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How to Peel Pearl Onions

posted in Vegetables and Beans by Kathy Maister

You may have avoided buying pearl onions because you’ve thought: “There is no way I’m going to peel all of those!”

But once you have learned how to peel these onions, you are going to be very surprised at how easy it is.

And it’s worth the effort, because they really are delicious!

Start by putting the onions in a pan of boiling water and let them boil for about 1 to 2 minutes.

Then, drain them in a colander.

Immediately plunge them into an ice bath. (That’s a bowl of water with ice cubes in it.) This stops the cooking process.

Then cut off the root end of each onion.

If you then squeeze the onion, it will pop right out of its skin!

Once they are all peeled, you can add them to stews or soups.

Or you could sauté (fry) them with some mushrooms and red pepper for a fabulously colorful vegetable to serve with dinner.

Enjoy!

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4 Comments

Matt said:

Thank you I’ve been looking to cook this recipe from Woman Day magazine involving pearl onions in a casserole, beef with tomatoe base & potato dumplings on top, now i Know what a pearl onion is, Just need to find a supplier as it seems the local stores don’t stock it, maybe I’ll have to head to a large fruit shop? Sutherland Shire area…. :-)

Kathy Maister said:

Many grocers can be quite accommodating when asked to order things they do not usually carry. If you can not find these little gems fresh, they can be bought frozen or in a jar. Good luck with your search!

April Biggs said:

I tried the boling remedy for pearl onions and it WORKED like a charm. Thanks for the tip!

startcooking said:

Great to hear April!

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