Exact Answer: Up to 14 days
Onions are found in different colors, shapes, and sizes. The onions can last around 14 days if stored in the fridge. The onions would start getting soft with each passing them, as they re-bought in bulk. The shelf life of onion can be decided by the way it is stored. The perfect storage of onion would help them to not sprout very quickly.
The onion can start rotting in a few days if you avoid storing them properly. Ventilated places are the best options for storing onions to avoid them getting spoiled.
How Long Do Onions Last In The Fridge?
Onions In Different forms | How Long Do Onions Last In The Fridge |
Cooked onions | Up to 5 days |
Sliced or diced onions | Up to 10 days |
Peeled onions | Up to 14 days |
According to the NAO (National Onion Association), the best and most suitable places for storing onions are the basement, cellar, and pantry. All these places are cold in temperature, have less moisture, and are dry. Onions should be stored in dark places to avoid excess light exposure.
The main reason behind storing onions in these places is to avoid moisture contact with the onions. Molding (and rotting) can be prevented by storing the onion in cool places. Plastic bags are not good ideas for the storage of onions. Plastic bags lack good ventilation and this can spoil the onions faster.
A change in temperature could be a huge cause to spoil the onions in a faster manner. The onions would be in good condition if you avoid storing them in temperature-changing places. Therefore, the fridge is the best place for storing onion for around 14 to 15 days, as the temperature would be constant in the refrigerator.
Humidity is another condition to makes the condition of onion extremely bad in a few days. Humidity is the biggest enemy of onions, as it would make them smell bad in very few days. The store-bought onions will last longer as they have papery skin. The onions available in the market are cured (cleaned) after harvesting.
The curing process is done to onions after the harvesting would reduce the moisture content in onions. Less moisture would be a good condition to let onions go well for a longer time. This is the reason onions should be stored in a dark, but dry and cool climate. These places would allow onions to stay with very less or no hot temperature and humanity.
No doubt! The onions can be stored in the fridge, but not in whole. The onions should be peeled or diced before storing them in the fridge. If you store the onions in the fridge without peeling or cutting, then it would start absorbing the humanity there. This would cause inions to go bad faster.
Why Do Onions Last For This Long In The Fridge?
Just like every other fruit and vegetable, onions too have a specific period for staying good. There are some conditions that will help onions to stay fresh for a longer time. A fridge would be a good option for storing the peeled onions for around 14 days. If someone wants to store diced onions in the fridge, then it would not last more than 10 days.
Use an airtight container to store the peeled onions in the freezer. Airtight containers would support staying them dry without any moisture contact. The bacterial contamination in the fridge would be extremely less if you store it properly. This can be another reason for onions to last really long without any bacterial contamination.
People can also store cooked onions in the fridge for around 5 days. Resealable bags or containers (airtight) both can be sued for storing sliced or cooked onions in the fridge.
Conclusion
The onions can catch moisture very easily. This is the condition that affects the freshness of the onions. The fridge is a good choice for storing onions if the correct ways are followed.