How to preserve peeled onions: basic methods, preparation rules, storage time

How to properly prepare peeled onions for storage

In order to preserve all the benefits of the vegetable, you must perform the following steps:

Wash all the peeled onion heads under running water, and then place them in a container with cold water.
Place the container with water and onions in the refrigerator and replace the liquid with fresh liquid every 2 days.
You can use a plastic bag as a container, which is also filled with fresh water every 2 days.

How to store peeled onions in the refrigerator

For vegetables, the refrigerator has a special compartment in which you need to keep the vegetable. It is preserved remarkably well, the only “but” is that the box for vegetable products is small and cannot accommodate a large number of heads.

You can increase the volume of onions stored in the refrigerator by peeling them, washing them, placing them in a large container and filling them to the top with cold water. The water will need to be changed every day or at least once every couple of days.

Anyone, even a novice gardener, can save onions until spring. Choose any of the recommended methods or several at once and your vegetables will remain as fresh and tasty throughout the whole winter as fresh from the garden.

Methods for storing peeled onions

There are many ways to store a peeled onion in the refrigerator without losing its benefits.

To do this you can use:

refrigerator;
freezer;
dryer

Important! The reason why you cannot leave a peeled onion at room temperature is the product’s ability to accumulate harmful substances from the air and other vegetables stored nearby. At the same time, the onion loses vitamins, aroma and changes its structure.

In a refrigerator

You can store peeled onions in the refrigerator in several ways:

If you plan on short-term storage, you can send it in a tightly closed plastic container.
You can store the bulbs in a container with water, provided that the liquid is regularly changed every few days, if the storage period is planned to be longer, for example, several weeks.
The remaining small amount of product can be wrapped in cling film and also placed in the refrigerator. In this form, it will not lose its properties within 3–5 days.
You can grease the cut half of the onion with fat or oil, and then put it in a cool place.
The onion can be placed cut side down on a plate with salt, but in this case it should be stored for no more than a week.
Onions can be pickled. For the marinade you will need to take a little salt, sugar and apple cider vinegar, and cut the product itself into rings. The marinade must be poured onto the bottom of the container, and after placing the chopped onion, it is hermetically sealed and placed on a shelf in the refrigerator, where it can be stored for up to 1 month.

In the freezer

To store in the freezer, it is recommended to finely chop the onion, after which the product is laid out on planks in a thin layer. In this form, it is sent to the freezer, and after the onion is completely frozen, it is packaged in zip bags, removing air from plastic containers.

Important! Onions cannot be frozen again, since then they will lose their taste and most of their beneficial components. For convenience, the product in the freezer is packaged in small portions.

To use a frozen product, you do not need to waste time defrosting it; the vegetable can be immediately used for cooking. Not only fresh products can be frozen. The peeled root vegetable, subjected to passivation, is also sent to the freezer as an original preparation.

Dried

This method allows you to preserve maximum benefits, and its advantage is ease of storage. Dried onions can be stored for a long time; in addition, the volume of the product is reduced by 10–15 times, which allows it to be folded into a fairly compact container.

Did you know? Onions are sweeter than apples and pears, this is exactly what scientists say, according to studies of which the content of natural sugars in the onion exceeds 6%. You can feel this taste after sauteing, when caustic substances evaporate from the product.

For drying you can use:

electric dryer;
oven on the stove.

In the process of preparing the product using this method, you should take into account the fact that onions emit a fairly strong, unpleasant odor, which children or people with sensitive mucous membranes may not like. So, you can move the electric dryer to the balcony or place it outside, or be sure to turn on the hood in the kitchen to improve ventilation and remove strong odors.

Preliminary preparation before drying involves:

Cut into small pieces.
Lay out the pieces in a thin layer on drying trays or oven trays.
Drying at a temperature of +40…+50°C.

Learn how to dry onions at home.

During the drying process, the product must be stirred so that it does not stick to the surface of the tray. It will take 3-4 hours for the onion to dry completely, after which it must be placed in containers where it will be protected from moisture.

For these purposes, you can use glass jars, canvas bags, or polyethylene with a zip lock. In order to speed up the drying process, the onion can be pre-dipped with boiling water, then dried in the oven at a temperature of +60...+70°C, and then lower the oven heating level and continue drying the product until the moisture has completely evaporated.

Preparing onions for long-term storage

The onions need to be dried again. The harvest is dried under a canopy or in a utility room.

After the initial drying, the bulbs are brought into sheds and other rooms where the further drying process takes place. Usually only warm outside air is used. Sometimes additional air heating is used, especially during periods of wet and cool autumn. The drying period of the bulbs lasts 2-3 weeks, depending on the degree of drying in the open air, in the garden.

At the end of October, onions are prepared for storage for the winter. You need to sort through the harvest, throw out any bulbs that have mold or rot.

Storage time for peeled onions

A peeled vegetable, if it has been cut and not used, can be stored at room temperature for no more than a day. If the onion has been chopped and not subjected to any heat treatment, then it will be useful for no longer than 12 hours.

If the onion skin has been removed and the product is left without its natural, protective coating, it should be used as quickly as possible to reap the full benefits, or stored properly following the instructions above.

Deadlines

Onions without peels are not intended for long-term storage. If the vegetable has not been cut and processed, then it should not be kept for longer than a day.

