Onion storage

toozie_2 · 30 October 2015 at 9:09PM

Hello

If anyone is after a bargain and use a lot on onions, I've bought 5kg for £1 from Farm F**ds tonight.

White onions, not huge, but tasty, we just had cheese & onion toasties tonight because everyone (apart from me!) was going out.

I have been searching for ways to store them for a while-although I do use onions in 95% of my recipes so they won't last long.

I will chop some, and open freeze on tray then put into a bag, but I don't want to take up too much room in the freezer (it's full already anyway) Plus don't fancy chopping dozens of onions in one go!

Been checking on line, I've come across quite a few people saying a shallow cardboard box with flaps that close, lay the onions in one layer close the box, punch some holes in the top, and put it in a cold, dry dark place.

I've got a cardboard box which will do, and a dry shed, but was just wondering if it would be too cold there for the next month or so? We are in the North West, temperatures have dropped, but still mild.
Any ideas anyone?
Probably they will have gone before December anyway-but may buy more at that price!

splishsplash · 30 October 2015 at 9:18PM

The last time I had a lot of onions to use up, I used a mandolin to slice them and made up batches of caramelized onions and froze them. I use them on pizzas; in tarts; make soup with them; in any kind of toasted sambo or with any kind of pulled meat or bbq meat :drool:.

I also grate onions in the food processor and freeze in handfuls - the kids take them back to college for stir frys, slaws, etc., or I just add them to whatever I'm cooking.

sweetilemon · 30 October 2015 at 9:58PM

I would think as long as it doesn't drop below 1 degrees to freeze, they should be fine. Just be careful mice don't get to them first in a shed. I keep mine in the fridge.

honeythewitch · 30 October 2015 at 10:19PM

toozie wrote: »

Hello

If anyone is after a bargain and use a lot on onions, I've bought 5kg for £1 from Farm F**ds tonight.

White onions, not huge, but tasty, we just had cheese & onion toasties tonight because everyone (apart from me!) was going out.

I have been searching for ways to store them for a while-although I do use onions in 95% of my recipes so they won't last long.

I will chop some, and open freeze on tray then put into a bag, but I don't want to take up too much room in the freezer (it's full already anyway) Plus don't fancy chopping dozens of onions in one go!

Been checking on line, I've come across quite a few people saying a shallow cardboard box with flaps that close, lay the onions in one layer close the box, punch some holes in the top, and put it in a cold, dry dark place.

I've got a cardboard box which will do, and a dry shed, but was just wondering if it would be too cold there for the next month or so? We are in the North West, temperatures have dropped, but still mild.
Any ideas anyone?
Probably they will have gone before December anyway-but may buy more at that price!

Mine go in the cold cellar and they last for ages.

meritaten · 30 October 2015 at 11:24PM

if you have a dry shed then try this method of storage. take a pair of tights and put an onion in each foot. knot the tight above the onions, put another onion in each leg and knot. fill the legs up and then hang in the shed. this keeps each onion separate so if you DO have a 'bad' one it doesn't contaminate the others. and you just cut off an onion under the knot when you need one. My dad always stored his onions this way and they would last months.
We live in S E Wales and the shed protected them during the winter - I cant remember him losing any due to cold weather.

[Deleted User] · 30 October 2015 at 11:29PM

meritaten wrote: »

if you have a dry shed then try this method of storage. take a pair of tights and put an onion in each foot. knot the tight above the onions, put another onion in each leg and knot. fill the legs up and then hang in the shed. this keeps each onion separate so if you DO have a 'bad' one it doesn't contaminate the others. and you just cut off an onion under the knot when you need one. My dad always stored his onions this way and they would last months.
We live in S E Wales and the shed protected them during the winter - I cant remember him losing any due to cold weather.

My late Ma-in-law also stored onions in this way,I can remember them hanging up in her shed and my two DDs as little girls asking why granny filled her tights with onions,was it to make them stretch a bit:rotfl::rotfl:
She was a lady of ...generous proportions

thriftwizard · 30 October 2015 at 11:33PM

I've always believed that onions should be stored in the light and potatoes in the dark; if onions, which are bulbs, are kept dark, they shoot to try to find the light, whereas spuds, which are tubers, only put out shoots when it is light. (Both need to be kept cool, though, as warmth will make them sprout anyway, and encourage any bugs/moulds to grow.)

I keep small sacks of onions in a cool spot in my conservatory & don't lose many, but then a 5Kg sack only lasts the seven of us about 2 weeks!

meritaten · 30 October 2015 at 11:47PM

JackieO wrote: »

My late Ma-in-law also stored onions in this way,I can remember them hanging up in her shed and my two DDs as little girls asking why granny filled her tights with onions,was it to make them stretch a bit:rotfl::rotfl:
She was a lady of ...generous proportions

roflmao - my dad was once showing a friend around his garden, they got to the shed and the friend freaked out by being confronted by what he thought was the 'lower body parts of humans'!!! Dad was so hysterical laughing, I had to explain 'They are just Onions being stored'. I can understand as Dads onions were quite a size!
But, it does keep them in good condition!

toozie_2 · 31 October 2015 at 9:31AM

Wow!

Thank you!

There are some conflicting responses here!!!

Fridge
Day light
Tights
Shed

I don't think I'll do the tights, one because I don't wear them so haven't got any, and two these onions are small-ish-less then a tennis ball, it would take forever, although if I ever got 5kg of large onions I would do this and beg tights from friends!

Not sure about fridge? Would they not get "damp"? Might put one in there, I have never kept an onion in the fridge before.
My usual place is in a draw string sack bag (with "onions" on it) that my daughter gave me from Lakeland years ago-which hangs in my "back room" aka -utility-but not done up like a utility!!!

I am going to freeze quite a few today, and have one of those V Slicers which I'll use.

Might try some in shed (had no mice so far in there, and I have a sack of spuds there already)

Going to do onion soup at lunch time, and a stir fry tonight, so I'm going to be using some today.

It's a great bargain if anyone has a Farm F near them.

Cheers :beer:

HappyMJ · 31 October 2015 at 9:36AM

When you freeze the sliced onions make sure you freeze them all spread out on a tray before putting them into a bag. If you put the slices straight into a bag they'll freeze together into one big clump of frozen onion. Much easier to use some onion if it's all loose.

I stored some in Hessian bag in a cool dark place and have lost about 10% of the 5kg bag over the last 6 months. Some of the onions went soft/bad so I'd freeze some and store some when I buy a new bag next month.

happydays89 · 31 October 2015 at 9:42AM

I have always kept mine in the fridge,they keep for months.

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Onion storage

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