It’s not uncommon for potatoes or onions to be the star of a dish, but they routinely provide notable supporting roles in everything from pot roasts to casseroles. Since potato tubers and onion bulbs grow underground, the veggies need similar storage conditions, such as excellent, dark, and ventilated areas. They do much better on a counter than in the refrigerator.
In recipes, potatoes and onions are frequently combined. Because they both produce ethylene, storing them together could hasten their deterioration. This gas accelerates ripening and can cause potatoes and onions to deteriorate. To ensure long shelf life, store these vegetables separately. For advice on how to keep potatoes and onions, continue reading. Here are some of the more effective methods:
How to Store Potatoes and Onions?
Onions and potatoes don’t necessarily get along well because they enjoy similar environmental factors. The vegetables’ shelf lives will be shortened if they are kept together.
Storing Potatoes
- Store potatoes in a cool, dark place like the pantry or cellar. The ideal range is between 45 and 50 degrees. Unless they have been chopped or cooked, or if your home is significantly warmer than room temperature, avoid storing potatoes in the refrigerator or freezer. Put potatoes that have been sliced or boiled in an airtight container.
- Because light can promote “greening,” a condition in which potatoes’ skin turns green, it is preferable to keep potatoes in the dark areas. Cut off the green peel before cooking if this occurs.
- When you reach home, look for bruising or sprouting if you purchased your potatoes in bags instead of choosing them from the store’s bulk bins. One injured area may spoil, affecting the other potatoes in the bag. Suppose you have to remove a bruised portion of the potato. Before cooking, you must cook it immediately away or put it in water in the refrigerator for a few hours (to prevent discolouration).
- As long as the weather is cold, potatoes can be kept in their original purchase bag. The potatoes will sprout more quickly in warmer weather. At the very least, place your potatoes in an open container without a lid so that air may flow if you don’t have a more relaxed area to keep them. A plastic laundry basket-like container with open weaving creates a fantastic potato storage container. Just be careful to put the basket somewhere dark, like a pantry or closet.
- Additionally, it’s crucial to avoid washing potatoes before keeping them. They can be removed using a paper towel or dry cloth. But wash them first before you cut, peel, and cook them!
- Never keep potatoes in storage with produce, onions, or garlic. Ethylene gas, a naturally occurring chemical that makes fruit ripen, can be released by unripe fruit, and the potato will sprout due to the ethylene gas. Even though onions and garlic complement potatoes nicely in terms of flavour, storing them together will cause your potatoes to pick up those flavours, which may not be ideal depending on what you’re going to cook with the potatoes.
Storing Onions
- Preferably, onions should be kept in a fruit bowl, hanging basket, or hanging mesh bag that is well-ventilated, cool, but not freezing. Onions shouldn’t be refrigerated until cut and stripped of their outer covering or if your home is warmer than room temperature. Onions cooked, peeled, and chopped should be stored airtight.
- Onions can be kept on your counter if you buy and use them frequently, but you shouldn’t keep them there or near fresh fruit for the same reason you shouldn’t keep potatoes there. Onions and garlic have the potential to sprout due to ethylene.
- You can eat the sprouting portion of onion if it sprouts, and please wash it first before cutting it. The texture of the onion bulb will change after growing; if the flesh becomes mushy, you should discard it after utilizing the sprouted portion, which will taste like a green onion.
- Sweet onions cannot be preserved as long as pungent onions. The sulphur compounds that may make your eyes water in the intense kinds of onions have the advantage of extending their shelf life when stored properly. Pungent onions can be kept for several months with proper storage. When purchasing sweet onions, try to use them within two to three weeks to prevent sprouting or deterioration before you can prepare and consume them.
Other Tips for Storing Potatoes and Onions
Sand or sawdust can store potatoes, onions, and other root vegetables like turnips and carrots. Sawdust should be kept dry, while sand can be kept damp and chilly. In a bin, place some sand or sawdust, then some produce. Make sure there is enough airflow and that they are not touching. Before adding more vegetables, add more sand or sawdust. Layering continues until the top is reached—place items in a cool area, such as a basement.
