There are so many different types and colors of onions, but when it comes to the basics of searching for great quality, there are a lot of commonalities between them. Below, are some tips to help you learn how to best select and store onions.
(This post is an excerpt from The Produce Nerd’s Grocery Guide, with input provided by Eric Sorensen from FRESH TO THE CORE. You can learn more about the Grocery Guide, which covers this information for 55 different produce items, with input from 26 crop-specific companies HERE.)
What to look for when picking the best quality onions?
- Select various sized white, red or yellow onions that are full colored, firm and free of any exterior mold, soil or decayed soft spots.
- For scallions or green onions: look for bundles that are well refrigerated or displayed standing in crushed ice. Avoid slimy, yellow or limp scallions. When getting them home, remove their rubber band, as these devices tend to cut into the flesh and cause delicate green stems to deteriorate rapidly.
What is the best way to store onions at home?
- I store them in the pantry where it is cool (not cold), dry and dark. Do not expose onions to freezing temperatures.
Are there any common things that consumers should look for not mentioned above?
- Summer, or “sweet onions,” are available from approximately May to August. They are high in water content, and low in sulfur content. Thus, they will rarely make your eyes tear or burn. Since they possess high water content, they are not highly suitable for sauté.
- Fall/winter storage onions are much lower in water content (thus they store much better and longer than summer or “sweet” onions) and are much higher in sulfur content. When cut, these fall/winter storage onions will definitely irritate one’s eyes. My secret is to have a small counter-top fan handy and this fan will easily blow the sulfur fumes away as you slice, cube or dice them. Preparing onions under water or freezing them (to reduce their sulfur fumes) does not work for me.
What is your favorite way to eat and prepare onions?
- Raw or slightly sautéed onions are my most favorite vegetable. There are two primary onion types (although newer cultivars containing high water content and low sulfur content are currently being released). No matter, onions are my favorite vegetable because of their distinctive flavor profile, their unique ability to combine incredibly well with so many different main and side dishes…salads to entrees, their year-round availability, their inexpensive price-point and their renowned nutritive value!
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