Sliced but not subjected to any heat treatment, the onion can be stored for up to ½ day. For longer storage, the vegetable should be processed, for example, frozen or dried.

After additional processing, onions should be stored in suitable conditions:

Frozen – up to a year in the freezer, without periodic defrosting.
Dried – up to 2 years in sealed packaging and low humidity.
Placed in the refrigerator - from several hours to several days, depending on the method.

Useful tips: how to preserve peeled onions

Harvesting vegetables is half the battle, but preserving them for consumption during the winter is difficult. When properly prepared for storage in the fall, onions will remain juicy and will not rot until the next harvest. Bulbs are stored for a long time in well-ventilated areas with an air temperature of one to two degrees Celsius.

Any vegetable crop is preserved better if it has been properly cultivated. During wet summers, it is important that the bulbs are not wet. Therefore, during the rainy season, it is better to cover the beds with covering material to protect them from excess moisture. Damaged bulbs should also not be left over the winter. Sometimes there is a lot of onion left over that needs to be used quickly. This is where the method of storing peeled onions comes in handy.

Store peeled vegetables in dried form

Dried onions will retain all the substances that the fresh root vegetable contains. Dried vegetables are stored much easier, unlike frozen ones: they take up minimal space in the house and will not spoil if the refrigerator stops working. The weight of dried products is approximately 10-15 times less than fresh ones.

Storing green onions

Green onions are more difficult to preserve than onions. Greens are more demanding on maintenance conditions and can quickly disappear.

in the refrigerator :

in kraft paper – up to 3 weeks;
in a cellophane bag – up to 1.5 months;
in glass containers – no more than a month;
with a damp cloth in cellophane - up to a month.

When sending green onions for storage, you must ensure that the leaves do not wrinkle or bend, as this will accelerate wilting.

You can learn about storing green onions in the refrigerator here, and ways to preserve them for the winter here.

All possible options

The duration of its storage in the refrigerator and the necessary packaging largely depend on the form in which the onions are sent for storage.

Crude

Unpeeled prepared onions can be placed in the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator. An egg container is suitable as a container . Each bulb will be located separately in it.

Another option is paper bags. They should not be tightly closed to prevent condensation from forming inside. Under such conditions, storage duration can be up to 2 months.

Purified

If there are already peeled onions left after cooking, you can store them in the refrigerator. For this:

The vegetable is washed.
Place in a glass jar or plastic container.
Add cold water.
Change the water every couple of days.

The maximum storage period under such conditions is up to 20 days. More information about ways to store peeled onions can be found here.

Cut

Peeled and chopped onions are more difficult to preserve than whole ones. There are several ways to cope with the problem.

If half or a segment is cut off from the bulb, then the following options will help:

The cut is greased with sunflower oil and placed on this side in a container. It is better to cover the top with a lid. Without a lid, the storage time is a day, with a lid – several days.
The remaining part of the onion is wrapped in film. The product can be stored in this form for no more than 4-5 days.
A layer of salt is poured into the container. Place the onion on it, cut side down. Storage - no more than a week.

Finely chopped onions are not stored for long - up to 12 hours in a container. It is best to use it for food or process it for long-term storage - freeze, dry, etc.

Fried

Fried vegetables can be stored for a long time only in one case - when they are frozen :

The vegetable is cut.
Fry in vegetable oil.
Cool.
Place in containers or plastic bags.
Place in the freezer.

When using such a preparation, you don’t have to defrost it in advance, but immediately add it to the dish you are preparing, for example, soup.

Marinated

Pickled onions are an original addition to salads, cooked potatoes, pork and other dishes.

Due to its versatility, pickling onions is a good way not only to preserve vegetables, but also to make a very tasty preparation for many dishes. It can be used gradually as needed.

Procedure:

Wash and peel the onions (3 pcs.).
Cut into half rings.
Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl (sugar - 3 tbsp, salt - ½ tbsp, vinegar - 7 tbsp, boiled water - 0.25 l).
Stir the marinade until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
Place onions in a glass jar.
Pour over the marinade.
Place in the refrigerator.

After just ½ hour the product can be ready for use. Lightly frying it before serving will add additional originality to the dish. The pickled product can be stored for up to six months.

This video will show you how to pickle onions for the winter:

How to dry onions

Preserving onions correctly is very easy and simple after they have been thoroughly dried. To begin, the bulbs with leaves need to be well spread out in a thin layer in an open space. If there are bad weather conditions, the onions should be laid out on the floor, on shelves in the yard, on the balcony or veranda, but they must be covered with something!

There are also alternative drying methods:

For example, tying onions in small bunches and hanging them outside under a canopy (if indoors, then in a draft). Many of us live in conditions that are not entirely favorable for storing crops, so it is worth using the oven to dry onions to protect yourself from spoilage. In this case, the oven should be turned on at a minimum temperature, and it should be turned off and on periodically. The onions should not be dry and the covering scales should not have cracks.

After drying the onion, it needs to be trimmed well. For these purposes it is convenient to use scissors. Dried leaves should be cut so that a neck of about 4-6 cm in length and roots remain. Under no circumstances should you touch the bottom of the onion.

The top cracked scales and soil from the surface of the bulb should also be cleaned. Next, the onion needs to be dried. This takes no more than two weeks.

Before storage, onions must be properly sorted, choosing large and healthy onions without sprouts that do not have any damage or suspicious spots.