# French Onion Soup... need recipe fast **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595 "2014-12-31T05:37:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/21 "2015-01-06T21:11:03Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Can I drop by for a bowl? Crock. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/22 "2015-01-06T21:43:23Z")
Anyone else want to admit to using Lipton French Onion? Never occurred to us that anyone made it from scratch anymore. We make a hearty beef soup from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/23 "2015-01-06T22:40:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Anyone else want to admit to using Lipton French Onion? Never occurred to us that anyone made it from scratch anymore. I’ll use it (or the canned version, preferably) very occasionally for gravy or to perk up a beef stew, but not for soup itself. It’s just not French onion soup to me unless its actually made from real caramelized onions. (ETA, oh or for dip, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/24 "2015-01-06T23:58:14Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Anyone else want to admit to using Lipton French Onion? Never occurred to us that anyone made it from scratch anymore. _ **Lipton?** _ :eek: [sub]barbarians at the gates[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/25 "2015-01-07T03:32:09Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > There is a site: [www.allrecipes.com](http://www.allrecipes.com) > > Any time I need a recipe for anything, it always seems to come through for me. > > Give it a try and let us know what you find? > > Another great site is [www.ask.com](http://www.ask.com) where you can ask most any question and it is weirdly uncanny in the way it finds answers to those questions. I asked it to find me a recipe for Onion Soup. Here is a link: > > [http://index.about.com/index?gclid=CjwKEAiAoJmlBRCxjKeizPHVs1ESJAC6cxjUfCiId0wfp3vuUdSrk4G9ehtY7r-Ow7ikr4KAZRnXcRoCxrjw\_wcB&am=broad&q=how+to+make+onion+soup&an=google\_s&askid=18811697-d649-4d7d-b9f7-1e2a7415c298-0-ab\_gsb&dqi=&qsrc=999&ad=semD&o=4960&l=sem](http://index.about.com/index?gclid=CjwKEAiAoJmlBRCxjKeizPHVs1ESJAC6cxjUfCiId0wfp3vuUdSrk4G9ehtY7r-Ow7ikr4KAZRnXcRoCxrjw_wcB&am=broad&q=how+to+make+onion+soup&an=google_s&askid=18811697-d649-4d7d-b9f7-1e2a7415c298-0-ab_gsb&dqi=&qsrc=999&ad=semD&o=4960&l=sem) > > And another one: > > [recipe for french onion soup, www.ask.com](http://www.ask.com/web?am=broad&q=recipe+for+french+onion+soup&an=google_s&askid=09a41bb3-6a11-4312-86e1-733156dceca7-0-us_gsb&kv=sdb&gc=0&dqi=&qsrc=999&ad=semD&o=11581&l=dir&af=&_=1) > > The following three sites represent the best when it comes to giving you answers for the things you need: > > [about.com](http://about.com), [answers.com](http://answers.com) and [ask.com](http://ask.com) > > Good luck! > > I hope you enjoy your soup. > > 🙂 Wow, you mean search engines can actually find you websites when you put in search terms? Get out! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/26 "2015-01-07T04:43:46Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Wow, you mean search engines can actually find you websites when you put in search terms? Get out! You learn something new every day. I trust the low heat method, using the oven so that I don’t have to constantly tend to the onions. Basic yellow onions, not Vidalia or other sweet onions, not white onions, not red onions. After the onions medium brown, I move to the top to let them get really caramelized and begin leaving fond in the pot, I’ll deglaze with water, let the liquid cook out and let the onions begin leaving fond again. Repeat a second time, then on the third time deglaze with sherry. I personally use equal parts water, low-sodium chicken broth, and low-sodium beef broth. As I don’t own broiler proof crocks, I’ll make cheese toasts (french bread sliced, toasted, then topped with a mound of gruyere and a little parmigiana and broiled to a delicious goodness). I’ll top each bowl of soup with one or two of these. I got the idea from America’s Test Kitchen on PBS (same with about 95%+ of my recipe). > [@aceplace57](#): > > Anyone else want to admit to using Lipton French Onion? Never occurred to us that anyone made it from scratch anymore. Lipton might just make the best onion soup ever…but I will never find out. For the record, I sincerely doubt that Lipton’s formula could even be mistaken for real onion soup, but your palate may vary. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/27 "2015-01-07T14:06:54Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Wow, you mean search engines can actually find you websites when you put in search terms? Get out! Gosh, what an … original … joke. