Burning Onion at Home: What Happens After 15 Minutes?

In addition to bitterness, burning onions can give your dish an overpowering, charred flavor that dominates the other ingredients. If your goal was to use onions to provide a mild base flavor for your recipe, a burnt onion could have the opposite effect, leaving your dish with an unpleasant aftertaste.

What to Do If You Burn Your Onions?
Rescue the Dish: If the onions are just a bit burnt and not fully charred, you might be able to salvage them by scraping off the burnt parts and continuing to cook the rest. Adding a bit of sugar or vinegar could help balance the bitterness.

Start Fresh: If the onions are fully charred and bitter, it might be best to start over. Try cooking a new batch at a lower heat, stirring often, to ensure even cooking and avoid burning.

Conclusion
Burning onions for 15 minutes, especially if done on high heat, can lead to undesirable bitterness, an unpleasant smell, and an overall off flavor in your dish. The key is to cook onions gently over medium to low heat, giving them time to caramelize slowly and develop their natural sweetness without crossing into the bitter, burnt territory.