7 Ways to Cook With Onions

Raw or cooked, onions are perfectly at home starring in a dish or performing as a subtle underlying aromatic on which other flavors are built. Crying too often over onions? Pop them in the freezer for 20 minutes before chopping to minimize tears.

Sometimes called wild onions, tender Italian cipollini are coated with a combination of red wine, balsamic, honey, and soy sauce, then roasted for a simple but highly flavorful side dish. If you can't find cipollini, substitute pearl onions and cut cooking time.

Recipe: Roasted Cipollini Onions

Simple buttermilk biscuit dough is laced with chopped sautéed onion and grated Grùyere cheese to make a perfect savory side for soup or salad meals. But the best part: this bread is stirred together; there's no yeast or proofing time required.

Recipe: Pull-Apart Cheesy Onion Bread

Amazingly crisp, the secret to these light onion rings is an easy two-step process. A quick dip in a lightly oiled skillet, followed by a short bake in a hot oven, produce just the right texture and color–minus all the grease.

Recipe: Beer-Battered Onion Rings

It's hard to imagine that supermarket puff pastry, nutty fontina cheese, yellow onions, and apples could morph into such a rich, elegant appetizer. But they do, and easily. Make the topping in advance or assemble completely and freeze until ready to use.

Recipe: Caramelized Onion-Apple Bites

This colorful salad of hearts of palm, sweet onions, grape tomatoes and parsley comes together in just 10 minutes. Worried about all those onions? No need. A quick soak in water and a splash of lime juice help tame the raw onion bite.

Recipe: Tomato, Sweet Onion and Parsley Salad

Combine oven-roasted sweet onions with saffron and a splash of sherry for a creamy main dish that's more elegant than French onion soup–and just as tasty. Company will love it, but this one is bound to become a family favorite too.

Recipe: Creamy-Roasted Onion Soup

Beautiful to look at, slices of red onion can be quickly pickled in less than an hour with just three ingredients: red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Use these crunchy sweet-tart onions on sandwiches, salads, or as a garnish for roasted meats.

Recipe: Sweet and Sour Red Onions