Sweetwater Style: Crock Pot Carmelized Onions

Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.

Carl Sandburg

Onions are a staple here at Sweetwater....and the sweet goodness of carmelized onions make so many dishes extra special.

Carmelized onions are pretty easy to make!

All you need is a few onions, a pat of butter, a pan, and some time.

BUT......I really hate to cut/chop/slice onions.....and carmelizing them can be time consuming. Often when I want carmelized onions for a recipe....I only need just a few...and taking the time to carmelize just a small amount can add to the recipe prep time!

I have come up with this trick....which I am happy to share with you!
I do a whole mess of onions all at once and use the crock pot to slow cook them to perfection!
The recipe:
6 cups of raw onions
1/2 cup of real butter
Cook in a crock pot on high for about 4 hours stirring often!

Now....cutting up that many onions means tears.....so I did a little research and found these tricks from Life Hacker

Life Hacker Tricks for cutting onions with no tears

Of course...I didn't do the research for this until AFTER I had cut up a crock pot full of raw onions!

There were more than a few tears running down my face....

but now I know these secrets...so never again.!

Once the onions are done....they are ready for the next step!

I get out the big muffin tins and put about 3/4 of a cup of the onions in each section.

Then into the freezer they go....

but be sure to cover them with foil to avoid having everything in the freezer smell like onions!

Once the onion cups are frozen solid....take them out and put the individual portions into a freezer bag!

Whenever I need to add the flavor of carmelized onions to a dish....it is a simple matter of popping one or two of the portions in the pan or microwave. Instant flavor!

Here are some wonderful recipes to use them in.