It may seem like common sense to keep your vegetables in a drawer in your fridge, but this is one of the worst places to store your onions.
Onions have a high water content and the humid and cold environment in the fridge will make them much soggier and softer which will cause them to go mouldy.
The best place to keep store onions is to store them in a dry with plenty of air circulation as the key to keeping them fresh is to minimise the amount of moisture.
Getty Stewart, a cooking expert, explained: “Onions pick up moisture very easily which will lead to rot. Keep them in a mesh bag, old nylons or open basket in a dry place. If you have high humidity, it’ll be tricky to keep onions for a long time.”
Many people keep their onions in a cupboard or drawer in their kitchen but it is important to keep them away from the stove, oven or any home appliances as onions also need to be kept somewhere cool
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When you have found somewhere dark, cool and dry for your onions in the kitchen then you need to keep them in a container for plenty of air space.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when storing their fruit or vegetables is keeping them in their original plastic containers from the supermarket, which can trap moisture and cause your produce to begin going mouldy before its time.
Instead, keep onions in a mesh bag or even a paper bag which will protect the onions from moisture.
Getty said: “DO NOT store in plastic bags. You could even store them in old pantyhose – insert one onion, twist the pantyhose, insert next onion, repeat. Hang in a dark, cool place or lay on the cool floor.”
Finally, another useful tip for storing onions it keep them separated from your potatoes, as both these vegetables release ethylene gas, a natural growth hormone which causes ripening but when stored together the gas can accelerate spoiling.
Getty said: “Not only do they give off gas, but they are easily impacted by the gas put off by other vegetables like potatoes. This causes them to sprout prematurely, so be sure to store onions and potatoes separately.”
