# To peel or not to peel -- pearl onions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2002, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767 "2002-12-14T19:09:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/1 "2002-12-14T19:09:04Z")
This is far too mundane and trivial for GQ, plus, in MPSIMS I can wax poetic about the fine eats my SO and I like to enjoy. My SO… erm, let’s call her **Sniffs\_Markers** , and I like to make ourselves a _fine_ meal, with _fine_ wine at least once a week. This week it was coq-au-vin. It was mahvelous, simply mahvelous. Never made it before, but Sniffs\_Markers wanted to give it a go. (I stayed well out of the way this time. Next week it’ll be _my_ turn for something fancy.) Must you peel every stinkin’ little pearl onion? Or do the skins just get edibly mushy when you cook them? If you do have to peel 'em, is there an easy way? Sniffs\_Markers did it the long way. Poetic waxing: _Sunset and evening star_ - And coq-au-vin for me!\* _May our belt buckles be lossened_ - When we enjoy good eats\* _But so much good food does put us to sleep,_ - Too full for e’en coffee,\* _Appetites thought our tummies boundless deep_ - O’erstuffed is me.\* [sub]With apologies to Tennyson[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/2 "2002-12-14T19:12:52Z")
When I first glanced at this thread title in the list, I thought it said “To **pee** or not to **pee** …” > [@](#): > > My SO… erm, let’s call her Sniffs\_Markers BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I can’t wait to hear what you are going to call your kids… ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/3 "2002-12-14T20:42:23Z")
I peeled mine when I used them for mini shish-ke-bobs, but you might not need to when cooking in a dish like coq-au-vin. An easy way to peel onions (Hah! an oxymoron): Slice off the top and bottom Make a slit from cut edge to cut edge, as in: cut from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic if it were the earth Peel the outer layer off. 'course, for pearl onions you have to use a tiny knife. Where are those pesky elves when you need 'em? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/4 "2002-12-14T20:49:18Z")
For pearl onions, I believe the method is to drop them in boiling water for a minute; it should be possible to squirt them out of their skins after that. I still find it kind of a fussy job though. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/5 "2002-12-14T23:52:53Z")
Buy 'em as cocktail onions - they’re ready to go. ---
**Author:** ![Theobroma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@Theobroma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theobroma)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/6 "2002-12-15T00:10:16Z")
You can get 'em frozen and pre-peeled, too. I use the boiling for 1 minute, cool, and squirt 'em out of the skins method myself. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/7 "2002-12-15T00:10:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Manduck \* > \*\*For pearl onions, I believe the method is to drop them in boiling water for a minute; it should be possible to squirt them out of their skins after that. I still find it kind of a fussy job though. \*\* That sounds like a good idea. Sniffs\_Markers was peeeling 'em as if they were big, Spanish onions. Lotsa frustration and swearing. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/8 "2003-01-23T04:48:56Z")
_BUMP!_ It worked! It worked! We had friends over for diner and made coq-au-vin which required two baggies or those pearl onions. Dropped the first batch into a boiling pot o’ water, fished 'em out – and… well, actually I didn’t boil the _quite_ long enough, so no "squirting them out, but I could quickly yank off the outer peel in one fell swoop if I tore off the “roots.” The second little batch I boiled a wee bit too long so when I fished 'em out (hot! hot! hot!) indeed all I need to do was give 'em a hard squeeze and they’d pop out from the inside. Since I boiled them a touch too long, the inside that squeezed out was kind of puny and I ended up “peeling” several layers more than I had intended, but I was in a rush and we didnt mind. It worked! It worked! Yummy coq-au-vin for all! **Manduck** (and **Theo** too) we thank you, thank you, thank you! Saved us time and effort. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-peel-or-not-to-peel-pearl-onions/142767/9 "2003-01-23T08:28:27Z")
You’re very welcome. [weeping] It’s gratifying to know I’ve made a difference in someone’s life. 😃