Dehydrated Onions: Make Your Own

I’m always looking for ways to save money on items I use frequently when I cook. One item that I use often is dehydrated onions, so I decided it was in my best interest to make my own like my father does. He gave me his old dehydrator some time ago, and it truly has saved me money. I can buy bags of onions from Fiddlehead Marketplace or Market Basket for fairly cheap and end up with way more than if I bought a bottle at the store.

If you’d like to know how to make your own dehydrated onions, please follow the steps below.

Onion Dehydration Steps:

1. Sort through the onions you have on hand and throw away any that are discolored, soft or show any signs of decay.
2. Cut the tops and bottoms off all of the remaining onions you plan on dehydrating. Peel off the outside papery layers with a knife until you reach the white, shiny inside. If the skins are difficult to remove, place the onions in boiling water for one minute to loosen the skins. The skins should then peel off easily with your bare hands.
3. Wash your onions in warm water to remove dirt, debris and any germs that may still be on their surfaces.
4. Using a knife, make ¼-inch to ½-inch slices in each onion. The slices do not need to be perfect, so don’t worry if some slices are thicker than others. Make sure, though, that you don’t slice the onions too thin or they will end up sticking to the dehydrator trays.
5. Separate the onion ring slices, placing them on the dehydrator trays as you go, making sure to leave space around each onion to allow proper, timely drying of the slices.
6. Put the dehydrator trays into the dehydrator. If your dehydrator has a temperature setting, make sure to set it at a low temperature, somewhere around 90° to 120°F. Otherwise, place the top on the dehydrator and plug it into an outlet receptacle.
7. Allow the onions to dry for approximately 9 hours or until the pieces are completely dehydrated and crunchy. To insure your onions are completely dehydrated, remove a slice from your dehydrator and try to break it with a spoon or your hand. If it breaks apart easily, the onions are done. If the slice still feels a bit rubbery and can bend without breaking, the onions need to dehydrate for a bit longer.
8. Remove the onions from the dehydrator, placing them in a mortar and pestle, a small handful at a time, to crush the onions until they are in small pieces. If you’d prefer, you can also you an electric chopper or a large spoon on a counter-top.
9. Place the chopped up onion pieces into a canning jar and cover with a canning jar lid. If you do not have canning jars on hand, plastic storage bags work just as well. Mark the outside of the jar or bag with the date of dehydration. When cooking, use the older onions first to insure you’re using them while they’re still fragrant and full of flavor.

Dishes Chopped Onions Can be Added To:

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese – Try using white sharp cheddar instead of Velveeta when making your cheese sauce. It’s delicious! Once the cheese has completely melted, add in your chopped onions.

Spaghetti Sauce – One of the best things about homemade spaghetti sauce is all the ingredients you can add to the sauce. Not only do chopped onions add extra flavor, so do dehydrated peppers and garlic.

Stir-fries – No Chinese stir-fry is complete without onions, so make sure to add plenty. (Don’t forget the dehydrated peppers and garlic, if you have them.)

Other meal options include omelets, meatloaf, soups, chowders and much, much more. Just use your imagination and experiment, and you will find dishes that you’ll love adding chopped onions too. Enjoy!