The Adventures of Krystal Kid: Onion Saga III: Return of the Vidalia

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Onion Saga III: Return of the Vidalia

You can't talk about Krystal and onions and NOT mention Vidalia onions. For years Krystal has served Vidalia Onion rings and I was all ready to have a post on my being "The Lord of the Rings." This year they went with onion petals instead. I don't think my male ego would allow me to be called "Lord of the Petals."
First of all let me go ahead and address the most serious issue when it comes to Vidalia onions. I watch a lot of cooking shows on TV. I see the fancy chefs from New York and LA and Vegas get on there and they want to show off by cooking Vidalia Onions. But sadly they can't say the name! If you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't be allowed to cook with it! They keep calling it a "vuh-doll-e-YAH" onion. Sheesh, it makes me want to run across the living room and kick in the front of the TV. It's pronounced "vie-DALE-yuh." And people think folks from georgia talk funny.
Anyway, since I've lived in GA for quite a while, I figured maybe I should include a "Vidalia Familiarization Course" for those who might not understand the fixation.
First off, they're named for the tiny region of Georgia where they're grown, Vidalia, GA. The special soil down there is what makes the onions so sweet and tasty. About 10-15 years ago you couldn't get them if you lived too far from Georgia. Until recent innovations in storage and shipping, Vidalia's just couldn't survive shipping. They have a high water and sugar content and for this reason they bruise easily, and tend to rot fast as well. They can be tempermental little buggers.
In fact they're so fragile they have their own special storage method. In many pantries in Georgia you'll find pairs of pantyhose hung up with onions in them. You see, Vidalia's rot faster when they are touching. Proper storage requires dark, cool storage with plenty of air circulating. They also need to be kept seperate. So you drop them into the panty hose one at a time, tying a knot between each one. When you need an onion, you just cut right below the knot and you're on your way. (I couldn't bring myself to buy panty hose for pictures just to demonstrate this for you. Trust me, it's absolutely true.)
Buying Vidalias is tricky. The growing season is short and you only get the true fresh ones in mid-late summer. Then they start to get scarce. Some people have figured out how to store them and extend the supply til December, but beyond that, you're really out of luck til next year. That's why the pantyhose storage method is so important.
Now when you do buy them, you usually get them in 10-15 pound bags. If it doesn't SAY vidalia, then it isn't. In fact, it is illegal to call your onions "Vidalia" onions if they are grown outside of a very specifi region of Georgia. For this reason, you should look for the label!

This 10 pound bag had 12 onions in it, and one of them was DOA. This is expected this late in the season. Buy early for best results! When you buy them in bulk, you need to unpack them and get them into stocking storage, quickly! You can also see the ones that did survive were getting a little old by the "loose" skins:

As for how to fix Vidalia onions. I think Krystal's already figured it out. The onion rings are amazing. And now you know why they're not available year round. The onion petals were fantastic, too! Sadly, they've now been removed from the menu, due to the end of sweet onion season. (Lets pause for a moment of silence.)
You occasionally hear of people eating them like an apple. It's true:

Personally, I'm not fond it this method of eating them. It makes my nose itch. I find the addition of a little salt between bites helps, but I know of better ways to eat them.
When I am having a steak, I cut up a Vidalia and some mushrooms and sit them to the side while I grill my steak in the George Forman grill. After the steak is done, I set it aside to rest. While it is resting, I toss the onions and mushrooms on the grill, drizzle liberally with olive oil, and close the lid. 5 minutes later, your onions and mushrooms are ready at the same time the steaks are done resting. Can you beat that? Well actually, yes.
For years there's been a well know recipe for baked Vidalias. It is the easiest recipe ever. In fact, for your benefit, I cooked one this afternoon so you could see how it is done. Click here
So now that you know a little about those tasty wonderful onions from Southeast Georgia, you can really appreciate them when Krystal has them, and mourn them when they are gone. And if you get a hankerin for the little sweeties you can order them online. I know of several web sites that offer them. Just please be aware that once you get past growing season, some will stop selling them. Others will continue to sell them, but those have been put in cold storage and are no longer "fresh." You might not notice a difference, but I would. Krystal Lovers like it steamy.