Red vs Yellow Onions
Onion is one vegetable that is loved by chefs and housewives around the world because of the flavor and aroma they impart to the food recipes they are used in. In particular, the paste of onions proves invaluable while making the gravy or the curry based recipes. Onions are consumed both raw as well as cooked, and they are the mainstay of many cuisines around the world, especially Chinese and Mexican. Onions come in all shapes and sizes and in many different varieties. Out of those, yellow and red onions are the most commonly used onions. This article takes a closer look at the two differently colored onions to find out their differences to enable one to use either of the two when a recipe calls for it.
Yellow Onion
Also called brown onions, these are most widely used onions around the world in kitchens. They are fist sized and feel solid. They have meaty layers and are both acidic as well as sweet, striking a right balance between these aspects of onions. These onions get sweeter with the duration of cooking. You easily identify these onions with the color of their skin that is golden or brownish, but there is another characteristic feature of yellow onions, and that is tough outer skin.
Red Onion
Red onions stand out in the family of onions because of their reddish and purplish color. In fact, even their flesh is deep purple in color, and though they taste nearly the same as yellow onions, they are considered more suitable for salads and in cuisines where they are mostly used raw as they have a mild flavor. Though you get a purplish paste initially, the color is gone once this paste is fried or roasted. Red onions bring tears to eyes quickly, and many people soak them in water to make them lose their astringency.
Red vs Yellow or Brown Onions
• Yellow and red onions both belong to the category of dry onions.
• Yellow onions are also called brown onions and have a paper like skin and tough flesh that is white.
• Red onions have greater astringency and bring tears to eyes prompting people to soak them in water for some time to make them milder.
• The flesh of the red onions is purplish in color, but it loses its color when fried.
• Red onion is mostly preferred raw while it is yellow onion that is ideally suited for cooking.
• There is just the right balance of astringency and sweetness in yellow onions.
• One can substitute red onions for yellow onions in a recipe.
• Red onions are better when consumed raw as in salads or after grilling and roasting while yellow onions are best for cooking.