Farmers and storage experts alike recommend keeping onions in a dry, well-ventilated spot in the house.
Bruce L Frasier, president of Texas-based Dixondale Farms, which has been producing onions since 1913 told Yahoo! Life: “Store onions in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location, such as a garage or cellar.
“Place them in mesh bags or netting to permit airflow. Periodically check for any soft onions and remove them to avoid deterioration of the others.”
However, there’s even more to onion storage, as they will last even longer when using one simple trick using an unsung hero – a pantyhose.
John Shuman, President and CEO of Shuman Farms, which cultivates sweet Vidalia onions in Georgia, advises storing sweet onions in a cool, dry location, ensuring they are kept separate from one another.
He recommends using clean, sheer pantyhose: place an onion in the leg, tie a knot above it, then add another onion and repeat.
Hang the pantyhose in a cool, dry area with good airflow. Alternatively, you can place the onions on elevated racks in a cool, dry spot, making sure they do not touch each other.
Storing onions in the fridge prompts onions to turn their starches into sugars, which prompts a mushy consistency and strong smells.
YouTuber Jerry James Stone said: “Onions hate being in the fridge, that’s the first thing – never put them in the fridge. If you do, they actually rot and go mushy.”
Since onions absorb moisture easily, it’s best to keep them away from cold conditions, although this doesn’t apply to sliced or diced onions.
Jerry added: “The other thing about onions, is they prefer to be in a dry place, that’s cool and has good ventilation.
“So you don’t want to put them in a drawer, you can put them in a pantry if there’s a lot of air circulation there.”
Ventilation is really important because onions do let out a lot of moisture, according to the pro.
The YouTuber continued: “One thing you definitely don’t want to do is store onions anywhere next to potatoes.
“Because of the moisture and ethylene gas onions put out, they cause potatoes to sprout.”
“The food you can store next to is garlic, they prefer the same environment,” he concluded.
And if you buy onions from the supermarket in a plastic bag, it’s important to remove the bag and place it in a net or mesh bag.
