Onion Powder

Onion powder smells like the pale golden edge of an onion that has been in the pan a few minutes: sweet, a little toasted, faintly sulfurous in the way all alliums are. On the tongue it reads savory first, then sweet, with a dry finish that disappears into whatever else is in the pot. It is not a stand-in for fresh onion, which brings water and bulk. It is a way to get onion flavor into things that cannot hold a diced onion.

That makes it the backbone of dry rubs for pork shoulder, chicken thighs and brisket, where it browns alongside paprika and black pepper. Stir it into burger mix, meatballs and sausage. Whisk it into ranch dressing, sour cream dips and vinaigrettes, where raw onion would turn harsh overnight. It belongs in mac and cheese, gravy, chili, bean soup, taco filling and cornbread batter. Toss it with oil over potatoes or cauliflower before roasting. Shake it onto popcorn with fine salt.

Start with about half a teaspoon per pound of meat or per quart of soup, then taste. In a dip, a quarter teaspoon per cup of base is usually plenty and the flavor keeps blooming for an hour. Powder this fine clumps when it meets steam, so spoon it out away from the pot and keep the lid closed between uses. Store it in a dark cupboard, not above the stove, and it will hold its aroma for a year or more.

• 2 oz (57g) jar: for a cook who uses it in an occasional rub or dip and wants it fresh.
• 20.5 oz (581g) jar: enough for weekly cooking, regular grilling and homemade dressings.
• 76 oz (2155g) jar: for big-batch cooks, caterers and anyone mixing their own rub blends by the cup.
• Decant from the 76 oz jar into a small shaker for daily reach.
• Keep the large sizes sealed tight and away from heat and steam.

If your spice rack already holds garlic powder, this is the other half of the pair.