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1
Sit outside where a breeze is blowing, and peel the onions.
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2
Slice thinly on a wooden board. Best is to stay outside even if you need a parka, because inside you'll cry a lot over so many onions.
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3
Use the largest pot you have, like a soup pot, and heat. When hot, add about an inch of oil (2 1/2 cm). Let oil heat well.
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4
Slowly add onions to the pot. The good thing about a deep pot is that there is less spattering. You might have to add in batches if you peeled a very large amount, and you might have to add more oil.
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5
Stir every now and then. This will take a long time, so have a nice paperback nearby --
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6
Fry the onions with patience until they soften. Add a few splashes of water if they threaten to catch. You could add more oil, but you cannot keep adding oil as the end result will be too oily.
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7
When at long last the onions have collapsed and actually starts to colour slightly, add the vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir through. This improves the flavour -- add more or less, to taste.
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8
Read your book and keep stirring as you don't want to burn the lot at this late stage.
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9
When the onions are done to your taste, pull off heat and cool.
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10
The least bulky way to freeze them is to put them in ziplock bags. You will know how much sauteed onions you use per average dish -- rather put in too little because you can always use more than one pouch. If you freeze too much in a bag, some might go to waste.
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11
Push out air, seal, label, cool completely, and freeze.
