Onions bring flavor to any meal—a perfect addition to stir-fries, meat dishes, sauces, soups, stews, and salads. Onions are even great as a side dish—onion rings, anyone?

But with so many varieties to choose from—yellow, red, white and sweet onions—knowing which onion to choose can be a bit overwhelming. Once you find the right onion for your meal, though, you can bring out the best flavors to compliment your cooking skills.

Here’s a quick guide to choosing the perfect onions for your recipes.

Yellow Onions

As one of the most commonly used onions in the U.S, it comes as no surprise that yellow onions make up 87% of the U.S. onion crop. This is one of the best onions to use when cooking almost anything. Use them when making meat dishes (roasted chicken, pot roast, rack of lamb etc.) or as a base for many sauces, stews and soups.  Yellow onions are also higher in vitamin C as compared to other onion varieties.

Yellow onions have a very sharp, mildly spicy flavor with a sweet edge to them. The taste can be too strong to eat raw, so it’s best to mix yellow onions with other ingredients. When cooked, the spicy flavor fade and you’re left with a very sweet and light brown onion.

Have some extra yellow onions in your pantry? Try this French Onion Soup Recipe from FoodNetwork.com.

Sweet Onions

Fragrant and oh so tasty, sweet onions—also called Vidalia onions or Walla Walla onions—are excellent candidates to make delicious and crunchy onion rings, or anything that includes fried onions. Like yellow onions, sweet onions are also very versatile and are especially great for roasted vegetable and meat roasts.

Check out this Crock Pot Sweet Onion Beef Roast and Potatoes from Food.com.

White Onions

White onions have the crunchiest and sharpest taste. Want to make salsa, a stir-fry or chutney? These are the right onions to choose since they add that extra crunch. White onions are definitely on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to popularity, and are mostly used in Mexican cooking. They’re also bigger in size and not very sweet, which is why they go well in white sauces, potato and pasta salads.

Here’s a recipe for a delicious Onion and Golden Raisin Chutney from Martha Stewart that can be made in three easy steps.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion, halved and sliced crosswise (about 3 cups)
• Coarse Salt to taste
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

What you’ll do:

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the white onions and salt to taste making sure to stir often. We want the onions to soften and look translucent. Lower the heat and continue to cook until onions have caramelized and browned.

Step 2: Increase heat to medium-high and add raisins and ginger. Stir frequently until raisins have plumped and browned (it should take about two minutes).

Step 3: Add 1/2 cup water and reduce heat to medium. Cook until all water has evaporated and pan is dry (it should take about 2 minutes). Pour in vinegar and cook until evaporated.

Red Onions

Red onions have a milder taste and smell compared to the other onion varieties. In fact, you can easily chop up red onions without getting teary eyed. The fact that they’re milder means they tasty great raw, making red onions a favorite topping in salad, sandwiches, burgers and guacamole.

Check out this recipe for Balsamic-Glazed Red Onions from FoodandWine.com.

Picking the Best Onions

Now that you know exactly what kind of onions to use for different dishes, make sure you choose the best and freshest onions in the grocery store. How do you do this? Start by looking for is firmness. The best onions will have crackly outer skin, a mild scent and firmness. You should also avoid onions with dark spots or clear signs of mold.

Once you’ve made your selection, store whatever remained in a cool, dark area. The fridge may seem like a good option, but it should be avoided as to not spoil other foods due to the onion smell.

For more information on how to choose the best onions, visit: www.thecookingdish.com.