When Do You Know Red Onions Are Ready to Harvest
Aye, you can freeze onions! You don't even need to blanch them or pre-treat them in any mode. It's super like shooting fish in a barrel! Simply peel, chop (diced or sliced) and freeze.
As well Read: How to Store Onions, How to Dehydrate Onions, How to Make French Onion Soup
Two Reasons to Freeze Onions
You may be wondering, why bother freezing onions, when they store well for weeks? I get it, it seems odd, just here are two very good reasons to freeze onions.
1. Information technology's Perfect For When Y'all Don't Have Ideal Storage Space
If your onions regularly sprout, go soft, get moldy or gustation funny, your current storage method may not be ideal.
Onions tin can store well, but they're picky. They prefer existence stored at 4-10°C /40-50° F, that's warmer than your fridge merely cooler than room temperature. If y'all store onions too hot, too cold or as well humid, they may sprout, get moldy or get soft. Oh and they don't like being stored adjacent to potatoes – the natural gases released by potatoes volition make onions sprout faster, and vice versa. So you see, finding the right spot can be tricky.
That'due south why freezing or dehydrating are proficient options. Of course succulent recipes similar French Onion Soup, caramelized onions on Focaccia or sautéed onions and mushrooms are proficient too!
two. It's A User-friendly Time Saver
If you cook regularly, you know that 90% of recipes include chopped, diced or sliced onions. Can you imagine how user-friendly having pre-sliced onions or diced onions can be! It's truly a time saver.
It was a game changer for me. Instead of chopping and slicing an onion every night, I simply go to the freezer and pull out what I need. No daily chopping required. No onion odor on fingers. No cleaning the cutting board.
Consider freezing onions if…
– you don't take a proper storage identify for them
– you lot hate having to chop fresh onions every time you make dinner
– you bask the convenience of pre-cut food and the satisfaction and depression price of doing it yourself
Freezing Onions – The Video
Watch this video. Not but for the helpful tips, only to go back in fourth dimension to my VERY Kickoff YouTube video, when my kitchen was orange, my stove was white and my pilus had no silver. I'1000 a bit of a goofball in information technology, but the bulletin is audio. Enjoy!
How to Freeze Onions – Step By Step
i. Chop Onions
Dice onions to your preferred size – where in slices or pocket-sized cubes. I simply don't recommend freezing whole or half onions (see FAQs below).
Utilize a sharp knife, mandolin or nutrient processor, whichever y'all prefer. When I'm doing big batches like this, I similar using my food processor. I use the slicing blade for slices and the regular chopping blade for diced onions.
Pro Tip: When using the food processor for diced onions, only pulse a few times to avoid tiny turning your onions into a liquid mush. You Do NOT want to process them too long.
2. Place in Freezer Bag
The key to freezing onions is to seal them well in a high quality pocketbook or container that will prevent any odor. I prefer using thick, plastic freezer bags – non the all purpose kind, the thicker freezer class bags.
Clasp out every bit much air as you can to forbid freezer burner and permit for equally piffling headspace as possible.
You besides want to make sure you lot can easily use your frozen onions. That's why I recommend either freezing them in pre-measured amounts or freezing them in a thin layer where you can easily pause off frozen pieces as needed. This avoids having big clumps of frozen onions.
Hither are Two Freezing Methods (#1 is my favorite!)
Option 1: Freeze onions in a thin layer in freezer bags. It'due south not quite a unmarried layer of onions, but it'due south sparse plenty and then I tin break off pieces easily. This is how I usually freeze onions. I add together a random amount of onions to a freezer bag and flatten it so information technology'south quite sparse. I squeeze out every bit much air as possible and and so seal the bag well.
When it freezes, I can easily break off a chunk of onions. Information technology'south never an exact measurement, but nearly recipes are pretty flexible when it comes to onions. I ordinarily interruption off enough to completely embrace the lesser of my cooking pot. You decide – add more or less based on your preference.
Option 2: Freeze in pre-measured amounts. I follow the full general rule of onion measurements 1 medium onion=i cup of diced onions. So I freeze either half cup or full cup mounds placed on plastic wrap, parchment paper or waxed paper. Wrap and place several bundles in a large freezer bag. Seal well and freeze.
