Onions & Such
Onions, shallots, garlic, leeks and chives are all part of the Allium genus.
That being said you should always have onions, shallots and garlic on hand.
Onion
I use two types of onions in my cooking yellow and red onion. I prefer yellow onions over white onions as they are much sweeter, especially when you cook them down to a caramelized texture. I use red onions for pickling or raw when I want to add a sharp onion flavor.
Shallot
The humble shallot provides a mild onion flavor. I like to think of the shallot as the onion’s younger cousin, small in size, petite in flavor but still provides that oniony punch. Use a shallot when you don’t want the strong astringency of an onion. It goes great in salad dressings or in a mignonette with oysters. I also like to use it as the base of a tomato sauce or ratatouille for a more delicate flavor.
Garlic
Garlic has so many different flavors. It can be astringent, raw in chimichurri sauce or it can be creamy with umami flavor in its roasted form. I like to slice it into little chips and sauté it with my onions for sauces and soups. If I want a garlic flavor but don’t want the garlic to burn, I use a microplane to get a paste that can easily be incorporated into dishes. Make sure the shoot of the garlic is not green and it is, just remove it.