What would we do without onions? Just cannot do without them when it comes to the mastery of the art of cooking! For something that always has its place in the kitchen and needs to be ever-present, it is difficult sometimes to know the proper (and best) ways of storing onions.
Here are some easy yet very useful onion preservation techniques to preserve onions for longer periods of time –
- Store in a cool, dry and dark place
We all know that onions need to be stored in a cool, dry place that is properly ventilated but not brightly lit up. It is important that they are kept in a dark place at a low temperature. This is because if they are exposed to high temperatures or humidity, they will either go bad or start sprouting. Studies show that a temperature of about 4–10°C is the best for storing onions.
- Do not keep them in plastic bags/covers after they have entered your house
Keep them in a basket or an open sack bag after you have brought them home. Do not leave them in the paper or plastic bags because this will prevent ventilation. An open basket or a bag that supports ventilation is where you should place the onions in
- Do not store them in the refrigerator
Storing onions in the refrigerator will expose them to a cold temperature (also humid) that can lead to them rotting. And since they are highly absorbent of moisture as well, the refrigerator is not the best place to keep them.
Storing onions in different stages –
- Sliced or cut
These onions can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 8-10 days. Wrap them well in a tight wrap for them to last that long. If you would like to keep them for longer, you can put them in the freezer.
- Peeled
Peeled onions will also need to be refrigerated because if kept in the open, they risk being soiled by bacteria. These onions need to be kept in a container (airtight) and placed in the refrigerator. These will go up to 12-14 days.
- Cooked
You can store cooked onions in the refrigerator for a total of about 5 days. You want to make sure that the cooked onions are not left in the open for long because then they can go bad. Once they cool off, just put them in an airtight container within 2-3 hours of cooking and place the container in the refrigerator.
Now you don’t need to keep throwing the rotten ones away and shelling money on buying onions every week. Just preserve them well!
