01/3Why should you avoid storing peeled onions in your fridge?
Onion is an inseparable part of our day-to-day cooking! From adding a unique flavour and texture to curries and stews to accentuating the taste of salads to adding a twist of taste to exotic delicacies, onions simply add soul to any delicacy. However, their distinct taste and strong smell often make it difficult to cut and store them, but in day-to-day cooking we often peel and cut onions and store them in a fridge to save time. But is it safe to store peeled onions in a fridge and why should you avoid doing so?
02/3Why is it not a great idea to store onions in a fridge?
The strong smell and flavour might add taste to your delicacies, but when you leave it open it creates a foul smell inside the fridge. According to experts, onions are rich in sulfur and are packed with several medicinal qualities and are rich in antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
However, peeling and storing them in fridge may not be a great idea as peeled or chopped onions can be easily contaminated by bacteria and pathogens present in the environment, which leads to oxidation of onions and this may lead to breeding of pathogens and do more harm than good!
Another reason why you must not cut and peel onions and store them is because when you cut onions, the cells of onion are disrupted and leads to release of juices, which may contain nutrients that when exposed can lead to bacterial growth.
In case of refrigerating peeled onions, the moisture and cold temperature inside the fridge can make them lose their crunch and turn soggy, which makes way for pathogens to develop and this reduces the nutrient level and leads to bacterial growth.
03/3What’s the right way to store onions?
According to experts, peeling onions and storing them is not a great idea, if you want to reap the nutritional benefits, it is always advised to peel them or cut them immediately before use.
As per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the best way to store onions is by keeping them in a sealed container at a temperature of 40 degree Fahrenheit or 4.4 degree Celsius inside the fridge.
Another easy hack to store onions in a fridge is by wrapping each peeled onion in a dry paper towel as it will reduce the chances of exposure to moisture in air.
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