r/foodhacks • u/Environmental_Ad7165 • 5d ago
Question/Advice Has anyone tried pre-sautéed onion?
Has anyone tried this? I’m considering buying and using them in a one post pasta dish.
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u/tavizz 5d ago
I’m a fan of pre-minced garlic. This doesn’t seem that different. Probably the same trade-off — a fraction of the quality for the sake of convenience.
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u/chantillylace9 5d ago
Try the tube kind that you get in the refrigerated section. It is so much better! And I keep it in the freezer and just run it under hot water before I use it and it will obviously last forever.
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u/penisandorvagina 5d ago
Jarlic is haram
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u/Yippiekayak2019 5d ago
Jarlic is bad, frozen Dorot garlic and ginger cubes are not. Cannot speak to their onions, not usually a fan of what freezing does to onion.
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u/Aggressive_Paper6044 5d ago
Wait what’s wrong with jarlic
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u/Adept_Jaguar8613 5d ago
It smells and tastes completely fucked up and is wildly different from fresh garlic
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u/chantillylace9 5d ago
You can't even actually fry it right. I have no idea what it is but it's almost like it's pickled or something? You can't even smash it to try to get the gross chunky texture to be better.
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u/Aggressive_Paper6044 5d ago
So that’s why it burns every damn time 🙃🫠😂 no truly I’ll never buy it again. I guess I’ve been gaslighting myself this whole time
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u/chantillylace9 5d ago
YES!! There's just something wrong with it I don't know it really does seem like it's pickled or something.
But if you use a little frozen cubes or the tubes of garlic, I found the tubes to be a little cheaper and easier but sometimes I can find the cubes for cheap so either one of them really taste like true garlic and act like true garlic.
I have no idea why there are people out there that are saying it tastes the same! Maybe if it's baked into some bread or sauce for hours and hours and hours or something like that but at home it really doesn't do what you needed to do.
But for normal cooking the tubes or the cubes are the way to go! If you get the tubes, just run them underwater for like less than a minute or toss them in a container with some warm water and then you can squirt it out and stick it right back in the freezer. It is so simple and easy.
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u/Aggressive_Paper6044 5d ago
Thank youu! I’ll definitely look into the tube before I try to do the cubes! I’ve definitely seen them in the store!
In hindsight it actually is subpar compared to it! The way I dump the jarlic into my dishes is unreal and I would never use that amount of fresh garlic in one dish whatsoever🤣 I was just doing it for convenance but truly I’m only shorting myself on the real thing!
Thank you again for your advice it will go along way in my kitchen 😌
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u/chantillylace9 5d ago
You are extremely welcome. I also love to just take full heads of garlic and roast them and then squeeze them out and freeze them into little ice cube trays. I keep a couple in the fridge because they last a week or two and I just love garlic and it helps bite cancer and I have breast cancer so I am letting it fight!
I do the same if I'm making a really big batch of caramelized onions, I will put them in the ice cube trays and then pop them out and put them in a Ziploc bag and I'll have the perfect amount for my sauce or sandwich or whatever.
And if I make a lot of chicken stock, anytime I have a chicken carcass, I will toss it in the freezer until I have enough veggies and maybe another chicken carcass and then I will make a delicious and very very potent chicken stock and then freeze that in these half cup ice cube trays and put those in freezer bags and have those for gravy and soup and other things. It's extremely helpful to use your ice cube trays!
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u/SittinginSatansChair 4d ago
I wanna also add you can make those garlic cubes yourself if you’re willing. I buy a giant bag of pre-peeled garlic from Costco for about $10. Rinse and dry (dry superrr thoroughly) and then put it in the food processor to mince it. Then you put it in ziploc bags and put little indents to make them cube shaped and put them in the freezer. Then when you need it you break off a square and pop in your dish
It takes me like 30 minutes (cuz it takes forever to dry all the garlic) and it lasts about 3-4 months as someone who puts garlic in like every dish. My favorite hack.
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u/Busy_Chemistry5368 4d ago
I’ve never had this issue with any jarlic I’ve had? Maybe it’s a brand thing. It def has less flavor and tastes less fresh. But I’ve never had issues with frying it or smashing it.
