Onions....what's the difference?

White onions are a bit lighter but still have an onion taste. Yellow onions are stronger and are used in thicker onion recipes, soups for example Red/Purple onions are sweeter and milder than white and yellow onions Green onions/scallions are sharper tasting used for garnish sometimes and recipes. The bulb ends are sharper while the green part are weaker. Larger onions can produce a stronger flavor. If you want depth this one covers onions pillar to post http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/onion/Detail.aspx

I prefer red or purple onions myself. Here is a definiton of onion types from www.foodreference.com : "There are three types of onions; spring, storage and pearl. * Spring onions are grown from fall to spring, and have a mild taste. They are shipped immediately after harvest. * Storage onions are firm, dry and possess a pungent taste. After harvest, they are dried and then shipped. * Spanish onions are large and mild, often used sliced in hamburger buns for extra flavour and texture. * Red onions have a similar sweet flavour to that of Spanish onions, and occasionally chefs prepare it marmalade-style to accompany grilled sausages. * Vidalia, in Georgia and Walla Walla, in Washington State are famous for their extra mild onions. Some people slice them and enjoy them on sliced buttered rye bead. They are available in April and May. * Pearl onions are white, small, and mild in taste."

You know I didn't even know there was a difference. I thought all onions tasted the same even though they differ in color :)

I happen to do a quick search for you since I was curious myself between the difference. Yellow onions are considered an "all-purpose" onion for any kind of recipe, while purple onions are supposed to be sharper and more strong in taste. Then of course you have the Vidalia onions which only grow and are available certain times of the year. Of course then you have a whole other ball game as far as shallots which is supposed to almost be a cross between onion and garlic and is usually the preferred "onion" of choice for most French recipes. Found this link all about onions. As for me..heck I use any kind of onion http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060804203315AAmhd8l

I've long ago given up on buying any onions other than the Maya Sweet (or Texas Sweet when they are not available) as nothing comes close to tasting as good. Before it was possible to get the Mayas it used to be said that the purple ones were a bit sweeter and tasted better raw in a salad or sandwich, but we don't even both with those any more. Vidalia and Walla Wallas are supposed to be sweet too, but once again it is like taking a chance. Once, however, a store clerk had yellow onions so sweet that he cut one open and offered me a slice right in the store. He took a slice too and puckered up, but I ate mine without flinching and bought a bag of those.

No clue, but I had a neighbor that grew green onions in his back yard garden. He'd bring over a couple dozen a week. They had the larger ball end and I love onions but these were ... forget the chocolate and desserts, give me these onions!... kind of onions. They were so good! I'd sit and eat 5 or 6 of them at once - just add a little salt!

One of the things that I learned watching all those cooking shows years ago was that the flatter the onion the sweeter it was and that goes for all types. The rounder and more ball like they were the hotter is the taste.

To me the whaite onions have more flavor to them but i like the purple ones the best

I'm just not fussy about purple onions, I think they're strong and bitter and sometimes bleed color depending what dressing you use in salads. The big white onions are my favorite for making onion sandwiches or in homemade burgers I use the yellow onions for every thing else like chilli, casseroles, hamburger patties, spagetti sauce and so on. That's just me though.

I found lots of interesting info about onions at www.wikipedia.com Just type in onions in the search box. Enjoy the info. Wikipedia is good to use to find out about many things. Take care...

Yellow onions are everything onions. They are strong if you eat them raw but are nice and sweet when you eat them cooked. The most common yellow onion is the spanish onion. White onions are nota s sweet as spanish onions. Red onions are mild so I add them to green salads because you can eat and enjoy them raw. I love them grilled! Pearl Onions are usually while onions. I pick mine small for salads and sometimes pick the yellow or red ones. The white and red are milder then there while family member... They are great cooked, raw, pickled, or for your cocktails... I garden alot so have done my reserch and testing long ago.. Hope this helps xoxoxoxo

From what i understand, the red ones are the less potent ones & they don't have such a horrible odour! I personally think the white ones are the strongest scented & tasting, followed by the brown ones. I find that in a potato salad, the red/purple ones are the best for that because they don't get cooked, so they don't burn the mouth when eaten raw. If you're BBQ-ing some then go with the white or brown ones, they taste the best - they go all nice & kind of sweet when they've been roasted! Hope that helps some!

Red (purple) onions is sweeter that normal white onions, as far as texture - I think they all have the same texture and smell.

i'm gonna try and guess what we call them over here to make sure I get my descriptions, suggestions right. The purple coloured ones we refer to as red onions although they are purple, I prefer them raw with salads, on sandwiches and for making stuff like potato salad although they smell quite strong the flavour doesn't quite take-over as other types of onions. i'm not sure what a white onion is but if yellow means the most common one thats great for cooking with, stews, sauces, or just fried for on burgers and hot dogs but i wonder if both white and yellow are similar? maybe white is better in dishes.

I have never heard of yellow onions. White & brown onions are quite strong, brown being my favourite. They are used for cooking & not often eaten raw. Purple onions are less strong, & are used for salads, not usually for cooking.

used purple one for cooking because its very strong smell and taste also for the eyes hehe always make me cry and the yellow and the white i used it w/ my salad w/ tomato and other vegetable if you like to eat only onion w/ litle salt and lemon use the white one because its not strong taste and have a little sweet taste specially after wash you put it in the fridge and take it out when you want to eat already its like appetizer:-)

Ok so it's all sorted out now and we are aware that they all have different tastes and you use them according to which dish you are preparing. However thay all have one thing in common - they make you cry your eyes out when you are preparing them! To avoid that peel them under water. Hope I told you that before you started chopping!