Onions

Can you buy these already chopped rather then doing it at the commissary?

I just think the less time you spend could save in the end.

Yes.

I've seen cartons of fresh chopped onions in every market. Along with just about any other veg you want already chopped.

Earlier this Spring, I took the advice of some of our Roadfood friends and invested about $15 (on Ebay) for a Vidalia chop wizard. I'm able to peel, section, and chop an onion and a half (my daily supply) in about 10 minutes without so much as shedding a tear. It does chop them into exactly the right size I want for the dogs, and I can in all honesty tell my customers that the onions were chopped "fresh today." Food for thought (HA!!!)

It seems a waste of money as well as an inferior product.Its so quick to chop an onion by hand w/ basic knife skills or just peel and pulse them in thr processor
britt

quote:

Originally posted by brittneal

It seems a waste of money as well as an inferior product.Its so quick to chop an onion by hand w/ basic knife skills or just peel and pulse them in thr processor
britt

I am with Britt on this one. I don't unload alot of onions at my cart. I Maybe have to fill the tray twice at most. A quick pulse in the processor or hand chopped works for me and it's probably a better outcome then the frozen ones.

Why stop there? u can get a dog in a bun and packaged. Same with the burgers. Get all the condiments, yes even the onions, in the little packets and ur good too go

Chopped onions should be crisp and crunchy, not wet and soggy. Chop your own onions for a much better presentation and overall product. Freshly chopped onions don't hold for much more than a day. Imagine after they've sat in a jar for a week or so before you get them.

quote:

Originally posted by guspas

Why stop there? u can get a dog in a bun and packaged. Same with the burgers. Get all the condiments, yes even the onions, in the little packets and ur good too go

I don't get the snide comment. The question was legitimate.

quote:

Originally posted by Twinwillow

I've seen cartons of fresh chopped onions in every market. Along with just about any other veg you want already chopped.

But, that doesn't mean I would buy them.

It really shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to chop enough onions for a day. Unless your planning on grilling them (we go through about 15-20lbs a day) 2 - 3 onions should be plenty. Pulsing in a food processor works well also, except it takes almost as long to clean that as it does to chop the onions. I prefer the more regular shape you can get from hand chopping. This is not a corner you really want to cut.

Overpulsing can make them slightly bitter also. I'm with the chopping by hand brigade.

Pampered Chef makes a hand operated chopper that will give you a bunch of finely chopped, or however course you want them, onions in a heartbeat.I've had one of these for years, wery durable. Can be used for other stuff too - Nuts, Carrots, Celery etc.
http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=240&categoryCode=CE

quote:

Originally posted by davebugg

quote:

Originally posted by guspas

Why stop there? u can get a dog in a bun and packaged. Same with the burgers. Get all the condiments, yes even the onions, in the little packets and ur good too go

I don't get the snide comment. The question was legitimate.

my answer was also legit. Just helping him save time

If you can't dice a whole onion in under 30 seconds, you are not a pro. Cleaning the knife and cutting board is also much faster than cleaning any machine

The hand choppers can maserate the onion forcing excess moisture out and making them soft and soggy more quickly. Same with a processor. The blades arent nearly as sharp as a decent chefs knife. Also by hand they recieve a max of 2 strokes from a sharp blade(when dicing-hand chopping would also produse an inferior product). Out of practice I could still peel and dice a 25# bag of onion in less than half an hour.
Again chopping and dicing are 2 different worlds! Plus its neat to show off your ninja-like work,,,
britt

I'll have to agree with the posters above who advocate doing it yourself, by hand. You can buy a kitchen-quality chef's knife at a restaurant supply house for under $30, and it doesn't take much practice to become proficient at chopping/dicing and onion.

A good number of your customers will appreciate the difference, especially if your competition cuts corners.

quote:

Originally posted by Janski

Earlier this Spring, I took the advice of some of our Roadfood friends and invested about $15 (on Ebay) for a Vidalia chop wizard. I'm able to peel, section, and chop an onion and a half (my daily supply) in about 10 minutes without so much as shedding a tear. It does chop them into exactly the right size I want for the dogs, and I can in all honesty tell my customers that the onions were chopped "fresh today." Food for thought (HA!!!)

I am sure the chop wizard is a great product. But I would think it takes longer to clean it than it takes to chop an onion and a half.