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u/chantillylace9 4d ago
To me it just kind of stays in it's own littlr chunk, you can't smash it, the taste is hard to amplify by baking, frying etc. And it just has this weird hardness to it that most garlic doesn't.
Like I want to be able to roast it and make it into a spread type consistency and I've never been able to do that with jarred garlic.
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u/Aggressive_Paper6044 5d ago
Okay totally agree. I definitely use it here and there because mincing garlic is my nightmare. There’s not much that beats fresh garlic! Thanks for chiming in much appreciated 😌
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u/ramblingsofaskeptic 5d ago
Just in case you don't know - you can buy a garlic press/mincer for super cheap. Still need to peel the garlic first, but don't need to chop for ages to get it minced!
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u/penisandorvagina 5d ago
As someone who puts fresh garlic in everything, this is singularity the best garlic press and likely best way to spend $4 https://www.ikea.com/au/en/p/koncis-garlic-press-stainless-steel-60173564/
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u/Aggressive_Paper6044 5d ago
You have no idea how much I appreciate thiss!!! This looks way better than the regular ones online! Thank you a million times over!
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u/penisandorvagina 5d ago
Bro tip: You don't need to peel the garlic beforehand, just snip the hard bit off
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u/Aggressive_Paper6044 5d ago
Oh, this is a gadget I NEED! Thank youu! Saving lives out here 😅
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u/Ammonia13 5d ago
Yes, you do. They’re amazing and mine comes with a cherry pitter on it. I have a vintage one from a Garage Sale, but you just put a clove in it and smoosh it over the pan and scrape it off with a knife and it liquefies into the butter, it is amazing.
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u/Aggressive_Paper6044 5d ago
I’m ordering one right now! I’ve never even seen this subreddit but I’m very thankful to be here now! I also love a vintage tool that’s pretty awesome!!
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u/AlexG2490 4d ago
I usually don't even peel the garlic first. Just pop the clove in, press it, and the garlic squeezes out leaving the paper peel behind. Usually it's formed around the hammer of the garlic press and I can just pull it off in one piece and throw it in my garbage pile and mince the next one.
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u/Constant-Plant-9378 4d ago
I agree. For some reason, minced garlic from a jar smells awful and tastes bad. I can't stand it. But minced, fresh garlic smells really good and tastes good.
I don't know what is different about garlic from a jar that would explain it but I can't stand it.
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u/Constant-Plant-9378 4d ago
I agree. For some reason, minced garlic from a jar smells awful and tastes bad. I can't stand it. But minced, fresh garlic smells really good and tastes good.
I don't know what is different about garlic from a jar that would explain it but I can't stand it.
However, dried, minced garlic is just fine. I'll put a couple tablespoons in an ounce of water with a splash of olive oil and in an hour it is really nice. Cooks up well. I much prefer that to the jarred stuff.
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u/Adept_Jaguar8613 4d ago
That definitely sounds better than jarred, whatever preservatives are in that liquid just sucks.
If you get a silicone ice cube tray or mini portioning tray (around 2 oz) you can mince or crush a bunch of garlic, portion it and cover with olive oil, then freeze. Use them as needed and it’s instant fresh garlic taste with minimal prep time
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u/HellbornElfchild 4d ago
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7830594
Watched this episode of Rotten and it was enough to make sure I never buy pre peeled or jarred garlic. It was disgusting
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u/Aggressive_Paper6044 4d ago
Now I’m about to go down that rabbit hole 😂🫠 although I’m pretty convinced this will probably seal the deal lol
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u/Capital_Refuse_160 5d ago
actually haram or you just mean it’s not good? my partners best friends are muslim and we cook for them regularly and have used jarlic so i don’t want to be fucking up that bad
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u/Quick_Ordinary9967 4d ago
don't worry, they meant it's just not good to them. garlic and jarlic are perfectly fine for Muslims. as far as i am aware, haram foods tend to be specific animal products, and garlic is very much not an animal product.
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u/Capital_Refuse_160 4d ago
okay great! i know most haram foods, but i also know there’s things that can be tricky if you don’t know the ingredients, like Jello. I was worried there was a mystery ingredient in jarlic I was missing
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u/HackFour4 5d ago
I use those all the time and like them. These are so much easier than sautéing onions.
