Guide to onion varieties

There are very few kitchens where onions are not a staple food. White, brown and red onions, which are left in the ground to mature and have a tough outer skin for longer storage, are used almost daily. Fresh scallions or shallots should be purchased as needed. Here is a guide to the different varieties of onions.

• Brown onions have a brown skin and creamy flesh, and are more strongly flavoured than white onions.
• Brown onions store well.

• Red onions are mild enough to eat raw in salads and sandwiches, but they are often added to cooked dishes as well. They have a red to purplish-red flesh, and are sometimes called Spanish onions or salad onions.
• Red onions are hotter than the actual white or yellow-skinned Spanish onion, which has an even milder flavour.

• Scallions or green onions are immature onions with a semi-developed or unformed bulb.
• They can be thinly sliced and served raw in salads or as a garnish to hot foods. They are also good cooked and are often added to stir-fries and other Asian dishes.
• Scallions are also known as green onions or spring onions.

Shallots (or eschalots) grow in bunches, similar to garlic. They have light brown skin and white or purplish flesh. Eschalots have a delicate but distinctive and delicious flavour that defines many French sauces and braised dishes.

The shallot is not to be confused with scallions, which some cooks mistakenly refer to as shallots.

• Sweet onions such as Vidalia, Walla Walla or Maui Sweet, have white or tan skin and are generally larger and sometimes flatter than regular yellow onions.
• They are eaten raw in salads and sandwiches and are also good on the barbecue.

White onions have white skin and flesh, and are milder than brown onions. They are suitable for salads as well as cooking.

Yellow onions are a pale form of brown onions with yellowish-brown skin and creamy white flesh. They are the most popular cooking onion. Their flavour ranges from pungent to almost sweet, but they can hold up to the long cooking sometimes required for soups and stews.