I have a few recipes that require more than one or two shallots. I find peeling them to be both tedious and time consuming. I am not interested in smashed shallots since the recipes require minced or whole ones. Is there a trick I have not heard of?
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I score the shallot, trying to cut the skin and first layer (which is often half skin, tough or un-useable). Trying to remove only the first layer of skin is a hassle and since the first layer is often iffy…so i bypass it. Sometime only half of the first layer is tough, so I cut out the tough part and use the good.
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Same.
Not an answer, but I am curious about the size of your shallots.
I have grown several varieties over the last few years, and am intrigued by the differences. Of course the bigger ones involve less peeling, but maybe something else is sacrificed.
This is one of the largest I have grown and I think it’s called “French red”…but maybe not!
Maybe they are “banana shallots”.
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I buy shallots at the store. They are rarely large, often peel to two smaller parts.
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I cut off the bottom and top tips, score them longitudinally, then peel underwater to lessen the effect on my eyes. I guess you could cut them in half, also longitudianally, after lopping off the tips, which might make it easier than just scoring.
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Me too.
I believe the french or “gray” shallots, which are large and long are the banana shallots.
We often buy shallots in asian stores; these are round and smaller.
I find the peeling tedious too, and am loathe to throw away the second layer since they are so tiny to begin with!
YouTube sez cover them with boiling water for a few minutes:
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That makes sense for them, especially the smaller ones. That’s usually the recommendation for pearl onions and cippolini. Carve a little “x” on the bottom and then blanche for a minute or so.
Just like tomatoes. Who knew!
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I soak my garlic cloves in cold water for a bit, maybe I’ll try hot water next time.
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Hot water seems to be worth the try. I have a special hot tap for near boiling water for tea or instant coffee so it will be easy. Thanks for the suggestions.
