Top tips for cooking with shallots

Shallots add a uniquely delicate, sweet, piquant flavour, transforming everyday meals into something extra special. Shallots are at the heart of many classic dishes and are fantastic in stir fries, curries, breads, sauces, tarts, soups and salads. No matter how you’d like to use them whether you want to peel them, slice them or dice them. Here are our 3 top tips for cooking with shallots.  

Easy peeling: Place your shallots in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Wait for 10 minutes then gently peel off the softened skin. You can check out a video of this tip here.

Fine chopping: Peel your shallot, leaving the roots on. Make sure your knife is really sharp. Cut your shallot in half and make 2 horizontal cuts. Then cut finely spaced vertical stripes leaving the piece near the root.  Turn the shallot so the flat end is facing the knife and chop downwards to create a finely diced shallot. Discard the small end piece with the root attached. Repeat with the other half.

Tear free chopping: Place your peeled shallots in the freezer. Wait for 30 minutes. Chop your shallot.