"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...
"Tony Bull" wrote in message
m...
Broadback wrote in message
...
Having just spent a boring 50 minutes with a paring knife and a
quart of
tears I wonder if anyone has any tips for preparing pickling
onions.
3lbs done and 3 to do. :-(

Peel them outside on a nice day. Wear marigolds to stop your hands
smelling. Leave twenty four hours in salt. The salt removes water
from
the onions by osmosis. Wash off salt. The vinegar adds water by
osmosis. Result firm crunchy pickled onions.

It is unlikely that the direction of the osmotic flow in the case of
the vinegar is opposite to that in the case of the salt. In both
cases the excess concentration of solute is on the outside of the
onion.

As a matter of fact, if water removal is all that is achieved in the
salt stage, you might as well omit it, since the vinegar will also
remove water from the inside of the onion.

Franz

I disagree.
Salt crystals are far more concentrated than the solutions in the
cells of the onion.
Removal of water concentrates these salts to a level higher than that
of the acetic acid solution in the vinegar so the vinegar adds water
to the cells thereby producing crunchy onions.
If you like soggy onions follow Franz's methods
Tony Bull www.caterpillarfountain.co.uk