Sometimes you'll see your purple onions with a few layers of outer skin removed to make them look more appealing. This doesn't make them any better - it's just eye candy. You will also find that bigger is not necessarily better. A very small (less than a few inches in diameter) purple onion can have just as thick and crunchy sections as a giant purple onion. Sometimes, in fact, it seems that the really giant purple onions can be a little mealy in texture more frequently than the smaller purple onions of comparable maturity.
Purple Onions with a few layers of onion skin removed
You can see that these onions are squat in stature. If you can find them even squater, that is even better. Ideally, the top and bottoms of these great purple onions are almost completely flat or sometimes even concave with the tuft coming out of a slight depression. Squat and fat is the key signature of the best, thickest, crispiest and most delectable purple onions.