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How to prepare an onion or shallot
Onions and shallots are widely used in the recipes on this site, generally finely chopped. Here is a method to do it quite easily with a simple knife.
196 K 4.0/5 (20 reviews)
10 min.
Easy
2 pieces
1 IngredientLast modified on: February 21th 2011
For 2 pieces, you will need:
2 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 10 min.
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 1 min.
Place an onion or shallot on its side.
Stage 2 - 1 min.
Cut off the base (about ½ cm or ¼") and discard.
Stage 3 - 1 min.
Do the same with the top.
Stage 4 - 1 min.
Slit the whole height of the skin down the side.
Stage 5 - 1 min.
Peel off the skin to leave just the white flesh.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Rinse and dry.
Stage 7
Cut in half lengthways.
Stage 8 - 1 min.
Place flat side down, and slice horizontally, but without cutting right to the end, so that the slices are still held together.
Stage 9 - 1 min.
Then slice vertically, again without cutting right to the end. You will then have small sticks held together by the uncut portion.
Stage 10 - 1 min.
And finally, slice downwards, as if slicing the half shallot normally, to cut into small pieces ready to add to your recipe.
Stage 11 - 1 min.
Finish by chopping the uncut portion.
Stage 12
Do the same with the other half, and your shallot is ready for use.
Stage 13
See all this steps in a small video.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 3 RDI=1 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 0 | 100 RDI=5 % | 430 RDI: 5 % |
| Per 100 g | 1 RDI=1 % | 9 RDI=1 % | 0 | 40 RDI=2 % | 170 RDI: 2 % |
| Per piece | 1 RDI=1 % | 10 RDI=1 % | 0 | 50 RDI=3 % | 220 RDI: 3 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 2 pieces : 0.30 €
- Per piece : 0.15 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Onion
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