shortcut caramelised onions

unless you're deathly allergic or get sharp painful pangs in the liver when you consume them, there isn't a person i know who would refuse a dollop of caramelised onions on a burger, on a salad, in quiche or ice cream, even...

often though, one might forego the caramelized onions in favour of less tasty raw onions on a burger, for instance, because cooking onions to the state of caramelisation requires more time, patience and one big beer to drink while you wait for the caramelisation process to complete.

[caramelised onions on sage/onion pork burger with apples and mustard]

but here's a little tip to getting that golden onion tastiness quicker: salt... yes, good ol' NaCL.

toss your bowl of sliced onions with a little bit of salt to help draw the water out and let it sit for about 15 minutes or so (more if you have time). fry them up as per usual over med/med-high in the fat or oil of your choice (about 1 tsp (15 ml) per onion) (and bacon fat tastes best). you'll notice that it takes less time to caramelise than it takes to finish your beer!

you can also deglaze the pan with apple cider or balsamic vinegar or love.

n.b. it's caramelise in canada, not caramelize.