Currently in season

Onions in the Thermomix®

We have matched 197 English Thermomix® recipes with onions. Here is the season window, buying advice and the best MixMyDay recipe links.

Seasonal calendar by month

When are onions in season?

Harvest from July to September, stored onions available almost year round into April.

Outdoor crop: fresh European harvest. Protected crop: greenhouse or covered cultivation. Stored: European harvest kept in storage.

Buying and storing onions

With onions, look for firm, dry skins with no soft spots or green shoots. The neck area must be dry. Large mild onions (big and gentle) suit onion tart and chutney, shallots (aromatic, finer) suit sauces and dressings, red onions suit raw salads. Silverskin onions (small, mild) are used for pickling. Green shoots signal old stock.

Store onions dark, cool and above all dry and airy. Never in plastic bags, or they turn mouldy. In nets or baskets they keep for months. Shallots the same. Keep peeled halves covered in the fridge for two to three days at most. Onion rings can be frozen raw, with no blanching step.

Preparing onions in the Thermomix®

In the Thermomix® we chop onions in seconds: peeled, halved onions for 5 sec on speed 5 give a coarse cut that is ideal for soups, stews and sauces. For finer base sauces, use 3 sec on speed 8. Then sweat them down with a little oil at 120 °C on speed 1 until the smell turns sweet. This is the base for our onion tart, our braised onions and countless soups.

For onion chutney we cook the roughly cut onions with vinegar, sugar and spices at 100 °C on speed 1 until soft, then blend briefly on speed 3 for a chunky texture.

The most common mistakes with onions

Blended to a puree instead of chopped. If you run onions too long or on a high speed, you end up with onion mush instead of a cut. For stews and tarts, use 5 sec on speed 5 and then check, rather than letting it run on blindly.
Skipping the sweating step. Cooking raw onions straight into soups leaves them sharp and raw tasting. Always sweat them first at 120 °C on speed 1 until glassy and soft. This takes the sharpness off and develops sweetness.
Storing in the fridge door. Too cold and too damp for unpeeled onions. The moisture encourages mould. Only cut onions go into the fridge, covered, while whole onions stay outside in an airy spot.

Complete list

All 197 Thermomix® recipes with onions

Onions as the main ingredient (4 recipes)

Onions in more recipes (193 recipes)

Show all 193 recipes ↓Show fewer ↑

Goes well with onions

These seasonal ingredients are in season at the same time, ideal for combining:

Onions in the monthly calendar:

FAQ

Good to know

How do I chop onions without crying?

The irritating sulphur compounds are released as you cut. In the Thermomix® the problem all but disappears: drop the halved onions in, close the lid, 5 sec on speed 5. The blade drive capsule keeps the fumes inside the machine.

What is the difference between a large mild onion and a shallot?

Large mild onions are big, gentle and full of water, good for tarts and braised dishes. Shallots are smaller, more aromatic and slightly sweet. They suit vinaigrettes, sauces and braised dishes where finesse matters.

Can I caramelise onions in the Thermomix®?

Yes, but it takes patience: cook finely chopped onions with a little butter and a pinch of sugar at 120 °C on speed 1 for at least 20 minutes. Leaving the lid slightly ajar stops too much steam building up. The result is deep golden brown and sweet.

Can onions be frozen?

Yes. Portion them raw, cubed or in rings, and freeze them with no pretreatment. Add them straight from the freezer into the hot Thermomix® or into the pan. They will not have a fresh texture for raw salads afterwards, but they work well for braised dishes.

How many Thermomix® recipes with onions are there?

There are currently 197 recipes in our collection. You will find them above, sorted by main ingredient and supporting ingredient.