ROI

Businessy folks like to talk about "Returns on Investment" when trying to decide if they're going to pony up the cash or not. In the kitchen, I sometimes function on a similar principle but thinking of time as my resource rather than cash. I have little to no interest in investing my time and effort on something like fruit carving, which is pretty but pays out low dividends in increased tastiness (which is my primary motivator after all) but I'm willing to hang out in the kitchen for extended periods if it's going to payoff.

I'm convinced that caramelized onions are one of the best investments out there. (Gosh, if anyone pulls up this post after Googling "investment strategy" I'm awful sorry, this won't help your bottom line at all but reading on might not be bad for your "quality of life.")

Doing them well requires about an hour and a half. Granted, you aren't actively doing things but you need to be around so you don't wind up with a charred mass.

In return for my time, however, I wind up with a pile of sweet savory oniony goodness that keeps well in the fridge. So, when I come home late from work and class I go to the kitchen and boil water. I put in whole wheat noodles and pour myself a glass of wine. When my noodles are done I drain them and put them back in the same pan with a little butter, a little rosemary, big spoonfuls of caramelized onion and blue cheese. Then it gets slightly warmed and stirred. It's filling and nummy and takes less time than getting takeout.

And there's still loads of jammy onion left for more lazy pasta or lazy omelets or ambitous tarty bits or...or...

A mighty high payout I sez.