Onions

Yellow (Spanish), White and Red Onions, Pearl Onions, Scallions (Green Onions), and Cipolline

After garlic, I count onions as the most useful and versatile vegetable, and one you probably always keep handy. The flavor and texture changes so much as they go from raw through the various stages of cooking, it’s almost like they’re multiple vegetables.

Preparing: If you have a lot of onions to peel, drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, drain, and rinse in cold water. A properly sharpened knife also mitigates the amount of tear-inducing chemical released into the air. This substance, called lachrymator, combines with the moisture in your eyes to form a weak solution of sulfuric acid. No wonder it burns! Leave the root end on onions you will cook whole; they’ll stay together better.

Best cooking methods: caramelizing, roasting, grilling

When are they done? The texture softens dramatically and the color darkens the longer they cook.

Other vegetables you can use: shallots, and leeks and scallions in many cases