When you make a stew

put, not out

Oh help! different than as well!

There's only one thing for it:

Bloody hell!

Isn't it strange how you can type something that you know is wrong, but don't notice until you've posted?
Yes, chopped onions do sort of 'disappear' when cooked for a longish time, I've noticed that, although you can still tell they're there and your mother would certainly know!

That's what I thought, nag, but won't some of the smaller bits of onion have disappeared anyway? She said I could cut the onions into large pieces, but if you cut an onion at all, some of the pieces will be small. Oh well, maybe it's a matter of quantity.

Deep down I'm very impatient about my mother's food fads (you can tell, can't you?) but I'm trying to be a good girl for once.

Hmm...perhaps you could put the cut-up onion in a sort of string bag?

Could you add some big bits of onion near the end when you are re-heating, if all the onion has dissolved. Then your mother will have something to pick out and will think you have taken her fads into account.

I have a little bit of sympathy as while I am very happy to eat cooked onions I can't take raw ones - if I eat even a little bit everything, and I mean everything, tastes of onion for the next 24 hours. Horrid with cake!

I agree about raw onion, jamjam. I hate it too, mainly because it makes my throat feel sore! Garlic likewise, even when cooked, which is a shame as I like garlic.

I've already made the stew but I left the onion in big bits (did what I was told!) and will hope for the best! I suppose I could always take something different for my mum just in case.

Hmm, I wonder if my mum just doesn't cook onion for long enough and that's why she finds it a problem. The stew will take all day in my oven.

I can smell that stew, Bags! How strange....(not the smell)

Bags can you not leave onions out until just before end of cooking then put enough for your mum (onion-less) in another container then add the onions to what is left,the stew will still be cooking when you have turned it off and you will find the onions will cook through before you cool and freeze.

That's an interesting idea, glam. Thank you. Trouble is, I think onions with meat do more than help with the flavour – something to do with helping to break the fats down for digestion. They also act as a thickener in the sauce if fried properly at the beginning. absent will be able to tell us more, I'm sure.

bags yes she will know which way to go,if it where me I would just make a pan just for mum,I have to do this for DS2 as he is another who doesn't have onions or tomatoes in his food.

Could you use shallots, whole? Next time, obviously!

kitty, I've just taken the stew out of the oven and given it a stir and, as most of the onion has disappeared as expected, decided exactly that — to use whole shallots in the next batch! Great minds, eh?

I can actually see some bit of onion sufficiently well with my glasses on to pick them out, which is what my mum said she would do. The thing is though, although she can see enough to get around, she is registered blind (degenerative macular disease) so I doubt if she'd be able to see the bits!

Now I'm sorry I didn't add mushrooms. Mum says she can't cope with the 'fibre' in mushrooms. It's no good my pointing out that mushrooms are not plants so the green veg cellulose she is afraid of won't be present . I think she doesn't like mushrooms.

Anyway, I'll probably end up making her a special small stew of her own. Shall I be evil and putnin some onion salt? or shredded, dried garlic Actually, come to think of it, I've never heard her say she can't eat garlic......

[Bags wanders off, stage left, plotting evil deeds....]

She may not be able to see the bits, Bags, but I bet she'd detect them while eating! I had an ex who had a thing about onions - I once cooked some mince with very finely chopped onions and left it simmering for ages. I could neither see nor detect the onions, which had 'disappeared' of course - but he could, and threw his away in disgust!

How about putting onions in whole so you can fish it out ,cut up afterwards and serve separately.
I had a friend for couldn't tolerate onions -migraine trigger.
I love onions -find cooking quite difficult without them.

Thanks, everyone. I've decided to make the second batch without reference to mum's requirements, so will add lots of goodies like peppers and celery. Then I'll make a tiny wee stew all for her with a whole shallot or two in it.

Stew-making doesn't really work without onions.

I don't actually understand what her problem is with onions. After all, if she doesn't mind me putting them in in the first place, it can't be the taste she objects to. Taste comes from the chemicals in food and most of those, in a stew, leak out into the gravy. That's what makes a great stew great. I guess it must just be the texture of cooked onions she doesn't like.

NEXT QUESTION:
I now frozen the first batch but there's enough room in the container for the second batch. When I'm ready to add the second batch to the first, should I

(a) defrost the first batch and heat it through then mix with batch two, cool and freeze all together?

(b) cool batch two and pour it over the still frozen batch one? Shove in freezer.

In short, is it safe (enough) to do 'b'?

I wouldn't attempt (a) or (b). Just freeze the second batch in a separate container. Better to be safe than sorry, but don't get in a stew about it.
Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

Could you prise the frozen stew out of the container and put it in a freezer bag while you freeze the new batch in the container?

Then put the frozen one on top, of course!

bags never freeze, defrost, heat and freeze again you can end up with poorly tummies.