Another choice is to freeze the onions in water ice cube trays. Just exist sure to wrap the tray in a pocketbook while freezing – you practise non want onion odour in your freezer. You'll want to soak the tray in baking soda and vinegar before using it for ice cubes again! That's a lot of fuss in my opinion, I'd rather simply freeze onions in bags as outlined in Option ane.
3. Seal and Freeze
Finally, seal and freeze for up to three months. I wouldn't recommend storing whatsoever longer considering they will starting time to develop off flavors. They won't become bad or be unsafe, they just won't be as tasty.
When I make a large batch of onions, I end up with several sparse numberless. I store these numberless together in a larger freezer purse for extra protection. This large bag is stored in the big freezer in the basement. One of the smaller bags stays in my refrigerator freezer for every day use.
Frequently Asked Questions Most Freezing Onions
1. Volition Onions Change When Frozen?
Similar whatsoever unblanched vegetable, the flavour of frozen onions will modify over time. The longer they stay in the freezer, the stronger their flavour will get. For that reason, I only freeze near v pounds of onions at a time, or all the same many onions I can use within three months.
The texture of onions will too change, they will become much softer and lose their crunch. They won't exist suitable for salads or any raw dishes, simply they're great in cooked dishes similar soups, stews, curries, casseroles, etc. They will release a lot of moisture when they hit the pan, merely information technology evaporates pretty rapidly.
Remember, when using a food processor, Exercise Not chop or process besides fine. Freeze slices instead if you adopt bigger pieces of onions in your finished dish.
2. Volition My Freezer Smell Similar Onions?
I've never had an issue with this. The primal is to utilise loftier quality freezer bags or airtight containers and seal them very well. If you desire to use extra precaution, you lot can double bag onions or identify a bag in an airtight container before storing in the freezer.
Too make sure the exterior of the bag is clean and dry, and then there are no onion juices or $.25 stuck on the outside.
This is why I, personally, don't flash freeze or use ice cube trays when freezing onions – the take chances of lingering onion aroma in my freezer past leaving an open up tray of onions in there, fifty-fifty for a couple of hours is just likewise high.
3. Can I Freeze Whole Onions?
Freezing whole onions is not recommended. They will be difficult to thaw and utilize. It is best to cut onions before freezing. If yous badly want to freeze whole onions, you demand to flinch them – boil them in hot water for almost 7 minutes or until the very center is heated through. It'south really not very convenient.
4. Practice You Need to Blanch Onions for Freezing?
The National Center for Dwelling house Nutrient Preservation says blanching is not required for diced or sliced onions. They do recommend blanching whole onions.
5. How Long Will Frozen Onions Last?
For best quality, use frozen onions within three months. The flavor starts to alter quite a scrap after that signal.
6. What Are the Best Onions to Freeze?
Yous can follow these elementary steps to freeze cerise onions, white onions, yellow onions, shallots, greenish onions, leeks. Use big or pocket-size onions. Pretty much whatever blazon of onion you have.
Ideally, for best flavour, freeze onions that are at their summit of flavour and freshness. That said, if you lot discover some onions starting to get soft or starting to sprout, freeze them right away before they spoil.
v. How Exercise You Utilize Frozen Onions ?
I use frozen onions in simply most any cooked dish imaginable! You can fry them and add them to soups, casseroles, stews, curries, casseroles, meatloaf, etc. I only don't recommend them for salads or as fresh toppings.
six. How Do You Avoid Tears When Chopping Onions?
Here are a few ideas for you to try:
- use a food processor when chopping large amounts – merely look abroad when you open the chapeau
- chill the onions in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before chopping
- leave the root finish in tact until the very end – that'south where most of the sulfur compounds that cause tears are located
- wear goggles – seriously
- light a candle while chopping to consume the fumes
- use a fan to blow the fumes away from y'all
And so, at that place you lot have How to Freeze Onions. What practise you think, is this something you'll attempt? If yous do, let me know or take a photograph and tag #getgettys then I can see it and like it!
Getty Stewart is a Professional person Abode Economist, speaker, frequent media guest and writer dedicated to putting good food on tables and agendas. She is the author of several recipe books on enjoying and preserving fruit, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener. Sign upward to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. Yous'll go recipes, practical tips and great nutrient data similar this.
This post was updated in 2021 from the original post in 2014.
Source: https://www.gettystewart.com/why-freezing-onions-is-a-good-idea/
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