![Onion Powder, Penzeys Spices, Arlington Heights MA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Onion_Powder%2C_Penzeys_Spices%2C_Arlington_Heights_MA.jpg)
Onion powder is
dehydrated
In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...
, ground
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...
that is commonly used as a
seasoning.
It is a common ingredient in
seasoned salt
Seasoned salt is a blend of table salt, herbs, spices, other flavourings, and sometimes monosodium glutamate (MSG). It is sold in supermarkets and is commonly used in fish and chip shops and other take-away food shops. Seasoned salt is often th ...
and
spice mix
Spice mixes are blended spices or herbs. When a certain combination of herbs or spices is called for in a recipe, it is convenient to blend these ingredients beforehand. Blends such as chili powder, curry powder, herbes de Provence, garlic salt ...
es,
such as
beau monde seasoning.
Some varieties are prepared using toasted onion.
White, yellow and red onions may be used.
Onion powder is a commercially prepared food product that has several culinary uses. Onion powder can also be homemade.
Onion salt is a spice preparation using dried onion and
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
as primary ingredients.
Commercial production
Commercial onion powders are prepared using
dehydration
In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...
,
freeze-drying
Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, removing the ice by sublimation. This is in contrast to dehydration by most conve ...
, vacuum-shelf drying and flow drying.
Some commercial onion powders are
irradiated
Irradiation is the process by which an object is exposed to radiation. The exposure can originate from various sources, including natural sources. Most frequently the term refers to ionizing radiation, and to a level of radiation that will serve ...
as treatment against potential microbial contamination.
It readily absorbs water upon contact, so commercial varieties may be packaged in airtight containers with a liner atop the container.
Onion powder with a moisture content of 4–5 percent is prone to
caking
Caking is a powder's tendency to form lumps or masses. The formation of lumps interferes with packaging, transport, flowability, and consumption. Usually caking is undesirable, but it is useful when pressing powdered substances into pills or briq ...
when stored in warmer environments, with increased temperatures corresponding to a shorter time for the occurrence of caking.
Of general acceptance is that commercial onion powder is around ten times stronger in flavor compared to fresh onion.
Onion salt
Early commercial preparations of onion salt were simply a mixture of onion powder and salt.
An example ratio for earlier commercial preparations is one part salt to every five parts of dehydrated onion.
Contemporary versions typically utilize dried granulated onion and salt, and usually include an
anticaking agent.
The salt may serve to prevent the loss of onion flavor in the mixture, by preventing the evaporation of onion oil.
The development of commercial onion salt preparations included formulating products that reduced the strong odor of onion in the product and on the breath of consumers who eat it.
Commercial preparation of onion salt involves the testing and sorting of onions by the degree of onion flavor they have, as flavor constituents can vary considerably among various onion varieties.
This is performed prior to mixing, in order to produce a consistent final product.
Some commercial onion salt preparations are never touched by human hands, as the stages of processing are all performed using automated processes.
Culinary uses
Onion powder may be used as a seasoning atop a variety of foods and dishes, such as
pasta
Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, are som ...
,
pizza
Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...
, and
grilled
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat a ...
chicken. It is also a primary ingredient in
beau monde seasoning.
It is also sometimes used as a
meat rub.
Onion powder is also an ingredient in some commercially prepared foods, such as sauces, soups,
and salad dressings. It can also be used in many other recipes such as burgers or meatloaf.
Onion salt is used as a seasoning atop finished dishes
and as an ingredient in many types of dishes, such as meat and vegetable dishes, casseroles and soups.
See also
*
Celery powder Celery powder is a dried, ground concentrate prepared from fresh celery that is used as a seasoning and as a food preservative in organic meat products. Several commercial preparations exist, and it can also be made using a food dehydrator. Some ...
*
Celery salt
Celery salt is a seasoned salt used to flavour food. The primary ingredient is table salt and the flavouring agent is ground seeds from celery or its relative lovage. It is also sometimes produced using dried celery or seed oleoresin.
Additives
C ...
*
Chili powder
Chili powder (also spelled chile, chilli, or, alternatively, powdered chili) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (in which case it is also sometimes known as chili p ...
*
Garlic powder
Garlic powder is a spice that is derived from dehydrated garlic and used in cooking for flavour enhancement. The process of making garlic powder includes drying and dehydrating the vegetable, then powdering it through machinery or home-based app ...
*
Garlic salt
Garlic salt is a seasoned salt made of a mixture of dried, ground garlic and table salt with an anti-caking agent (e.g. calcium silicate
Calcium silicate is the chemical compound Ca2SiO4, also known as calcium orthosilicate and is sometimes ...
*
List of culinary herbs and spices
This is a list of culinary herbs and spices. Specifically these are food or drink additives of mostly botanical origin used in nutritionally insignificant quantities for flavoring or coloring.
This list does not contain fictional plants such a ...
*
List of onion dishes
This list consists of notable dishes and foods in which onion is used as a primary ingredient. Onions are widely used in cooking. They are very versatile and can be baked, boiled, braised, grilled, fried, roasted, sautéed or eaten raw.
Onion ...
*
syn-Propanethial-S-oxide
''syn''-Propanethial ''S''-oxide (or (''Z'')-propanethial ''S''-oxide), a member of a class of organosulfur compounds known as thiocarbonyl ''S''-oxides (formerly "sulfines"), is a volatile liquid that acts as a lachrymatory agent (triggers teari ...
, the molecule that gives onions and onion powder their strong flavor.
References
Further reading
* 5 pages.
{{Salt topics
Onion-based foods
Spices
Edible salt
Condiments
Powders