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/28 "2015-01-07T14:18:16Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Gosh, what an … original … joke. In the past, I made mean and sarcastic posts to tell people they shouldn’t waste our time asking for stuff they could find very easily with a search engine. Unfortunately, the mods let me know - **in no uncertain terms** - they did not appreciate that. They told me that if I did that again, I could expect to get the heave ho. After thinking about it, I can understand why they feel that way. The deal is that if you want to help someone, go right ahead. But if you just want to snark at them, you should exit this forum and go try [www.snark.com](http://www.snark.com). When I read the OP’s post, I felt like helping them and so I posted the names of some sites they could use to get some good info. But I left it up to them to get that info themselves. It actually made me feel good to help them in that way. Much better than giving them crap. I figured most people would see through my post and get the real meaning. P.S. The site [www.snark.com](http://www.snark.com) is just my idea of a little joke. OMG! There really is such a site. Who knew? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/29 "2015-01-07T14:39:46Z")
Charlie Wayne, why don’t you just make the incredibly justifiable assumption that everyone on this board is aware of search engines and their usage? Especially when they PUT IT RIGHT IN THE OP, and state that they’re looking for personal experiences, not just grabbing recipes off the internet: > [@Spud](#): > > Sure I could do a Google search but the recipes can be hit or miss. And you can never trust the ratings since someone will post that the omitted the onions and it sucked and give it one star. I’d rather trust the Dopers to show me the way. I’ll wing it if nobody has a recipe, but if there is one you swear by I’d love to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/30 "2015-01-07T14:42:43Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Charlie Wayne, why don’t you just make the incredibly justifiable assumption that everyone on this board is aware of search engines and their usage? Especially when they PUT IT RIGHT IN THE OP, and state that they’re looking for personal experiences, not just grabbing recipes off the internet: That is a very valuable assumption to make. Thank you for pointing that out to me. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/31 "2015-01-07T15:06:06Z")
FWIW… the high/low heat debate is really a caramelization vs. Maillard reaction product debate. > **[Browning Onions Takes Forever](https://forums.egullet.org/topic/121318-browning-onions-takes-forever/#entry1634164)** > > My question is absurdely simple, yet I can't tell you how many times I've impatiently burned onions by turning up the flame when trying to brown a big batch of onions in a large Le Cruset pot in preparation for onion soup, or even just trying to get... ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/32 "2015-01-07T15:25:25Z")
> [@bump](#): > > FWIW… the high/low heat debate is really a caramelization vs. Maillard reaction product debate. > > [Forums - eGullet Forums](http://forums.egullet.org/topic/121318-browning-onions-takes-forever/#entry1634164) It’s not really a debate: two different techniques. But, from what I read there, it seems to say that caramelizing onions is predominantly Malliard, high-heat or slow cooked. at least in the post linked. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/33 "2015-01-07T15:59:28Z")
And I should reiterate: I am not advocating one technique over the other. I like both techniques. When I do a giant batch of onions, I generally just toss them into a Dutch oven or two, stick 'em in the oven, and forget about them for a few hours. (I may finish them on the stovetop, though.) Freeze what you don’t need and you’ve got piles of caramelized onions at your whim! They are both useful techniques to know, especially if you have a hankering for French onion soup and think it’s necessarily a 3+ hour process, when you can whip it up in about 30 minutes or so if you have stock/broth at the ready, and not sacrifice any quality. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595/34 "2015-01-07T17:53:28Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ll use it (or the canned version, preferably) very occasionally for gravy or to perk up a beef stew, but not for soup itself. It’s just not French onion soup to me unless its actually made from real caramelized onions. (ETA, oh or for dip, of course.) It is also great as a seasoning for fries. You know thinking about it I haven’t tried it with mashed potatoes. I’m gonna have to try that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-onion-soup-need-recipe-fast/708595.md?page=1)