The Most Effective Way To Store Your Onions And Garlic So That They Last For Months

Written by Ravi Teja Tadimalla, BSc, Professional Certificate in Food, Nutrition and Health  • 

Disclaimer: No onions and garlic were harmed in the making of this post.

I finally realized the similarity between an onion and my girlfriend – both make me cry.

*Just joking, Honey*

Now before my girlfriend reads this and knocks my teeth out, let me quickly get to what I want to talk about.

Onions and garlic, apart from adding flavor to our food (and tears to our eyes), have another trait – they get spoilt quickly if one doesn’t take proper care.

That’s a serious problem, isn’t it? I have spent sleepless nights wondering what on earth one can do to tackle it – until I came across an amazingly-awesomely-simple way of ensuring that the onions and garlic in your kitchen last long. Very long.

I don’t know if you are eager to know about that, but I am way too eager to tell you what that is.

So here you go!

What You Will Need

  • A hole-punch
  • Brown lunch paper bags
  • Paperclips
  • Blemish-free and firm onions and garlic.
  • Goggles. (in case your eyes are too sensitive to onions)
  • And a little patience…

What You Need To Do

  1. The first step is to punch the bags (with the hole-punch, I mean). This can be done any way you wish. You can randomly punch holes on various places on the upper halves of the bags. Or you can do that in an organized fashion. But ideally, the holes are punched by folding the paper bag a few times and then punching in rows.
  1. Now fill the bags with the onions and garlic (either just below or till the first row of punched holes). Fold over the top, label each bag, and use a paperclip to keep it closed.
  1. You can store the bags in the same place in your kitchen as before. But make sure they are not crowded to ensure proper ventilation. There must be enough room for the air to circulate in the bags (that is the whole idea of punching the holes, isn’t it?). Also, use the same plastic bins to store the bags in. They help keep the bags orderly and upright, and provide sufficient space for proper air circulation.

There is another method of punching the holes – fold the bag in half lengthwise and punch along one edge. Then turn the bag around and punch along the other edge. By the time you are done, you will have multiple rows of holes for ventilation.

[ Recommended Read: Garlic Oil ]

In most situations, the life of onions and garlic can be extended with this method. But we need to understand that their specific life also depends on certain factors like humidity, light conditions, and temperature of the place where the bags are stored.

The punched paper bag method can extend the life of onions and garlic in your kitchen … only if you remember the following:

1. Potatoes? NO WAY!

Unless you want the onions (and garlic) to spoil at a superhuman… err… super‘onion’ speed, don’t do this. Potatoes have a nasty habit of giving out harmful gases. And what is nastier is these gases accelerate the spoilage of the vegetables that are around them.

2. When It Comes To Temperature, Check. And Double Check.

Dry, dark, and cool (not cold) – that is how the area should be. You can happily store them in your kitchen drawer for up to 3 months.

3. No Plastic Bags

Just imagine this – how would you feel if you have a plastic bag wrapped around your face? Please don’t take offence, but that is what happens to onions too. They get spoilt faster due to lack of air circulation.

So this is what you must remember – do not store onions in plastic bags. Never ever.

[ Recommended Read: Is It Safe To Freeze Food In Plastic Containers ]

4. The Refrigerator Is (Almost) Their Enemy

Storing onions in the refrigerator for extended periods is a big no-no, as the extremely low temperature can soften their texture. And what’s worse – the spoilt onions can impart their flavor on the surrounding produce.

Follow this punched-bag method to keep your onions and garlic fresh for long. And share this post with your near and dear (and far) ones.

Of course, sharing is caring. Isn’t it?

Banner Image Credit: www.istockphoto.com

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