lb, which cooks down to perhaps two cups of browned slices; the recipe gives no yield, but that is about a side dish for four, or a garnish for two steaks.
• FatOne and a half tablespoons of butter is lean for a pound of onions and its milk solids scorch before the onions brown. Adding a spoonful of oil, or clarified butter, buys you the higher heat this recipe wants.
• Salt at the endThe instruction to salt one minute before serving is the hinge. Salt draws water out immediately, and wet onions steam rather than brown, so early salting gives you pale, limp slices.
• "Cook until brown"Over medium-high heat with frequent shaking this takes 12 to 20 minutes depending on how thin the slices are. These are fried onions, browned at the edges and still with some bite — not the 45-minute jammy caramelised onions of modern usage.
• Thin slicesAim for about 1/8 inch, cut across the equator into rings or pole-to-pole into slivers. Uniform thickness matters more than the direction of the cut, since stragglers burn while the thick pieces are still raw.
• Stove heatA wood or coal range gave uneven, fierce heat, hence the constant shaking. On gas or induction you can simply hold a steady medium-high and stir every minute or two.