It also seems that onions are chopped way too big at most carts. And they also seem to be cross contaminated by the relish. When they are fine diced slightly larger than the relish I always use them. I also like to see fine diced jalapenos at a cart...Russ

Prechopped onions are fine for cooking---but for fresh???--not me---if you cant use a chefs knife fast enough to do it your self---take a class somewhere on how to use the knife---its worth it--i know that i can peel chop and clean up my board and knife faster than my wife can get the chopper set up! There really is something to being a PROFESSIONAL----i dont care whether you selling dogs from a cart on weekends or running a first class dinner house---learn the tools!!!!--get the skills!!! seave the best you can!~

I agree; fresh is best. Getting the skills you need; priceless.

quote:

Originally posted by tiki

Prechopped onions are fine for cooking---but for fresh???--not me---if you cant use a chefs knife fast enough to do it your self---take a class somewhere on how to use the knife---its worth it--i know that i can peel chop and clean up my board and knife faster than my wife can get the chopper set up! There really is something to being a PROFESSIONAL----i dont care whether you selling dogs from a cart on weekends or running a first class dinner house---learn the tools!!!!--get the skills!!! seave the best you can!~

yes yes they must be fresh.

EASY method; pell onion-cut into slabs or rings or whatever you want to call them-put the all in a pan-get a sturdy sharp eadged putty type knife and start choppin - in no time you have a whole mess of wonderful little diced onions just the size you want and ready to go.

the best way to store chpped onions is in a plastic container, not a bag. the moisture levels seem to keep the onions fresher and harder in a plastic container then a ziploc baggy, maybe because moisture can get in easier and there can also be punctures on the plastic baggie that let water in, rather then a hard plastic container. the onions stay about 3-5 days fresher.

quote:

It seems a waste of money as well as an inferior product.Its so quick to chop an onion by hand w/ basic knife skills or just peel and pulse them in thr processor
britt

Oh, no my friend, quite the contrary. We have had this little plastic and metal darling for two years now, and I can guarantee you that the dicing is perfect, and I can cut and dice onions at least twice if not three times better than with a knife. I can dice a ten pound bag of onions in about 20 minutes. I'm wary of those "seen on TV" products, but Ill tell you, It is worth its weight in gold!

And it shows no signs of quitting either!

Well, since my post was killed here once, I'll do it again. For large volume, you're better off with the pre chopped onions from places like GFS or Sysco (5lb bags 1/4x1/4 cut). But as mentioned above, small scale, it's better off being a do it yourself project. Bagged onions are a labor saver.. Large scale that is. If your doing small gigs, just haul out the knife and cutting board and spend a few minutes.

It all comes down to this I chop my onions in a silver bullet.
I can chop 15 onions in less than 10 minutes, you just need to know how to prep your
your toppings, (plan ahead) while watching TV i prep, to me its quality to the customer
my salsa is fresh, my chili is fresh so are the Hot dogs I sell, it means that I know I am doing my best this way I sleep good at the end of the day..

Sorry Coz.. Forgot this was a hot dog related thread..
We used to go thru 180lbs of beef, and another 100lbs of beans in 1 evening (<4hrs)... But this was a brick and mortar setup. Also had multiple 5 gallon buckets of salsa we burned up every night (4 to 6 on the average).. And yes, everything was made fresh every day. And no, not some fast food joint, a mom and pop operation.

Needless to say, chopping onions by hand was not a cost effective option at this point. (We went thru cases of the pre chopped ones).
But then it comes down to your personal choice, and the amount of time, cost effectiveness and profit involved in your biz there.

Spud, I have to disagree on your method. The chopping with a putty knife will bruise the product and force out extra moisture rendering mushy and flat.
Take a peeled onion, chop in halt then hold upright and cut 3 vertical slashes most way thru. Aly flat and do another 3-4 cuts the same way. Gently hold together and cut accross and, Viola! perfectly small/med diced onion. It will only take a few to get the knack and then just some practice and you will wonder why you didnt do it before.
I dont like his style but it works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Eyc4AAF1zo
or here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEEs9jC1pUY&feature=related

quote:

Originally posted by Coz Dogs

It all comes down to this I chop my onions in a silver bullet.
I can chop 15 onions in less than 10 minutes, you just need to know how to prep your
your toppings, (plan ahead) while watching TV i prep, to me its quality to the customer
my salsa is fresh, my chili is fresh so are the Hot dogs I sell, it means that I know I am doing my best this way I sleep good at the end of the day..

.
Doesn't the silver bullet create a lot of moisture release? Onions taste different out of a food processor than when cut with a sharp knife. A food processor tends to bruise and creat different size pieces. Onions also taste much different when chopped very fine. When making coney dogs I think they must be cut very fine. No bigger than 1/8th inch pieces. They will have much more bite. For just a dog with mustard and onions 1/4 inch is better. The taste of 1/8th and 1/4 inch onions is completely different. Onions also change their flavor the minute they get cut and the more bruising during the cut process the shorter they will stay fresh. In my opinion a very sharp knife is the best way to dice or chop onions.I like storing chopped onions over ice. I also think that the pieces should be uniform in size....Russ

Russ, you have a good point ! I do chop onions with a very sharp knife for my chili dog and PIkes Peak Dog, for other dishes I only use my bullet in small bursts and the onions stay crisp, if I over do it yes they get very wet and loose flavor I dont use those on my cart. I also keep them on ice as well.