The best, and worst, crispy fried onions

Onion fans will agree that there are few things as savory and delicious as a fried onion ring. It’s a guilty pleasure, true, but the sweet creaminess of cooked onion wrapped in crispy, salty crust is pure yum.

The issue, of course, is that making onion rings is messy, even if you have a fryer and a vat of fresh oil. The shortcut is to track down some tasty crispy fried onions in a package. Crack open the can or package and stack those oniony bits on a burger or inside a grilled cheese sandwich, crunch them on a baked potato, scatter them on soup or salad — or use them to make the everpopular green bean casserole.

While French’s has deep roots in the category — and includes the ubiquitous casserole recipe on its label — a host of additional options, primarily store brands, have squeezed onto store shelves. Ingredients and nutrition details on these brands are nearly identical, but the contents of those packages range from tan to dark brown, large “slices” to tiny bits.

One detail to know about these crispy onions is that while they do include onions, most brands appear to be made with pureed onion mixed with oil and flour — then extruded to look a bit like sliced onions.

Great crispy fried onions are made with lots of fresh, sweet, aromatic onions. They’re fried in fresh oil until they’re deep golden brown and deliver an ultra-toasty, salty, umami punch tasty enough to eat as a snack. Sadly, few hit that mark. The worst crispy onions are undercooked, oversalted bits of fried flour that taste more like oil than onion.

Here are details on crispy onions that will elevate everything from