That is what I do. About 8 minutes covered in the microwave, not packed too tightly. It still takes a little over 10 minutes to caramelize, pan preheated and re

That is what I do. About 8 minutes covered in the microwave, not packed too tightly. It still takes a little over 10 minutes to caramelize, pan preheated and ready for them, but it cuts down a little bit and I can still do other prep work at the same time. Also important to note that about 70% of the onion goes away. If you start with 2 cups of chopped onions, what you end up with can fit into a little over half a cup. Onions are mostly liquid, and that gets cooked off in the process. If I'm caramelizing onions for burgers, a single medium onion will yield enough for a generous portion on two burgers with maybe a little left over. Pre-cooked onion size is a lie.