Browning onions & garlic: best technique?

[Peleep]

Hi Everyone.

Quick tip required please!  What is the best method to dice then brown onions and garlic so that that they're beautifully golden and the oniony/garlicky taste is gone?  I've cooked a number of delicious dishes since buying the Thermomix and I still seem to have an onion/garlic after taste in my mouth, which is not present when cooking the same dishes on the stove?

ie. the onions/garlic seem to sweat rather than fully brown/cook.  What is wrong with my method please? 

My method:
1. TMX on Varoma temp for 5 minutes (takes about 5 minutes initially to reach Varoma temp), blade speed 1, about a tablespoon of oil.

2. Turn Blade speed up to 6, drop in onion/garlic, for about 3-5 seconds, depending on how fine i want the chopping.

3. scrape down the sides to ensure all chopped onion/garlic is down the bottom of the bowl.

4. TMX at Varoma temp. 10 minutes. Reverse. Blade speed spoon or 1.

[mkr]

This might explain why the browning is not occurring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction

In short, the temperature is not hot enough to create the chemical reaction necessary to brown the onions.

[meganjane]

I prefer not to brown onions and garlic for most recipes. I actually add a little salt to prevent it happening.
I do make sure I cook both for a good 5 minutes and haven't found the oniony/garlicky taste that you're describing. Perhaps you need to cook the final recipe longer?

[Cornish Cream]

Have a look on the UK Thermomix website,it has a topic about browning onions 
 http://www.ukthermomix.com/recshow.php?rec_id=145

[Katya]

Thanks for that link CC - I hadn't seen it.   

[meganjane]

That's very interesting! The use of bi-carb obviously makes a difference.
Thanks for the link.

[faffa_70]

somewhere on here Thermomixer suggested adding a splash of water to help them along too from memory

[JaneeZee]

Fascinating link CC.  Just don't know that I'm that bothered about browning my onion!!!

[Mimmie and Me]

hhhmmm??? 15 minutes to brown onions..... I'd rather stand over the stove, stirring for 3 minutes! I'm new to the TM and I'm liking or loving most things about it but I hate the raw onion and garlic taste in things. My husband and I have already worked out that we need to saute onions/garlic for 5 - 7 minutes instead of the 2 - 3 that the cook book suggests... but they still don't brown and it does make things taste different. The natural MSG in onions and garlic are only released with certain cooking methods.

[CreamPuff63]

as a Non-Consultant...I would base my dishes on if I was cooking with the TM or a pan method. In recipes that I have used for TM, they have given times to saute the onions/garlic but they have not caramelised them

Depending upon personal preference I would chop by hand, 3 Secs Speed . If you are wanting to caramelise go by the pan method as specified in your book, othewise saute in the TM as per the recipe

[faffa_70]

I don't like either the caramelised taste of onions in recipes or the taste of raw onions/garlic so I am easy to please. I chop for 3-5 seconds on speed 5 and then sauté for 5 mins on 100 deg ALWAYS 

[johnro]

I generally choose the method mentioned by CP - over the stove, but if pushed for time leaving the MC off helps with the saute of onions and garlic as the moisture does not collect on lid.  However this does need the 5mins at 100 degs!