My French grandmother always sticks cloves into an onion. When I discovered why she did this, I was surprised, as I had never seen it before. Now, I do it myself and I’m absolutely thrilled with this trick. Let me explain what cloves in an onion are for …

Your choice of soup, broth, or sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel the onion and keep it whole.
Take whole cloves and push them into the onion (evenly spaced).
Add the clove-studded onion into your pot while cooking soup, stew, or sauce.
Let it simmer to release a mild, aromatic flavor.
Remove the onion before serving and discard.
TIPS

Use fewer cloves for a lighter flavor, more for a stronger aroma.
Works best in dishes like béchamel sauce, chicken soup, or beef broth.
You can also add a bay leaf with the cloves for extra depth.
Don’t chop the onion—keeping it whole makes it easy to remove later.
Avoid overcooking too long if you want a subtle taste instead of a strong clove flavor