Onions. A staple at Crest Avenue. I cannot imagine not having onions in the house. I use them in almost every dish, as I'm sure many of you do too. But, where do we store onions until time to use? It's a good question and I have the answer for you. And it is not in the refrigerator.
I prefer to buy onions in bulk like the bag you see here. These bags usually contain medium sized onions which are perfect for cooking. If you have a recipe that calls for a large onion, you can just use two of these medium sized onions. Yellow onions work with most any recipe.
Be sure to inspect the bag before purchasing. You can see through the mesh with ease. Just give the onions a quick inspection and make certain that they are not bruised or soft, which means they are old. Usually that is not the case, but check just to make sure.
When they come out of the bag, you can remove the loose skins, which will mostly just fall off themselves. I leave the skin that is still intact on the onion in place.
As for storing onions, you want to find a well-ventilated space, away from other fruits or vegetables. The gasses emitted from potatoes or other vegetables will severely reduce the life of stored onions. This basket on the back of the pantry door at Crest Avenue works perfectly. It allows for good air circulation and it provides a dark environment at just the right temperature.
If the idea of storing onion open in a basket like this is unappealing, you can improvise by placing the onions in a brown paper bag. I used these paper lunch bags and a single hole punch to come up with a clever way of storing them.
I folded each bag in half, lengthwise. Then I punched four holes equally spaced along one side of the bag, and four holes equally spaced, and lined up with the first set, on the other side of the bag.
Then I placed four onions in one bag and five onions in the other, folded over the top and used a black Sharpie marker to label the contents of the bags.
The holes in the bag let enough air circulate to keep the onions fresh. This is actually the perfect way to store onions at home. Note also in the picture above, when you fold the bag in half and punch the holes, you are also punching holes in the side of each bag which allows more airflow.
For more information on this topic, visit the National Onion Association here. They have lots of good information about onions and some rather tasty recipes!
I prefer to buy onions in bulk like the bag you see here. These bags usually contain medium sized onions which are perfect for cooking. If you have a recipe that calls for a large onion, you can just use two of these medium sized onions. Yellow onions work with most any recipe.
Be sure to inspect the bag before purchasing. You can see through the mesh with ease. Just give the onions a quick inspection and make certain that they are not bruised or soft, which means they are old. Usually that is not the case, but check just to make sure.
When they come out of the bag, you can remove the loose skins, which will mostly just fall off themselves. I leave the skin that is still intact on the onion in place.
As for storing onions, you want to find a well-ventilated space, away from other fruits or vegetables. The gasses emitted from potatoes or other vegetables will severely reduce the life of stored onions. This basket on the back of the pantry door at Crest Avenue works perfectly. It allows for good air circulation and it provides a dark environment at just the right temperature.
If the idea of storing onion open in a basket like this is unappealing, you can improvise by placing the onions in a brown paper bag. I used these paper lunch bags and a single hole punch to come up with a clever way of storing them.
I folded each bag in half, lengthwise. Then I punched four holes equally spaced along one side of the bag, and four holes equally spaced, and lined up with the first set, on the other side of the bag.
Then I placed four onions in one bag and five onions in the other, folded over the top and used a black Sharpie marker to label the contents of the bags.
The holes in the bag let enough air circulate to keep the onions fresh. This is actually the perfect way to store onions at home. Note also in the picture above, when you fold the bag in half and punch the holes, you are also punching holes in the side of each bag which allows more airflow.
For more information on this topic, visit the National Onion Association here. They have lots of good information about onions and some rather tasty recipes!
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