Place them in an airtight container, freezer bag, or wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Raw onions will last up to eight months in the freezer. Cooked onions can be frozen for up to 12 months when stored in an airtight container or freezer bag.
One important thing to realize, though, is that frozen onions can then only be used in cooked recipes. The texture of a fresh onion will naturally break down during the freezing process, so you won't want to enjoy thawed onions raw. But, they will be delicious sauteed, caramelized, grilled or roasted.
Frozen onions are perfect for use in soups, stews, sauteeing with vegetables – just about any cooked application. You don't even have to thaw them! Onion Tip: Freezing changes their texture, so we don't recommend using frozen onions in fresh dishes like salsa or potato salad.
Frozen onions will lose their crunchiness, so you should not use frozen onions in recipes that call for raw onions. Frozen onions are not ideal for caramelizing since they will not brown as fresh onions will.
Onions should be stored at room temperature, away from bright light, and in a well ventilated area. Onions are packaged in mesh bags because they like to breath. Avoid keeping them in plastic bags.
Long story short? if simple simmering or glazing is what you're planning, then frozen onions could do you well, provided you like a stronger onion flavor. If a heartier texture that stands up better to cooking is what you need, or you prefer the milder, grassier flavor of fresh onions then stick with the fresh.
You can freeze onions with or without blanching. You must blanch when freezing whole onion bulbs. Use a blanching time of three minutes for small onions, seven minutes for larger. For safe freezing, blanching must heat onions all the way to the center of the bulb.
How to Thaw Frozen Onions. While onions defrost quickly, to speed up the process you can submerge a bag of frozen onions in a bowl of cold water. Since onions are mostly chopped or sliced thinly, they can also be used straight from the freezer without any defrosting in most circumstances.
Like any unblanched vegetable, the flavor of frozen onions will change over time. The longer they stay in the freezer, the stronger their flavor will become. For that reason, I only freeze about five pounds of onions at a time, or however many onions I can use within three months.
The dry onions are shipped out to the stores and the McDonald's employees rehydrate the onions by soaking them in water. The rehydrated onions are on most of the sandwiches, like the Big Mac, McDouble, and classic hamburgers, but fresh onions are used on all Quarter Pounders.
Avoid Running out of Onions
Measure out as many as you need for your recipe, add them to your dish, and they'll thaw as they cook. One cup of chopped, frozen onions is the equivalent of one medium onion.
Will my freezer smell like onions? No worries! The onion odor is under lock-and-key in a thick freezer-safe zip-top food storage bag or other airtight food storage container. No stinky freezer!
Onions, peppers, celery and herbs can also be frozen. There's not much advantage in freezing vegetables with a high moisture content – this includes cucumbers, cabbage, radishes, mushrooms and lettuce, which would be waterlogged and mushy once thawed.
Yes! You absolutely can freeze potatoes, and you should if you have an excess of spuds. But there's one important thing to remember: You should really only freeze cooked or partially cooked potatoes, as raw potatoes contain a lot of water.
Keep storage onions in a cool, dark, and dry place. Moisture and light lead to mold (ew) and sprouting (annoying, though not a deal-breaker), so stow your storage onions (red, yellow, and white as well as shallots and the diminutive pearl and cippoline) in a dry, well-ventilated basket, bin, or large bowl.
Onion, along with garlic, shouldn't be vacuum sealed at all. Vacuum sealing fresh onions, garlic and mushrooms can lead to bacteria growth which can cause botulism – a very dangerous, potentially lethal, disease.
There is no need to blanch onions. Freeze onions using one of the following methods: Dry Pack - Pour onions in freezer bags. Placing packages flat in the freezer helps the onions to freeze faster and makes it easier to break off sections as needed.
To get the best balance and taste profile, we use a couple of types of onions. Quarter Pounders get a diced white onion, while red onion and caramelised onion feature in our Gourmet Creations burgers. For the Big Mac and cheeseburger we use dehydrated onion that is mixed with pure New Zealand water.
Simply follow our instructions on how to defrost meat and then add it to the slow cooker. Frozen vegetables however, can be added to the slow cooker from frozen.
Storage rots are caused by fungi and bacteria (Pseudomonas and Erwinia spp.) that live on organic matter and onion debris in the soil. These organisms are common in soil and will attack several different host plants. They become a major problem wherever onions are grown in a short rotation.
Most bagged onions and the ones you get from the bins at the grocery store will be happiest stored in a cool, dry place, preferably away from light (these are "storage" onions—your average red, white and yellow ones). If this environment sounds like your countertop, you're in luck!