Slow-Cooker Caramelized Onion Dip

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

• tip 1
  Caramelizing onions in the slow cooker is our new favorite trick. Chop your onions, throw them in the pot, and forget about them—either overnight or all day. In the meantime, your house will smell so good, the neighbors might just turn up to ask, “What’s for dinner?” Onions can be caramelized up to two days in advance. After cooking, drain onions—don’t throw away the liquid; it can add flavor to other dishes, like soup, stew, beans, one-pot pasta and more—and store covered in the fridge. When you’re ready to make the dip, microwave uncovered on High in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until hot. Return hot onions to the slow cooker, and continue with the recipe, as written.
• tip 2
  Vidalia and Maui sweet onions are naturals for caramelizing, but if they aren’t available at your grocery store, plain yellow onions will do just fine. To make the slicing go quicker, look for larger onions.
• tip 3
  After draining, caramelized onions have plenty of delicious uses—use them to top a burger or make them the base of your French onion soup. There’s no need to drain the onions if you’re using them in a soup. Their juices will add tons of rich flavor.