CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Although it's not exotic or splashy, the onion is probably my favorite vegetable. It's an indispensable ingredient in so many recipes, adding gobs of flavor for very little money. Yet the onion is rarely used as the star ingredient in a dish.

My favorite way to capitalize on the sweet, subtly spicy and luxurious potential of the onion is to cook it for a very long time on low heat, until the onion is dark and soft. Caramelized onions are versatile. They can be used to top steaks or burgers, made into a great soup, spread on crackers or toasted baguette with blue cheese for a great appetizer or snack, or added to dips and spreads.

Since standing over a hot stove in the middle of August for a couple of hours is not very appealing, I found a way to make caramelized onions without much work. Of course, I discovered this trick on the Internet, my favorite source for inspiration (and wasting time).

Using a slow-cooker and benign neglect, you can make fantastic caramelized onions with very little hands-on time. However, this technique is not quite "fix it and forget it." It's more like "fix it and don't pay too much attention to it," similar to what my husband does when I start talking to him.

With a good stir every once in a while ("Yes, dear") and a little patience, you will be rewarded with dark golden brown deliciousness. If left unattended the entire time, the onions won't cook evenly and the outer edge will burn, so they can't be completely ignored. The only disappointment will be that there aren't more onions -- a slow-cooker-full reduces to a mere quart or less.

My two favorite uses for these caramelized onions are an easy onion soup and my all-time-favorite chip dip. Once you try this onion dip, you'll never reach for the plastic tub or the onion soup mix again. But the possibilities extend far beyond these two treats. Try adding the onions to a pizza -- and, of course, they are great in a bacon and onion tart.

A couple of recipe notes: Don't be tempted to add more salt to this recipe. It doesn't seem like much, but the onions give off a lot of liquid that subsequently evaporates, and if you use more salt, they will become unpalatable once the liquid is gone. You can always add salt at the end if needed.

Finally, this recipe is designed for a 5- to 6-quart slow-cooker. If you have a larger slow-cooker, feel free to add more onions to the recipe and increase the other ingredients proportionally.

Slow-Cooker Caramelized Onions

     3     pounds yellow, white or red onions (don't use sweet onions; they may get bitter)

     1/2  cup olive oil (regular or extra virgin)

     1     stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

     1/2     teaspoon salt

     1/2     teaspoon dried thyme or a fresh thyme sprig

     Water or reduced-sodium chicken broth

PEEL onions and halve from pole to pole. Cut into 1/4-inch slices.

PLACE the onions in slow-cooker. Add olive oil, melted butter, salt and thyme. Stir to evenly coat onions with oil and butter.

PLACE cover on slow-cooker and turn to high or medium setting. Let cook for about 2 hours, then stir the onions. Replace cover on slow-cooker at an angle to allow some of the cooking liquid to evaporate.

CHECK on the onions again in another 1 to 2 hours and give them a good stir. If the onions at the edge of the pot are starting to get brown, reduce heat to low. Otherwise, continue to check the slow-cooker every hour or so, giving the onions a stir each time. If all of the liquid evaporates and the onions threaten to burn, add enough water or chicken broth to moisten the onions and reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking until all onions are deep golden brown.

REMOVE the onions from the slow-cooker and allow them to cool slightly. Store the onions in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three weeks until ready to use.

Golden Onion Dip

     4     ounces cream cheese, softened

     1/2  cup mayonnaise

     1/2  cup caramelized onions, chopped (add more onions if you like)

BEAT cream cheese until smooth.

ADD mayonnaise and onions and stir until well blended.

SERVE with chips or crackers.

Easy Onion Soup

     1     batch of caramelized onions (recipe above)

     1    can low-sodium chicken broth (homemade would be better)

     1    can low-sodium beef broth (ditto)

     3     tablespoons dry sherry (optional)

     2     teaspoons balsamic or red wine vinegar (optional)

     Salt and pepper to taste

     1     baguette, sliced on the bias in 1/2-inch slices

     4     slices Gruyere or other Swiss cheese

HEAT broiler to high.

HEAT broths and onion in medium saucepan. Add more chicken broth or water if soup seems too thick. When heated through, add sherry and salt and pepper to taste. If the color of the soup seems dull or grayish, add balsamic or red wine vinegar to brighten.

LADLE into four ovenproof narrow soup bowls or mugs, leaving a little room for the bread. Add a slice of bread to each bowl, and top each with cheese.

PLACE under broiler until cheese is golden and bubbly.

SERVE immediately.

Darcie Boschee is a freelance food writer. Reach her at bosch...@yahoo.com. For more of her recipes, visit her blog, bakin-n-bacon.typepad.com.