How do you all store part of an onion when you only use, say, half of it? I’m assuming you refrigerate it, but do you wrap it in foil/plastic wrap/parchment? Or put it in a jar/tupperware/disposable plastic container/Ziploc bag ? If I’m making one sandwich or something where I only need part of an onion, I never know the best way to save it for future use.
BTW, when googling this topic, I came across a FALSE BELIEF that cut onions are bacteria magnets, readily contaminated, and you should never save part of an onion or you will die if you eat it. Not true.
I use half or a quarter of an onion all the time, reserving the remainder in a plastic sandwich bag (not a ziplock or equivalent) and not taking great pains to seal the bag prior to putting it in the right corner of the top shelf of the refrigerator.
I read, somewhere, sometime, to always save the root end of the onion for last, and that practice has never let me down (although for all I know, dividing an onion while humming The Star Spangled Banner and standing on one leg will leave the remainder equally fresh).
Caveat: I’m a complete philistine. I just keep 'em in the vegetable bin of the fridge, in the plastic bag I brought them home in, until I either use them up or they go moldy. I likes me some onion, though , so they usually get used up before they go off.
Right; if that were true I’d be dead dozens of times over.
When I dice an onion, I dice the entire thing. The pieces are placed into a small, tightly lidded plastic container, which is kept in the fridge. I get well past a week, sometimes 2 weeks goodness from the pieces.
I had never heard of the “cut onions will ill you” belief until fairly recently when **Rhiannon8404 **told me about it (she doesn’t believe it herself, but was aware that some people do). I often use part of an onion when making hamburgers, and simply wrap the rest up in a couple layers of plastic wrap.
I do always make certain these days to alert the household that I’m placing a packet of certain death into the fridge…I figure that lets me off the hook, right?
I have a ridiculous plastic container that is shaped like an onion that I stick the onion remainders in until the next time I need onions. It’s re-usable, dishwasher safe, and since all it ever contains is onions, I do not have to worry about contaminating other tupperware objects with the plague of Lingering Onion Aroma.
I’m pretty sure onions are no more bacteria magnets than any other uncontained food item. Also, I’ve been storing partial onions in my fridge for decades without ever being rendered ill by by one.
This is a good idea. I’ve been keeping the remaining half or quarter onion whole in a ziploc bag, but I don’t see any reason not to dice the whole thing and save some time later in the week when I need chopped onions again.
I don’t wrap it at all; I just put it cut-side down in the fridge. It might dry out a bit but for cooking, that won’t matter. Or I dice the whole thing and put the unused portion in a zip-lock bag or container.
Either way it lasts at least a week and hasn’t killed anyone yet.
I usually use a zip-lock. And I like to leave the remainder whole (unsliced/diced) - how will I know what form factor I’ll want for my onion in the future? I also think the more cut up it is, the more cell walls are broken, leading to deterioration of taste and nutrients.
Thank you! Growing up I saw my mom do this with tomatoes (I assume you mean on a small plate). An old boyfriend shamed me out of it, but now I have proudly reclaimed my heritage.
When I’m not being lazy, which is most of the time, I put it in a foodsaver container and take out all the air from the container. That way, the refrigerator doesn’t smell like onion. I learned the hard way that spoiled onions reek. It should have been obvious, but the level of reek surprised me.
Foodsaver saved onions last quite a while, at least a week.
When I’m being lazy, I put the cut onion in a regular plastic tightly-lidded container. I try to eat them or throw them out pretty quickly.
I also put the cut side down on a folded paper towel. I don’t know what this accomplishes, I think I only do it because my mom does.
PapSett – I didn’t know you could home-freeze onions. I shall try that with leftover diced fresh onions! I normally buy a bag of frozen onions for cooking. Hey, I’m single and things in the crisper die at inopportune times.