I Caramelized Onions in Half the Time—with a Microwave
Published on Jun. 26, 2026 Low and slow is not the only way. Between years of restaurant work, culinary school and recipe testing, I’ve caramelized more onions than I could possibly count. I’ve stood over plenty of skillets slowly coaxing out that deep, jammy sweetness. And if you would have asked me last week whether there were any legitimate ways to speed up the process, I would have said no. Caramelized onions are one of those things I’ve always considered immune to shortcuts. Low and slow wasn’t just the best method—it was the method. Every cookbook, every chef and every cooking class drilled the same lesson into my head: If you want properly caramelized onions, you need patience. I’ve carried that advice for years. So when I saw a chef on Instagram claiming he could cut the cooking time in half with a microwave, I assumed it would be another internet shortcut that confused “faster”…