[dragonwriter]

> These reactions take a certain amount of time that you can’t change a whole lot because you need to stay within certain parameters

“Caramelization” of onions (which isn’t really caramelization, but that’s…beside the point) takes a long time (though you can alter it considerably by varying the thickness of cuts) because you have to cook the onion slow enough for it to cook through thoroughly in the time it browns without burning on the exterior.

Browning onions where you want to retain texture without cooking through the way that occurs in “caramelization” is quite quick, is what is actually described in most of the quoted articles, and can also be varied by thickness of cuts, choice of onion, stove temperature, chosen oil, and, yes, cookware.

[hnick]

I wonder if grating the onions would caramelise significantly quicker if you're going for a sauce-type result anyway.