Onion Powder - Is it necessary?

CraigC said:
I believe @Yorky is asking about its use in an enchilada sauce, not if you use onion powder. We use it a lot and I would be lost without it in BBQ rubs and sauces.
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Yes I am. I cannot figure that given the two onions already in the sauce, why is there a need for ½ teaspoon of onion powder. I never use onion powder (or garlic powder) myself but I can understand it could be a substitute if you don't have the fresh stuff.
 
CraigC said:
I believe @Yorky is asking about its use in an enchilada sauce, not if you use onion powder. We use it a lot and I would be lost without it in BBQ rubs and sauces.
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Yes I know - I'm always looking for ways to feature threads that is all. And I thought widening the question a bit in the feature 'blurb' wouldn't hurt.

Yorky said:
Yes I am. I cannot figure that given the two onions already in the sauce, why is there a need for ½ teaspoon of onion powder. I never use onion powder (or garlic powder) myself but I can understand it could be a substitute if you don't have the fresh stuff.
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I think that in this case its just this particular recipe and frankly, as I've said, I don't particularly like the look of the recipe - lots of flour, which I thought unnecessary, apart from anything else. In the US, onion powder appears a lot on recipes. I think its probably simply a traditional store cupboard ingredient there, which may be why. Because of this I bought some not long ago to try.

It is really quite pungent, and like all vegetable or fruit 'dusts' which are made from dried produce it does taste strong. I've been experimenting using it curries and found that a little does work quite well. I think it could be useful for sauces (as would garlic powder) because, being a powder it would dissolve smoothly. The recipe is described as 'quick' so I think it is using powdered onion for that reason.
 
Oh, please, everyone. Pkease watch that entire cip. It's genius in so many ways. Frustration incarnate.

And, a cute, silly little movie as well
 
Lullabelle said:
You can buy onion powder :meh:
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Yes - its sold in Indian/Asian shops. Garlic powder too. It is sold in quite large bags. I suspect that Indian restaurants use both quite a lot. I'm finding it a very useful ingredient. Just adding a half teaspoon to a sauce or marinade can really perk it up. I recommend both the garlic and onion powder.
 
buckytom said:
Oh, please, everyone. Pkease watch that entire cip. It's genius in so many ways. Frustration incarnate.

And, a cute, silly little movie as well
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Maybe a different sense of humour? I didn't find this clip funny at all :ohmy:. I also completely missed its relevance to the thread. Maybe its just me. Perhaps others will get it. Sorry!
 
I use onion and garlic powder in a lot of dishes, even when I'm using fresh as well. They both seem to add something as the dishes don't taste as good if they are omitted.
 
medtran49 said:
I use onion and garlic powder in a lot of dishes, even when I'm using fresh as well. They both seem to add something as the dishes don't taste as good if they are omitted.
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Yep! I'm becoming a convert. I think @Lullabelle found it odd because its really not heard of in UK cooking and hardly anyone would have it in their cupboard. When I first came across both garlic and onion powder (on this forum) I was a bit dismissive, thinking it was a poor substitute for fresh. But this isn't the case. The fact that the powder is made from dried onions/garlic means that (like dried mushrooms) the flavour is intensified and pungent.
 
Yorky said:
Sorry, the recipe which called for "onion powder" was for the enchilada sauce.

https://dinnerthendessert.com/best-homemade-enchilada-sauce-and-quick/

I've not cooked enchiladas before so I'm relying on recipes and advice.
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I reread the page that you linked to. Sounds like the Blogger is making more of an all-purpose tomato sauce, since they list other recipes they would use it for, and being careful about the spices for their toddler. Perhaps a Mexican cooking or recipe site might be more helpful.
 
morning glory said:
Maybe a different sense of humour? I didn't find this clip funny at all :ohmy:. I also completely missed its relevance to the thread. Maybe its just me. Perhaps others will get it. Sorry!
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It's not really funny, although the eest of the movie is.

It's excruciating in it's monotony of a useless argument.
 
Karen W said:
Perhaps a Mexican cooking or recipe site might be more helpful.
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Unfortunately the ingredients available here are not really the same as those available in Mexico so it is necessary for me to adapt and use substitutes if I want to attempt something different. Thai food, no problem, and I can get by with available western ingredients in some basic cases. Even some Indian food ingredients are difficult to obtain but these are becoming increasingly available in Bangkok from where I can buy mail order or have friends post them to me.
 
Got it. I would leave the onion powder out, and just go by your own tastes and likes. I don't care for spicy Mexican food, so I make my own tweaks.
 
Karen W said:
Got it. I would leave the onion powder out, and just go by your own tastes and likes. I don't care for spicy Mexican food, so I make my own tweaks.
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The dish that I eventually cooked and ate was nowhere near as spicy as I imagined it would be (not that it was at all "mild"). I did taste the sauce prior and it was somewhat frightening but it appeared to have mellowed when added to the tortillas and the beef.
 
Did the sauce sit overnight? We've found that a lot of sauces mellow after they sit for a bit.
 
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