Freezing Caramelized Onions - Thoughts?

I love caramelized onions and they add a lot to basic weeknight dishes, but they are too time consuming to make when dinner needs to be on the table in under an hour. I'd rather make a huge batch at once, and freeze portions to take out when needed. A little worried if it will ruin the flavor or texture - any thoughts or experience out there with this? Many thanks!

ColoradoCook
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5 Comments

ColoradoCook
ColoradoCook September 29, 2011
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! Glad to hear others have done this successfully. I don't have a vacuum-sealer, but I'm going to test out the ziplock/evoo method this weekend on a smaller batch and see how we go. I appreciate all the tips!
 
boulangere
boulangere September 28, 2011
I've frozen them grilled, I've frozen them sautéed, I've frozen them caramelized, I've frozen onion-shallot-leek jam. I don't have a vacuum sealer, so I tend not to hoard more than I'll use up within a few weeks. I do as Rivka does: I use ziplock bags and press out all the air I can. I've not been disappointed yet.
 
Rivka
Rivka September 28, 2011
I've frozen many batches of caramelized onions with success. Just pack them tightly in the container to eliminate air bubbles, and "seal" them with a layer of evoo. Be sure to store the container upright until frozen, so olive oil stays on top.
 
wssmom
wssmom September 28, 2011
According to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, onions freeze best raw or par-boiled, rather than fully-cooked as you will find a noticeable reduction in flavor and quality. If you need to freeze cooked onions, they suggest you refrigerate them immediately after cooking to cool; remove as much excess moisture as possible, and freeze in small batches using ziplock bags with the air squeezed out or vacuum-sealed bags. Hope this helps!
 
aargersi
aargersi September 28, 2011
Hmm - well freezing fresh veggies can be tricky texture-wise, but I think since these are cooked they should be OK - do you have a vacuum sealer? That would be a good thing .... maybe make a small batch and test before going to the large batch effort ...
 
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