Shallots tend to be smaller than regular onions. If you need a larger quantity of shallots for a stew, you should plan a little more time, since peeling the small onions is not so easy due to the paper-thin skin.
Shallots are very small and therefore more difficult to peel
How to peel shallots - step by step -
The relationship between the shallot and the traditional onion can be clearly seen at first glance. A closer look reveals clear differences. The shallot is smaller, not round but oval, and the dry skin is extremely thin. It's not as easy to remove as the skin of the onion. Even with a sharp knife, only small pieces of skin can be removed. But there is also a good way to free the shallot from its shell.
- Place the shallot on a firm work surface.
- Take a sharp knife and remove the base of the stem, making a deep, but not complete, cut at the base.
- Score the onion skin a little in this area.
- Turn the shallot so the root end is up.
- Grab the cut root and pull down.
- A large part of the shell has now been removed.
- Now use your fingers to completely peel off the remaining outer skin of the shallot.
Once the outer shell of the shallot is removed, it is immediately apparent that the actual onion consists of several small onions that no longer have a dry shell. One speaks here of the mother bulb, consisting of several daughter bulbs.
A tip for simplified peeling of the shallot
If you don't want to pluck off the thin skin of the shallot in small pieces, soak the onion in warm water for a while. The skins become soft and can then be easily peeled off in large parts or even in one piece if the stem and root base have been removed beforehand.
Now the daughter onions can be easily divided and further processed on a work board.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
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