How to Make the Best Caramelized Onions

Ah, ever-elusive perfect caramelized onions. Just last year, we set out to investigate the mythic beast. It’s not that they’re necessarily hard to come by, it's just that making the perfect ones at home can prove challenging. How long should we cook them to get that sweet and jammy brown caramelization we lust after? Will 20 minutes do the trick or do they need to simmer for somewhere closer to an hour? Should one leave the top on or let them go without a cover? The questions abound, but we did our best to answer them.

Each cooking method and time garners significantly different results, and our investigative article concluded that universally perfect caramelized onions don’t exist. You can, however, develop a method that works best for you. How brown or how sweet you like your onions is up to you and, like all good things, it's a matter of taste! So, once you get those basics down, try your hand at any—or all—of the recipes below. They all include caramelized onions in some fashion and will give you plenty of opportunities to get them juuuuust right.

How long do you cook your caramelized onions for? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.