What To Look Out For When Buying Shallots

Have you wanted to cook with shallots, but you aren't quite sure what they are, where to buy them, or how to pick the right ones? If you are working with a recipe that calls for using shallots, you may have a lot of questions that need to be answered before you commit to it. First, you need to know what shallots are. These little vegetables are akin to garlic and onions, according to the Food Network, and they help you add flavor to various dishes. You can eat them cooked or raw, like in a salad, and they have a slightly spicy, yet sweet, flavor that changes in intensity based on how they're cooked.

Shallots look a lot like very small onions, and they even have a similar papery skin on the outside of them. However, when you cut them open, they break into cloves, like garlic. They are also more elongated than onions, having a more oval shape.

So why use shallots and not onions when cooking if they are so similar? Some dishes require more sweet flavors and less heat, and a more subtle flavor than the punch that an onion can pack. That's why Southern Living says shallots can sometimes be a better choice than onions for your favorite recipes.

Of course, this all depends on the type of shallot you choose. There are three main varieties of shallots, according to MasterClass – the grey shallot, the Prisma shallot, and the pink shallot. Gray shallots have a stronger taste than the others, so they are best for cooking, especially with meat dishes or when you are making gravy. Prisma shallots are the easiest to find in stores, and they have a mild flavor that's good for cooking with other vegetables. Pink shallots are the kind most often eaten raw because they are sweeter and milder than the other varieties, making them better for salads.

Now it's time to select the perfect shallots. According to wisegeek, you should look for shallots that are firm. They should also have some weight to them and not have any soft spots or discoloration. If you want shallots with a more oniony flavor, choose larger sizes. For sweeter flavors, choose smaller shallots. If you see a shallot that has what looks like a green onion sprouting out of it, it is edible, but it will have a more bitter flavor. That is not one you'd want to select for a more delicately balanced dish, like coleslaw.

While a recipe may call for onions, you can replace them with shallots if you want a milder oniony taste. If you see a recipe that has shallots listed on the ingredients roster, you now know how to choose the best ones — just look for them in your local supermarket, next to the onions and garlic.