Storing onions is one of the things that can be the hardest to do. If you love onions, you probably realize that it can be complicated to store onions that have been cut or have been prepared for use.
Onions tend to go bad rather quickly due to their chemical components, and they can even make other vegetables around them go bad rapidly!
If you love onions, you probably have been trying to figure out what the best way to store them might be.
Preventing pesky onion smell and the breakdown of your onions can both be tricky, and you will need to know what the best method for storage is before you waste onion or end up with a stinky fridge.
Storing onions can be easy when you know which containers are needed for which jobs and when you make the right plans for your onion storage to prevent loss of food and bad smells.
If you are ready to learn more about whether or not you can store onions in airtight containers, you need to keep reading!
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How to Store Raw Onions
If you have a raw onion that has not been peeled, you need to use the right container to store it, but this will not be an airtight container.
You will also need to place your onion in a cool and dark place that will be free of moisture. Be sure that your onion is not near other vegetables as well since the slow breakdown of your onion will damage the other vegetables and make them much less likely to be usable when you need them.
The question of whether to store onion in an airtight container is more relevant to chopped onion or onion that has been cooked in some way.
This is the onion that you will want to place in your fridge or freezer, and it can be tough to store in these locations without the onion smell getting out and attaching to other things in the fridge or freezer.
Onion that is left on the counter at room temperature once cooked or chopped will only be good for about twelve hours.
This is the least ideal way to store onions, and you will want to avoid this process as it is not a good storage method for onion.
Only whole onion can be stored reliably out of the freezer and without an airtight container.
Storing Onions Properly
Onion that has been cooked or chopped should only be stored in an airtight container like Tupperware when it is going to be used within the next 48 hours.
Onions stored in the fridge can be stored in this kind of container, but they will not last any longer than a couple of days.
There is no surefire way to keep onion good for longer than a couple of days without storing it in the freezer in a quality freezer bag.
When you store onion in the freezer, you will need to avoid the use of an airtight container because this will lead to clumped-up onion that might get too moist and mold.
Airtight containers that are not freezer-specific can also lead to freezer burn, which can destroy the flavor of your onions in short order. Onion needs to be stored on a flat sheet to be sure that it will not go bad while it is in the freezer or the fridge.
If you want to preserve your onions for future use, you will want to place them in a freezer bag on a thin sheet.
Make sure that your hands are clean before you store them so that bacteria on your fingers do not get into the freezer bag with your onion.
You can also use ice cube trays to store your onions in the freezer, but this can lead to onion smell invading the freezer and being impossible to get out.
The only other reason that you might use an airtight container for onion storage is in the case of pickled onions.
The pickled onion is best stored in airtight canning jars that can be sealed correctly to lock in freshness. This kind of container will not work for fresh or chopped onion, however, since they would be stored without pickling liquid.
If you want to remove some of the strong onion flavors from your stored onions, you will need to soak them in water for about ten minutes before you store them.
This will remove some of the oils in the onion so that they are not so strong when they come out of storage.
This can also help with the breakdown of the onion while it is in storage. This might not work as well with sweet onions as it will with white onions.
You might also have a different experience with smaller onions than larger onions related to smell and oils.
Onion Can be Stored in Airtight Containers in Some Instances
You will find that onions can be readily stored in an airtight container in the fridge, but this is not feasible for freezer storage.
Airtight containers are also used when onions are preserved in pickled form. If you are going to store your onion in the freezer, it will need to be stored in freezer bags and not airtight containers.
Onion does not keep well on the kitchen counter in any kind of container, but an airtight container might make it last slightly longer when stored in this way.
Storing onion in the right containers makes a big difference to its longevity and its flavor and texture later on when you need to cook with it.
You will find that you will be able to keep onions fresh for the longest in the freezer in freezer-safe bags. This is your best bet for your onion storage needs, and airtight containers need to be used only for fridge storage as a short-term fix.
You will want to avoid the use of airtight containers for any other onion storage needs.
I am Brianna, a self-published author with a passion for sharing my knowledge and expertise on various topics with people looking to find the perfect items for their needs. I love ensuring that the right informative content is available to people looking for the right information. I am an avid horseback rider and reader when I am not writing.
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