Gannon's twist on onion rings is coated with a spicy batter, and is served with special dipping sauce on-the-side (or in the middle, as the case would be). But the big secret to this big onion dish which sets it apart from your typical, everyday onion ring platter is the special technique used to slice the onion so that it comes out of the fryer looking like a giant blooming chrysanthemum. Once this unique onion plate was unveiled to a ravenous public, sales blossomed. The success did not go unnoticed by other chains searching for the next hot, money-making menu item -- especially one with a big, fat profit margin. Soon Outback's Bloomin' Onion became the model for product development kitchen cloning and the most copied new goodie on America's chain restaurant menus.

Today, when you find this dish at rival restaurant chains it's called Awesome Blossom (Chili's) or Texas Tumbleweed (Lonestar Steakhouse), or by any of dozens of other botanically-themed names. While the names may be different, the preparation techniques are basically the same, and all derivative of Outback's original creation. Indeed Outback wants us to be sure we know where the dish was born, and celebrates its invention with a menu that wears a bad drawing (photo 3) of the Bloomin' Onion (which looks more like an artichoke, if you ask me) at the top of the front page, like a crown.

Sure, the spicy batter and dipping sauce make the Bloomin' Onion taste real good, but I know that it is the presentation that makes the dish so appealing. Gannon had to use a special machine to make mass production of the popular side dish easy, and therefore profitable. The top secret machine would need to make a couple dozen 15-degree slices down, and almost completely through the onion, but leave just enough onion unsliced at the bottom so that it would not fall apart when spread open, battered and deep-fried.

I went out on my most recent clandestine mission to find one of these secret onion bloomers, and now I'm proud to say that I have returned victorious, and can bring the pictures to you! Thanks to The Sleuth's Special Field Agents (S.F.A.) I have obtained these images of the secret machine that you used to see only in the back kitchens of restaurants serving the popular onion appetizer. So lock the doors and pull the blinds, while I show you how the pros make a Bloomin' Onion, from start to finish.

As you can see from these pictures (click on "view more photos" at the top of the page), the cast aluminum device is quite large and very sturdy. Suction cup feet attach the device to the counter top, and a large handle protrudes from the top of the device to offer the necessary leverage for a quick, clean cut through a large, firm onion.

To make the dish, first the onion is peeled and the top is slice off. The root-end of the onion is left intact while the onion is sliced. Twenty-four angled blades (photo 2) come down through the onion (photo 4) slicing to about 1/4-inch from the bottom. The blades are raised and the onion is removed from the slicer (photo 5).

Carefully the cook spreads the "petals" of the onion (photo 6) so that the onion can be completely moistened for battering in a mixture such as milk and egg. After dipping the onion, it is coated with a mixture of flour and spices (photo 7). This step is the most tedious, as all the nooks and crannies of the onion must be well coated. To ensure that the onion is prepared for frying and that it will keep its crispy, fried crust on, a double coating of batter may be used. Additionally, the onion should rest for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator so that the gluten in the flour can help bond the batter to the onion like glue.

When the onion has set for a while, it is lowered into a deep-fryer and cooked for approximately 10 minutes (photo 8), or until the surface of the onion is a crispy, golden brown.

The last step involves removing the center of the onion. A special coring device is pressed down into the middle of the onion, with a twist (photo 9). When the device is removed, the center of the onion comes with it, roots and all(photo 10). This piece is then tossed out and a small cup of dipping sauce is placed into the center of the finished onion. The dish is now ready to serve. Viola!

There you have it -- an inside look at the professional machine that makes your fried onion look so purty. But The Sleuth has discovered that this device is not exactly unobtainable. I have found that since these appetizers have become so popular, I can simply go to a restaurant supply outlet and buy an onion bloomer of my own for a measly $500.

Sure, the machine is big and bulky and not too attractive; and I have absolutely no space in this kitchen for such a single-use device. But I figure that after only 108 onions have been prepared, the machine will start paying for itself.

The Sleuth is now looking for a good deal on a bushel of onions.

A Sleuth Update

After The Sleuth submitted this column in 1998, several companies hopped on the onion blossom bandwagon, bombarding us with a plethora of devices that slice onions similar to the restaurant version -- but without the the triple-digit price tag. While many of these plastic gadgets are nothing more than mass-produced Taiwanese junk, a select few actually do quite a fine job of turning onions into flower-like fried munchables. 

Prices for these doohickies range from around 7 to 25 bucks, and, as with anything, you usually get what you pay for. The cheapest of the bunch are the nearly flat plastic cutters, like this one here in the "Blossom Kit" (photo 11), with sharp metal blade spokes designed to core the onion as they slice it. Unfortunately this device makes it difficult to cut the onion just right so that the "petals" stay attached and the core is removed. Besides, you only get 12 incisions (that's half the slices of the professional model), making "petals" that are much too thick. Slicers like this have been around for years, but were previously sold as apple cutters and corers. So don't expect this model to do a professional job on your onion.

Instead, look for one of these all-plastic devices pictured here (photo 12). These babies usually cost 7 to 10 bucks and work as a guide for your own favorite knife. You get more "petals" with this one (18 slices), plus an additional coring tool which you take to the onion, just like the professional version, after it comes out of the scalding oil jacuzzi bath.  

But if you want to get your hands on the absolute best of the bargain slicers this is the one you want (photo 13). It borrows its blade design from the large restaurant version used at the chains. It'll set you back 20 to 25 bucks, but it's quite sturdy for the price, and does a clean slicing job with 20 sharp, angled blades. The coring tool comes with a wood plunger to help unclog it, and, as with most of the other devices, a recipe is included for making the breading. This one is worth the cash, and will last ya for years, or at least until the next appetizer fad comes along.

That should be any day now.
 

Another Sleuth Update

July 4, 2002
And so another kitchen gadget fad fades. Today these onion bloomer doohickeys are easier to find at garage sales, thrift stores, and online than in retail marts. Type "Steakhouse Onion" into the eBay search window and dozens of new-in-box onion slicing machines come up!

If you're still having a hard time finding one to slice your home grown Bloomin' Onion clones, never fear. You'll just have to resort to the old-fashioned technique using a sharp knife and steady hand as described in the book Top Secret Restaurant Recipes, and as shown in the illustration at the top of this column. Make 16 slices carefully into the onion, but don't go all the way through. Bloom the onion, add the batter, then fry it up. When the onion's done, use a long, slender knife to cut out the core, and dig in.