How to prepare an onion or shallot


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.
175K 4.0/5 based on 20 reviews
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Last modified on: February 21th 2011

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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 10 min.

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 1 min.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
Place an onion or shallot on its side.

Stage 2 - 1 min.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
Cut off the base (about ½ cm or ¼") and discard.

Stage 3 - 1 min.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
Do the same with the top.

Stage 4 - 1 min.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
Slit the whole height of the skin down the side.

Stage 5 - 1 min.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
Peel off the skin to leave just the white flesh.

Stage 6 - 1 min.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
Rinse and dry.

Stage 7
How to prepare an onion or shallot
Cut in half lengthways.

Stage 8 - 1 min.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
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.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
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.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
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.
How to prepare an onion or shallot
Finish by chopping the uncut portion.

Stage 12
How to prepare an onion or shallot
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 recipe1 1 %10 1 %050 3 %220 3 %
Per 100 g1 1 %9 1 %040 2 %170 2 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
How much will it cost?
  • For : 0.15 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
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