Why should you avoid storing peeled onions in your fridge? | The Times of India (2024)

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Why should you avoid storing peeled onions in your fridge? | The Times of India? ›

In case of refrigerating peeled onions, the moisture and cold temperature inside the fridge can make them lose their crunch and turn soggy, which makes way for pathogens to develop and this reduces the nutrient level and leads to bacterial growth.

Whole onions don't need to go in the refrigerator—in fact, it's actually not a good place to store them. The fridge is a cold and humid environment, which can cause onions to soften and spoil. The best place to keep whole onions is somewhere dark, cool, dry, and well-ventilated.

Do Refrigerate Peeled, Halved, Sliced or Diced Onions. Once onions are peeled or cut in any way, they are best stored in an airtight bag or container in the refrigerator. Peeled whole onions should last 10 days to 2 weeks, while cut onions should last about 10 days.

The best way to store onions is by keeping them in a cool, dry, dark place at the normal room temperature. Raw unpeeled onions can last upto two to three months depending on the weather condition.

Also, lack of air circulation will cause onions to spoil, as will storing them near potatoes, which give off moisture and gas that can cause onions to spoil quickly.

Wash the potatoes well when you're ready to cook them. Don't store potatoes in the fridge. Raw potatoes have lots of starches, and the cold temperatures can turn the starches into sugars. This can make your potatoes turn sweeter and darker during cooking.

Once you've cut an onion, any remaining pieces should be kept in the fridge. You'll have about a week to use the onion before it starts to lose its freshness. If you're left with half an onion, simply wrap it in plastic, pop it into a reusable container or an airtight plastic bag and place it in your crisper drawer.

Signs Your Onion Has Spoiled

If your onion has gone bad, it will be pretty obvious. Squishy onions should be tossed into the trash without a second's thought. The same can be said for stinky onions or onions that have excess moisture. The less obvious signs are small wet spots, brown spots, or a softened texture.

Onions like to stay dry, so don't store them in anything that could trap moisture; a wire basket or paper or mesh bag is ideal. And like potatoes, the cold environment of the fridge encourages onions' starches to turn to sugars, hastening spoilage, so don't refrigerate whole onions. Get more onion storage tips here.

Keep storage onions in a cool, dark, and dry place. Moisture and light lead to mold (ew) and sprouting (annoying, though not a deal-breaker), so stow your storage onions (red, yellow, and white as well as shallots and the diminutive pearl and cippoline) in a dry, well-ventilated basket, bin, or large bowl.

What is the best way to store onions at home? ›

Any moisture that gets trapped around the onions will promote early spoilage, so good air circulation is key, as is removing thm from plastic produce bags, if you use those to gather them at the store. Place the container in a dry, dark spot, like in the back of your pantry or inside a cabinet.

The Short Answer: Don't Refrigerate Tomatoes

The standard rule is to keep tomatoes out of the refrigerator. It all comes down to science: Tomatoes contain an enzyme that reacts to cold temperatures, causing the cell membranes to break down and leaving you with a piece of fruit that's mushy and mealy.

Never store potatoes with fruit, onions, or garlic. Fresh fruit can give off ethylene gas, a natural substance that causes the fruit to ripen. The ethylene gas will cause the potato to sprout.

WHAT VEGETABLES SHOULD NOT BE REFRIGERATED? Vegetables that should not be refrigerated include avocados, bell peppers, onions and potatoes. Some vegetables that you may want to refrigerate include mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and asparagus.

It's not just potatoes you need to worry about. Other produce that releases ethylene gas, such as apples, citrus, and bananas, will accelerate an onion's degradation, as will moisture-rich fruits such as melons and cucumbers, says Alibrandi. An onion's absorbent nature also means it easily picks up smells.

The garlic gets soft and dries out," he says. The refrigerator, says Temples, is often too cold. "You should always choose the counter over the fridge!" he says. "The cold temperature in the fridge mimics autumn to garlic, and causes it to sprout within a couple weeks.

The archenemy of onions is moisture – for us, anyway. Moisture jumpstarts the sprouting process, making the fridge an unhelpful place for storage. Sunlight also starts sprouting so opt for a cool, dark, and dry space instead, like a pantry or cellar.