Hi! I’m a UK-food-ignorant Swede, here to ask your help in schooling me in a British onion fry-up. I love cooking but have practiced very few British recipes, I haven’t even made a Shepherd’s Pie by myself, though I love that.

When I visited the UK many years ago I found a hot dog vendor, and got a typical British sausage (brighter shade than [Swedish hot dogs,](https://www.specialchark.se/wp-content/uploads/Varmkorv.jpg) I think because British hot dogs have a higher pork content, which I like) in a non-seared bun, with tart yellow mustard and lots of onions the man was frying in a big pan next to the sausages.

I have a teflon frying pan, and next monday it’s payday so I will be able to buy a bunch of yellow onions. How do I fry them? Oil or butter? Any seasoning? When do I take them out?

by Milfons_Aberg

11 comments

  1. Finely chop the onion, melt a fuck ton of butter in the pan, chuck the onions in, cook until lightly caramelised, bon appetite

  2. I’m not entirely sure what recipe you mean, but it sounds like standard caramelized onions.

    Low and slow is key with a bit of olive oil and butter. As long as the pan isn’t too hot, they shouldn’t dry out, and you’ll end up with soft and sweet golden brown onions.

  3. Can’t speak entirely accuratley – cooked onions give me the shits – But a lot of oil, high heat. Pinch of salt, and a turn of black pepper, cooked off until slightly slimy should be about right. For an etra punch, add a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard per whole onion used. Adds depth and richness, but is not traditional.

    It’s how I do fried onions for the missus, and she loves ’em.

  4. Heat up a pan, put in some oil or butter (doesn’t really matter which), chuck some onion in and finally add a little bit of sugar.

  5. Butter, quite a lot, sliced onions, cook on medium until they soften, add salt and sugar and leave to cook, don’t stir them too much at this point, they should start caramelising. I’ve cooked them for up to like 30 mins before

  6. Two ways.

    Softened onions –

    Add sliced onions to a small pan. Cook medium until softened. Keep cooking until needed, adding splashes of water to keep them moist. Soft, soggy and delicious.

    Caramelised onions –

    Slice, add salt and butter, cook on low for about an hour, stirring regularly. Dark, sweet and molasses goeyness.

    Do not cook on high, crispy roast onions are a completely different thing, and a very different flavour profile. Delicious, but more intense and bitter.

  7. The amount of people suggesting adding sugar in this thread is criminal.

  8. Oil or butter both work fine, and a spoonful of sugar. I usually use medium heat and watch/stir them for 15-20 min.

  9. Caramelise or slow cook – lots of advice already and nothing to add there.

    But the other trick to hotdog onions is really fine slicing. If you aren’t buying them pre-sliced you should use a food processor or if working by hand use a mandoline. Realistically no way to do this by hand otherwise.

  10. tip, salt the onions well straight away as it helps draw out moisture so it can start to caramelise and doesn’t burn.

  11. Considering most of our hotdogs are made from “mechanically separated poultry”, Swede hotdogs must be shockingly bad if ours have a higher pork content

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