Simmering, rather than caramelizing, onions (plus garlic and ginger) I can caramelize onions, garlic, and ginger over 30 minutes, stir frying.
But this requires me to stand in front of the stove for 30 minutes. Instead, I prefer to spend 90 minutes, adding a bit of water and a touch of oil, then letting them simmer, with the onions taking half the time alone before the others are added. I can then do something else during that time.

Does this process have a name? Does it still qualify as caramelization? Would a self-respecting chef do this once a week with larger quantities and freeze small containers with the mixture for use throughout the week?
Update
I say the following only half in jest. Since Tetsujin slapped the entirely derogatory &quot;fairgrounds&quot; term on boiled-down onions, I'm wondering whether I can elevate this method ever so slightly by giving it another term, and a French one at that.
Isn't boiling down onions exactly how you make French onion soup?
Update 2
Correction to self: as pointed out by Preston in the comments, French onion soup is caramelized onions plus (beef, usually) stock. The description above is my past-years attempt at reducing the time I spend preparing F.O.S., and it stuck in my mind as a correct method.
Well, now I know why I complained about onion soup tasting with overwhelming onions. It's because I multiplied the quantity of onions in an attempt to avoid the caramelization step.
Without the water, I'd call it 'sweating'.
With the water &amp; lid, they're going to come out a bit like like fairground hotdog onions… not really like caramelised.
Fine for Spanish Tortilla (or hot dogs), not so great if you need that Maillard-like reaction.
If you don't use the water, or the lid, you can slowly caramelise onions with little supervision, but not none.
Check them every 10-15 mins at 'too slow to burn' pan temperatures, with plenty of oil. This is another one of those &quot;work it out by repetition based on your stove heat &amp; your pan thickness&quot; things that might take you a few tries to get just right.
After that you can do it every time.
You can also cheat a bit (it's a fake &amp; doesn't taste quite the same…)
Sweat at minimal heat, like for tortilla, for half an hour, then push up the heat a fair bit once you're there to supervise &amp; quickly brown the already soft onions by keeping them moving constantly.
That's still a bit 'fairground' but a reasonable cheat.