If you’ve done a lot of holiday cooking in the past week, you may need a week off.

I didn’t actually cook during Thanksgiving week, but it did require me to genuinely slow down, take a few days off, and enjoy my time with my mom.

For me, it also means taking a break from the kitchen. I defrosted things that were already in the house, including some vegetarian chicken, some sandwich bagels, a store-bought frozen pizza, and two burritos.

Over the past few weeks, I have usually prepared some cooked grains, beans, tempeh, or tofu in my fridge. It’s easy to turn these ingredients into a simple vegetarian lunch bowl.

Those lunch bowls would be even better if there were quick pickled Onions.

If there’s any ingredient that deserves the label of a “flavor hack,” it’s a quick-cured onion. They bring the sourness, saltiness, and flavor of the onion. However, they are much milder than raw Onions, which, as my mother used to say, can be “repeated” for hours after a person has eaten.

I often mention quick-curing Onions on this blog, but I still need to share my recipe. I’ll have it fixed today.

What are quick pickled Onions?

Quick pickled Onions are soaked in an acidic pickling solution and refrigerated until eaten.

Usually, quick-curing Onions are thinly sliced before they are cured.

What is the difference between quick pickling and long pickling?

What makes a quick pickled onion quick?

By “quick,” I mean the Onions are soaked in a pickling solution before being put in the fridge.

Quick pickling is sometimes referred to as “refrigerator pickling.”

Traditional-i.e., a long pickling process involves washing kimchi once before canning it. By canning, kimchi becomes shelf-stable, which means it can be stored for a long time.

On the other hand, quick-cured Onions and all quick-cured vegetables should be consumed within 2-4 weeks. (Some guides say the quick kimchi will keep for up to 2 months, but I eat it faster just to be safe.)

Kimchi needs to be kept cold throughout the storage process.

Here’s another “fast” thing about quick pickled Onions: they’re ready in no time!

Even soaking in a pickling solution for 15 minutes, especially if the liquid is hot, is enough to soften the onion, remove some “bites,” and season it slightly.

The longer a quick pickled onion sits in the fridge, the better it will taste.

What do quick pickled Onions taste like?

When it comes to flavor, you can expect quick pickled Onions to have some of the pungency of regular Onions.

However, they are not as spicy as regular raw Onions and have less of an aftertaste.

Because quick-curing Onions are made with an acidic pickling solution, they tend to have a strong flavor. Pickles are salty so that Onions can add a salty taste to food.

You can add some sugar to the acid wash, which I usually do. This helps to counteract all the effects of the vinegar, which can give a slight sweetness to quickly pickled Onions.

How to make pickled Onions quickly

One of my favorite things about refrigerator pickling is how simple it is. To be a delicious vegetable, it’s only a few steps away.

Step 1: Chop the onion

To thinly slice the onion for the marinade, you can use a food processor, a mandolin, or a good, old-fashioned chef’s knife.

Step 2: Make a pickling solution

The liquid for quick pickles is usually made from a mixture of vinegar, water, and salt.

Vinegar can be distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar.

I usually make pickles with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. This recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, but you can use any of the above.

It is necessary to add enough salt to the pickling solution. Salt can add character and flavor to Onions or any vegetable you marinate.

Finally, I prefer to add sugar to the acid wash. I don’t add much, but the slight sweetness from the sugar helps balance the onion. You can omit the sugar in this recipe if you wish.

To heat or not to heat?

I simmer the pickling liquid first, then pour it over thinly sliced Onions.

This is an optional step in the curing process. Technically, you can make a quick marinade with a cold pickling solution. This is especially true if quick pickles have been in the refrigerator long. Over a few days, the pickling liquid will soften and flavor the Onions.

However, heating the acid lotion has two effects. First, it helps dissolve salt and sugar into vinegar and water.

Second, it makes the onion slices instantly soft and flavorful. It’s best to use hot liquid if you want to enjoy them as soon as they’re ready.

When I quickly pickle Onions in a hot pickling solution, I usually find they are ready to eat within 15 minutes. They didn’t produce much flavor then but would still contribute to the dish.

Step 3: Soak the onion

All you need to do in this step is soak the onion in the pickling solution.

The most important thing here is the container where you put the onions.

I store the onions in a 2 pint /950 ml wide-mouthed mason jar. This is indeed excess space, as Onions shrink after marinating, but it doesn’t hurt to have some extra leeway.

If you use smaller Onions, you can also use a 1 pint / 480ml jar or a similar-sized jar.

I have a jar funnel for pouring the hot pickling liquid from the pan into the jar. You really don’t need to use this; it’s just a simple way to prevent leaks.

Step 4:Store

You must cover the jar and put the Onions in the refrigerator. They will be in a pickling solution there for 2-4 weeks.

Step 5: Enjoy

If you keep quick pickled Onions in the fridge for a few weeks, you can enjoy them in more ways than one.

Think salads, cereal bowls, burritos, tacos, and more. I share some specific recipes below.

What kind of onion should I use?

That’s a good question!

I like the quick pickling of red Onions best. But I’ve often made the same recipe with white or yellow Onions because I ran out of red Onions. It works, and I’ve always loved the taste of pickled Onions.

I’ve pickled scallions in the same way when I don’t have Onions. It’s also doable.

Can I use this recipe for other vegetables?

Most sure.

You can use the same quick marinade recipe:

• Cut cucumbers
• Green bean
• Carrot sticks or thin carrot slices
• Jalapeno flakes
• Cut radish
• Sliced beet
• Cauliflower florets

As you can see, many vegetables can be made into kimchi quickly.

Recipe advice

Below, you’ll see some vegetarian recipes I like using with my quick pickled Onions.

This list is by no means exhaustive. If you make Onions and like them, you can add them to any dish you like.

However, when I’m lucky enough to have a jar of pickled Onions in the fridge, here are some ways my pickled Onions will find them.

salad

• Tahini and mint kale salad
• Greek salad with chickpeas
• Tempeh quinoa salad with cumin vinaigrette
• Roasted butternut squash salad with quinoa, grapes, and Brussels sprouts

bowl

• macro bowl
• Turmeric bowl
• Chickpea burrito bowl
• Warm winter melon bowl

Parcels and sandwiches

• Rice and bean feather roll
• Lentil tahini roll
• Tofu and egg salad sandwich
• Miso Tahini vegetable sandwich

Grain and bean dishes

• Cumin-flavored lentils and rice
• Turmeric rice, beans, and vegetables
• Quinoa kale stuffed sweet potato peel
• Lemon dill zucchini chickpeas and rice

I could go on and on. However, I will share the recipe.