How to select onions
Choose onions that are firm and dry with bright, smooth outer skins.
How to store onions
Before storage, onions should be dry, with papery skin and shriveled roots. Store whole onions in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place for use within 4 weeks. Refrigerate cut onions in a tightly sealed container for use within 2-3 days. Discard, or trim and cook, any bruised onions.
Peak season for onions
Fall
Ways to use onions
- Raw sweet and red onions are milder and can be added to salads and sandwiches.
- Yellow and white onions are stronger and great for cooking.
- Sauté, stir-fry, microwave, steam, boil, or braise.
- Add to soups, sauces, casseroles, dips, and vegetable, pasta, rice, and meat dishes.
Facts about onions
- Onions, along with shallots, leeks, chives and garlic, belong to the Allium family, which has some 325 members. All have the characteristic onion smell, which is caused by volatile acids just below the skin.
- Onions have been eaten for thousands of years. They are believed to have originally come from the Middle East and their easy cultivation suggests that their use spread quickly.
- By the Middle Ages onions were a common vegetable throughout Europe and would have been used in soups, stews and sauces when strong flavoring was preferred.