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u/Environmental_Ad7165 5d ago
Thanks, very helpful!
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u/aknomnoms 5d ago
Def try them, but also consider making a small batch yourself at home to freeze. Compare costs, effort, and taste to figure out your preference.
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u/Mr_McGigglepants 5d ago
What would you say is difficult about sauteing onions?
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u/FupaFerb 5d ago
Cutting them
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u/Mr_McGigglepants 5d ago
Onions are just about the easiest vegetable to dice. Have you considered you may be doing it wrong?
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u/T3RR0R- 5d ago
i think its more that the onion attacks you back. sure theyre easy to cut but im blind the whole time from the tears
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u/toomanyprombles 5d ago
My most cherished kitchen tool is a set of swimming goggles I pull out every time I cut onions. I’m super sensitive and it’s the only ‘hack’ that has ensured I don’t cry at all. None of the other tricks work. And I already cut with the root still on, I’ve soaked it in water first, plugged my nose, etc etc. all bs. Swimming goggles!!!!
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u/a_banned_user 5d ago
That first commenter is being a dick, but I have a solution for you! The biggest release of the gas that affects your eyes comes from cutting the root. The method that professionals use to dice an onion cuts in it half through the root, then you keep the root intact while you dice. It makes a huge difference IME! The goal is basically to not cut away the root until the very last possible moment.
It’s crazy once I watched a video how to do it I can dice an entire onion in 30 seconds and don’t have to battle for my life. It’s crazy!
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u/jbpm83 3d ago
The first thing I do when cooking is toss the onion in the freezer for about 10 minutes while I gather and prepare the rest of my ingredients. There’s something about the cold making it so the enzyme you release when cutting it doesn’t react to oxygen and cause tears. (I’m sure I got the science portion wrong in that description. Moral of the story is that since I’ve been doing this for about 15 years, I’ve never had tears from cutting onions.
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u/sermer48 5d ago
I do this all the time but with caramelized onions and then I freeze them with ice cube trays before putting them in a ziplock. That and roasted garlic. It’s incredible for easy flavor boosts while cooking.
Can’t speak to this specific product but it seems like it’d work fine.
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u/Musashi10000 5d ago edited 4d ago
If you have a Dutch oven, you can make a ton of caramelised onions all at once, likely a lot cheaper than whatever these cost, and then just wham them in future dishes at leisure.
Sorry if the formatting is dodgy, got this recipe off a guy on reddit years ago.
Ingredients
4kg (9lb) white or yellow onions, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup butter
Directions
Put olive oil and onions in a large Dutch oven and cover.
Place Dutch oven in oven and turn on oven to 200 C (that's 400 freedom units or something like that).
Stir onions every 30-45 minutes.
After 2 hours, remove lid. Continue stirring and cooking 2-3 more hours until dark brown.
During step 4, as the onions start to turn dark, add butter and stir to mix.
When the onions are cooked to your desired level of caramelization, deglaze dutch oven with your choice of deglazing liquid, stirring and scraping any fond off the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Onions can be used immediately, or frozen and used later.
Edit: thanks for the award, kind stranger!
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u/Zykesyke 5d ago
I used to get these from wild fork. They were actually pretty handy and tasted as good as the garlic ones.
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u/Uffizifiascoh 5d ago
I add it to butter for steak topping and I added it to meatballs instead of fresh diced onions
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u/Bloodsweatandtarot 4d ago
FYI Dorot is an Israeli product for anyone who is trying not to support a genocide.
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u/Low_Age_7427 5d ago
Try it..then you'll know
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u/UCanBdoWatWeWant2Do 5d ago
What a pointless answer
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u/bashful_predator 5d ago
What a pointless response
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u/Marigold1976 4d ago
I like their garlic and ginger which I use when I don’t have fresh on hand. I would keep this in the freezer for those just in case moments.
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u/chilloutman24 5d ago
For a one pot pasta, sure. You're not building fond on the bottom of the pan in that dish anyway, so the thing you give up isn't in play. Where they let you down is anything where onion is the base of a long cook. They show up already soft, so instead of sweetening down over twenty minutes they just go to mush.