Onions Doneness Guide

The full progression

1. 1/6Raw

   ~0 min

   Not cooked at all — sharp, crunchy, pungent.

   Look / smell / listen foropaque white/purple · crisp bite · sharp smell

   Also called: uncooked, fresh

2. 2/6Sweated

   ~5 min

   Softened in fat over low heat without taking on any colour — the harshness is gone but the flavour is still mild.

   Look / smell / listen fortranslucent at the edges · limp, no browning · smells sweet, not sharp

   Also called: sweat, translucent, softened but not browned, until translucent, clear

3. 3/6Softened

   ~10 min

   Fully limp and sweet, just barely beginning to pick up colour.

   Look / smell / listen forfully floppy · faint golden edges · no resistance to a spoon

   Also called: soft, tender, wilted, cooked down

4. 4/6Golden

   ~20 min

   Evenly light-brown and noticeably sweet — the everyday weeknight stopping point.

   Look / smell / listen forstraw to light gold · sweet, toasty smell · edges starting to catch

   Also called: golden brown, lightly browned, light brown, starting to brown, blond

5. 5/6Caramelized

   ~40 min

   Deep amber, jammy, and properly sweet — collapsed to a fraction of their raw volume.

   Look / smell / listen fordeep amber-brown · jammy, sticky texture · fond building on the pan · distinctly sweet

   Also called: caramelised, jammy, deep brown, dark golden, sweet and sticky, melting

6. 6/6Deeply caramelized

   ~60 min

   Near-black-brown and almost paste-like — the French-onion-soup end of the scale, where sweetness turns savoury.

   Look / smell / listen formahogany to near-black · spreadable, almost a paste · rich, savoury, faintly bitter edge

   Also called: deeply caramelized, deeply caramelised, very dark, mahogany, almost black, french onion

Common questions