Christopher Ranch Shallots - Product Review

Shallots are related to onions and garlic and can be used in many dishes that call for onions. My local Safeway supermarket regularly carries Christopher Ranch shallots from Gilroy, CA. Although Gilroy is known mainly for its garlic (and the Gilroy Garlic Festival), onions and shallots are also grown near Gilroy. I regularly use Christopher Ranch shallots in my cooking, and I often prefer shallots over onions because shallots have a sweeter and milder flavor than onions.

Like garlic, shallots are composed of multiple cloves within a single head. However, the individual shallot cloves are bigger than garlic cloves. Shallots are wrapped in a skin that is similar to onion skin, and there is a single layer of shallot flesh that surrounds multiple cloves. If you peel shallots to remove the skin, and slice through the first layer of flesh, you can separate the individual shallot cloves for use whole or chopped. I find that I prefer to use shallots in dishes that call for chunkier pieces of onion, since the individual shallot cloves stay together fairly well, despite the fact that each clove is layered like an onion.

The Christopher Ranch Shallots are slightly larger than other brands of shallots, and they have flesh that is red/purple in color. Christopher Ranch shallots are highly similar to red onions in their sweet flavor and colorful flesh, although they are still milder than a red onion. I mentioned above that I prefer to use shallots in dishes that call for chunks of onion or garlic. For example, I enjoy using Christopher Ranch shallots in stews and soups because the whole shallot cloves are colorful and absorb the stew broth well. I always cut off the tops and bottoms of each clove of shallots so that the stew liquid penetrates adequately into the shallot layers. The purple color of the Christopher Ranch shallots complements the color and texture of a hearty beef or chicken stew with other colorful vegetables.

Christopher Ranch shallots are available in one-pound plastic mesh sacks. Like all onions, shallots should not be kept in the refrigerator but instead should be kept in open air. This is because the moisture and temperaure of a refrigerator will cause the shallots to break down prematurely. The plastic mesh bag ensures that Christopher Ranch shallots can breathe adequately to avoid growing moldy or rotting too soon.

In conclusion, if you use onion or garlic in your cooking, try using shallots from Christopher Ranch next time. Shallots are sweeter and milder than onions; and they will not make you cry like onions do. The cloves of shallots are colorful and larger than a pearl onion. Christopher Ranch shallots in particular are larger than most shallots, with a smooth even texture without any bad spots or blemishes. Shallots are easier to work with than onions, and they are a good way to add a mild sweetness to savory dishes that call for onions or garlic.