Yellow onions are the most popular cooking onions because they add excellent flavor to most stews, soups, and meat dishes. In fact, typically when a cooked recipe calls for onion, yellow onion is a safe way to go. Yellow onions have a yellow-brown papery skin on the outside and a white flesh. I always know when someone is cooking with yellow onion because my eyes start to water (an effect of higher sulfur content). Because the yellow onion has such high sulfur content, it has a more pungent flavor and smell, which typically makes it too strong to eat raw unless there are other ingredients to counter-balance the flavor. In my own cooking, I use yellow onions in stews, soups, sautéed dishes, and shish kabobs. They have excellent flavor when cooked, and I rarely cook without them. When you slice into an onion, it can make you cry. It can fill your kitchen with a thick pungent smell, and it’s sure to wrinkle some noses. When it’s being prepared, the yellow onion may not appear to be the most appetizing vegetable. Still, it’s eaten regularly thanks to its delicious taste that adds a kick to any meal. What many people don’t also realize is that onions are extremely good for you.
Vitamins
While 1/2 cup of yellow onions provides trace amounts of vitamin B-6, folate and vitamin A, it contains a high concentration of vitamin C. Each serving fulfills between 8 and 10 percent of the RDA of vitamin C. Regular vitamin C intake may prevent atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, certain types of cancer, high blood pressure and age-related tissue damage. The vitamin C in yellow onions degrades quickly when exposed to heat, light or air. To obtain the maximum amount of the vitamin, avoid cutting yellow onions until right before use and eat them either lightly cooked or raw. Store yellow onions in a cool, dark place and try to use them within three or four days of purchase.
Nutritional Difference between Yellow & Red Onions
Major nutrients such as carbohydrates and vitamin C are generally similar from one color and variety of onion to another. Color and pungency, however, indicate the presence of beneficial anti-oxidants that do vary in amount and type with the onion variety. If you use both red and yellow onions, you can take advantage of the best qualities of each.