Cut off your potatoes’ green portion and utilize them immediately if you notice any. Chlorophyll from sun exposure is to blame for this. Solanine, a byproduct of this process that can be harmful in large doses, will be produced. Just cut off the green portions of the potato and consume the remainder; you don’t have to throw the whole thing away. Small amounts of the green stuff won’t harm you; you would need to consume more than two pounds to become ill.
Brown bags
You’ve found the ideal location if you’re seeking bags to store potatoes and onions. These 20 by 30-inch plastic woven mesh bags have a breathable design the; they have a drawstring clasp and are composed of mesh 1/8 inch thick. They can each support up to five pounds, and the fact that they are reusable is the most delicate part.
Avoiding Damaged Or Sprouted Potatoes
Purchasing a fresh potato each time you shop can help you avoid purchasing any damaged or sprouting potatoes or onions. However, occasionally a potato will start to grow before you can utilize it. In this case, you ought to throw it away. Avoid using onions in the kitchen since they hasten the sprouting process. You might also keep your potatoes and an apple in storage.
Avoiding Chlorophyll Taint
Onions and potatoes with chlorophyll shame can be avoided in one of two ways. Place them initially in a paper bag. They should not be kept with onions, which can promote sprouting. Use a vegetable peeler to remove any sprouts you see from your potatoes to keep them from becoming a problem. Poisonous potato sprouts could damage the neurological system.
Can Onions and Potatoes be Kept Together?
It’s not a good idea to store potatoes and onions together. A lot of ethylene gas is produced by onions, which causes potatoes to ripen and spoil before you can utilize them. Those potatoes aren’t entirely blameless, either; the high moisture content of potatoes can lead onions to liquefy and leak. For the benefit of both veggies, keep onions and potatoes apart.
What is Ethylene Gas?
A plant hormone called ethylene gas significantly impacts plant growth, especially on how soon a fruit or vegetable ripens. The remaining produce will ripen more quickly if you position a fruit or vegetable that produces ethylene close to make that doesn’t.
Apples should not be consumed with other fruits, such as bananas, because of ethylene. This is not to suggest that ethylene is a harmful substance. If you need to hasten fruit ripening, combine it with an apple in a paper bag, and your fruit will ripen using this technique in a day.
What Temperature is the Best to Store Onions?
The onions should be kept in a relatively dry, relaxed environment. Temperatures for storage should range from 32 to 40 degrees F. 65 to 70 percent relative humidity is the ideal range. Among the potential storage spaces are a garage, cellar, or basement.
What Temperature is the Best for Storing Potatoes?
The typical home is kept at 65 to 75°F, substantially warmer than the 42 to 50°F range recommended for potato storage. If potatoes are kept at room temperature, the higher temperatures of a typical home will gradually reduce the quality of your potatoes.
Should I Put Onions in the Refrigerator?
Onions peeled, sliced, cut, cooked, or pickled can be stored in the refrigerator, but whole onions should be kept cool, dark, dry, and with adequate ventilation. When onions are frozen, their shelf life is extended even further; however, after they have been frozen, they are best utilized in cooked meals.
Is it Safe to Consume and Cook Sprouting Potatoes?
NO, it is not safe to eat them. It might be better to throw away potatoes that have sprouted or gone green, according to the National Capital Poison Center (a company recognized by the American Association of Poison Control Centers). Although many people and websites advise removing the sprouts before eating the potatoes, it is best to avoid them.
Is it Safe to Eat Sprouts Onion and Garlic?
Yes, it is the answer. Even though the onion and garlic may become slightly mushy after sprouting, they are not toxic or poisonous and won’t hurt you. They are still in excellent condition, mainly if the roots and shoots are still young. Due to their higher protein content, sprouts are frequently consumed on purpose and are therefore well-liked by vegans and vegetarians.
In addition, while some people enjoy the flavour of sprouting garlic or onion, others find the shoots to be very bitter. When the two are consumed raw, the bitterness stands out more.
Conclusion
Try these suggestions if you enjoy buying potatoes and onions in large quantities but detest discovering them soiled and destroyed in your drawers. You can always have them on hand for your preferred recipes.
When kept in a dry, relaxed environment, whole, raw onions can be kept for two to three months.
Potatoes are a staple in many diets and are safe to eat. In a cool pantry, potatoes can survive for several months. It is advisable to consume them within one to two weeks of storage at room temperature and keep them in the refrigerator for no longer than three days after cooking.
