Onion question

lesliemarie

Cathlete
I have been trying to find answers on the internet but not fully satisfied, how do you store your onions? do you put them in the refridgerator? and do onions go rotten? and if you do store them in the fridge how do you store them and what is their storage life? sorry tons of questions,
 
I keep my onions in a basket on the floor of my pantry which is cool and dark. They will keep for quite awhile but I really couldn't tell you how long because I go through a bag of them fairly quickly. I don't think you're supposed to refrigerate them.
 
I keep mine in a plastic grocery bag in a pantry cabinet. We use them up pretty quicky though.
 
I keep mine in a basket in my pantry also. They need a dry well ventilated space. You can store them for months if the conditions are right and cool enough (it also depends on the kind of onion). They usually begin to rot if the storage location is damp. Like the others, we go through them quickly...I can eat onions on just about anything!

Jo
 
If you want to store them for a long time (like if you buy a ton of Vidalias when there in season) you should store them in a cool, dry, well ventilated area with plenty of air circulation room around them. Alton Brown on Food Network actually did a show on onions. He stored his in old pantyhose, one at a time, with knots between so that you can cut one off as you use it and the rest stay there. He hung his in a storage closet under stairs. For short term, just make sure that you store in a well ventilated area and not in the plastic bags from the grocery store (that's why when you buy bulk, they come in ventilated bags).

You should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER refrigerate onions (except scallion/green onions) and you should NEVER store with potatos. Storing them together or near each other causes them both to go bad quickly.

Sorry about the soapbox, I am a foodie and an amateur gourmet chef.

HTH
 
"You should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER refrigerate onions (except scallion/green onions)"

I have heard this before (about not refrigerating onions) but I have never heard a reason why. Anyone know? Just curious!:)
 
>"You should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER refrigerate onions (except
>scallion/green onions)"
>
>I have heard this before (about not refrigerating onions) but
>I have never heard a reason why. Anyone know? Just
>curious!:)

I believe moisture that accumulates in the refrigerator causes spoilage.
 
ding, ding, ding, ding, ding....

You are correct, Michele! Storing bulb onion in the fridge encourages moisture collection and thus speed spoilage.
 
I store them in a dark cabinet.

I've also heard that you shouldn't store potatoes and onions together, either. Something to do with the gas of one spoils the other.

Namita
 
Okay, this may be a stupid ? but.............how do you store them if you don't use the whole thing? I have those onion keepers that hang in the fridge from tupperware. When I have cut up an onion I stick it in that, hang from shelf and I notice it lasts about 5 days. I am currently only buying the red onions.
 
Once you cut into an onion, it's okay to store temporarily in the fridge, but even then you need to use it up within a couple of days. For some reason, onions just don't like cold and moist environments.
 
I've been surprised that no one has mentioned that onions get black with mold when they are bad. I go through onions quickly, but every now and then I buy a bad bag. Good thing onions are pennies apiece!
 

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