The Bunnings sausage sizzle deal-breaker most Aussies agree on
Is it even a weekend if you haven't inhaled a Bunnings sausage sandwich before hitting the tool aisle?
The hardware store's sausage sizzle is an Australian icon, and has been since they first kicked off over 30 years ago.
But it seems not all Bunnings sausage sizzles are created equal, with a recent Reddit post prompting a passionate discussion about one common gripe: the onions.
Bunnings shoppers have some thoughts about the onions on their famous sausage sizzles. via Getty Images
The Reddit 'Australia' post read: "I love a sausage sizzle. I think it's one of this countries greatest traditions.
"Raising money for local community groups while getting to have a sausage in bread is a win win in my books.
"However I am consistently disappointed by the caramelised onion of late. It's always pale and flavourless and often a bit crunchy.
"I think we need to have mandatory government funded caramelised onion classes for anyone playing to do a public sausage sizzle."
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It seems Aussies agree caramelisation is key. Getty
Caramelised onions are onions that have been cooked until they are deeply browned, soft, and intensely sweet.
Today food expert Jane de Graaff says there is a trick to creating perfectly caramelised onions every time.
"Caramelising onions is all about low-medium heat and letting them have time to cook out the moisture and break down the natural sugars for that caramel note and colour," she says.
de Graaff acknowledges this may not be the sort of time most Bunnings sausage sizzle volunteers have.
"Volunteers who are helping out may not have time to babysit onions until they are jamming, and trying to speed it up with heat will just burn them."
Then there is the added challenge of using frozen sliced or chopped onions, which contain more water and may take even longer to caramelise.
de Graaff says a "great cheat" is to add some BBQ sauce to the onions while they are cooking so the sugars in the sauce caramelise a bit quicker.
"But the onions will still be sharper in flavour," she notes.
A quick survey of the nine.com.au office highlighted the importance of well-cooked onions at a Bunnings sausage sizzle, or they may give the onions a miss altogether.
"Caramelised onions or don't even bother," one said.
Low-medium heat and ample time is needed to properly caramelise onions. Getty
"Cannot have a snag without the fried onions that's unpatriotic," another said.
"Caramelised onions all the way!!!!!! The more onion the better."
"The onions need a lot of colour and caramel on them! It's so important," added one Bunnings shopper.
"I don't mind if they're also a bit crispy (usually caramelised onion is a bit soft) but they need a good amount of time on the heat to develop that depth of flavour.
"Don't give me anaemic onions."
Bunnings volunteers don't always have the time to create perfect onions. Future Publishing via Getty Imag
One staffer who is "team caramelised onions!" noted, "I need to see them first. If they look sad and soggy I might give them a miss."
"I can switch up whether or not I want tomato sauce, but caramelised onions are a must!!!" another team member declared.
And Redditors couldn't have agreed more.
"It's a rare sausage sizzle that does anything other than flash-charring everything - crunchy sangers and crunchy onion, on square supermarket white bread and slathering of tomato sauce," one observed.
"So I don't except a sausage sizzle to give proper caramelized onions, but I think decently cooked ones is a fair ask," another shared.
Bunnings helps community groups set their sausage sizzles up, but it is up to volunteers how they run them. AFL Photos via Getty Images
A sprinkle of sugar was also suggested by some Redditors as a way to speed up the process of cooking up tasty onions.
One Bunnings volunteer weighed in on the debate, explaining they went to the trouble of slicing onions to use at their sausage sizzle, which resulted in perfectly-cooked onions, but added, "Our whole house stunk of onions for a week".
The conversation quickly splintered off into several sausage sizzle debates, including whether onions should be placed on the top of or underneath the sausage, if they should come with one slice of bread or two, or if sliced bread should be swapped out for rolls.
In fact, Bunnings in Western Australia has been using bread rolls instead of sliced bread for years.
Shortcuts to creating tasty onions include adding BBQ sauce or even a sprinkle of sugar. via Getty Images
Clearly, not all Bunnings sausage sizzles are created equal.
The cookups have become an institution in Australia, helping local community groups to raise much-needed funds for their important work.
While Bunnings provides the location, signage, and BBQ, it is up to volunteers how they run them and which toppings and condiments they offer.
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