The BEST Onion Preservation Method - Reduce Waste & Save Time!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Never throw out spoiled onions again! Forget about starting from scratch every time you need a spoonful - or cup full -- of chopped onions. Instead use these time-saving onion preservation methods outlined in this video to save you effort in the kitchen without compromising flavor and nutrition. So say goodbye to unnecessary food waste and teary chopping sessions and embrace the convenience of having diced onions ready for a hassle-free quick meal prep. Remember to like, share, and subscribe to my channel for more insightful tips and tricks!
🔥🔥 Product Links 🔥🔥
Silicon Muffin - 6 cups amzn.to/3GAzJmu
Silicone Molds [Coaster, 3 Cup] Cupcake Baking Pan amzn.to/3GD6pfq
The Pampered Chef Food Chopper amzn.to/3NljzkG
OXO Good Grips Vegetable Chopper amzn.to/46QfFaD
KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor amzn.to/3uOYpFw
FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer amzn.to/3t71e4f
Visit my Amazon page www.amazon.com... and support my channel by clicking here before you start shopping on Amazon. I'd appreciate it if you would bookmark the link and use it each time you visit Amazon. You incur no extra fees but I do receive a small commission.
NOTE: Most of the hyperlinks to products included on my channel are affiliate links, which means that I make a small sales commission if you purchase an item after clicking one of the links from my channel. You do not incur any additional costs. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Money earned goes towards funding my channel's costs. Your support is much appreciated!
🔥🔥 *Product Links* 🔥🔥
Silicon Muffin - 6 cups amzn.to/3GAzJmu
Silicone Molds [Coaster, 3 Cup] Cupcake Baking Pan amzn.to/3GD6pfq
The Pampered Chef Food Chopper amzn.to/3NljzkG
OXO Good Grips Vegetable Chopper amzn.to/46QfFaD
KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor amzn.to/3uOYpFw
FoodSaver V4400 2-in-1 Vacuum Sealer amzn.to/3t71e4f
I use the tray method for almost all my garden vegetables and berries . Beans, peas, snow peas, diced carrots, diced summer squash, raspberries, onions....they all get frozen and sealed for wintertime use. You can take out as much or as little as you need and reseal the remainder. Thank you for all the good information you share!
Do you blanch any of the vegetables first?
Love the ideas. I chop mine the same way you do . But I just put mine in a gallon bag and freeze . After they freeze I loosen them up buy squishing the um. They don'r stick together. When I need onions I just take out the amount I need.
I might do it this way next time. That way I don’t have a load of small bags in freezer. Good idea.ty
Same. I just flatten out the bag as much as possible before freezing. The next day, I break them up. Mine never last six months because I use them up before then.
I've been doing the brick with a 1/2 to whole onion, depending on onion size. I use the frozen for soups & stews. Will try the tray method next time😃.
A faster way for freezing in portions, put the chopped onions in portions in a cheap fold top sandwich bag. Then put the bags into a larger Vacumn seal bag or Vacumn able zip lock bag. That way you can open and remove and them revacumn remaining bags and pop back in freezer.
I use the tray method for onions, peppers, tomatoes, corn, and herbs we grow over the summer. Best way to preserve the fresh flavor of season.
I chop
The onions. and fill small small ziplocs. each for meal. abd freeze them
I just use Ziploc bag's and leave it loose but if they freeze in a clump just whack the bag on the countertop and empty out whatever amount you need there by eliminating a step
Very cool Prepper Potpourri.
Which would be better; freezing then vacuuming or vacuuming and then freezing?
Freeze on tray first
I've done this for years
When you use the vacuum bags, do they smell up the freezer? I tried freezing some in ziplock freezer bags but they made things in the freezer smell like onions.
Mine did not
@@PrepperPotpourri I must've had some really strong ones! 💪 I'll try the vacuum bag next time.
Tray
Whole onions will keep on the shelf if kept in the dark about a month.
Place a cloth towel over the basket so to keep the onions in the dark.
In the winter I put mine in the garage. Learned this when a girl going to my aunt’s farm. Potatoes will keep the same way with an apple in the basket to keep them from sprouting early. Vegetables were kept in the cellar where it was cool.
Lol my dad stored onions in my mother's old stockings by hanging them up in the shed. He'd tie a knot above each onion so easy to remove one at a time
Great tip!
We have a problem for years with getting onions that were almost frozen so has to be used in 2-3 days before mold and odor...even transport may be too cold...have thrown out more than used...
Hi Prepper Potpourri! I do the same and green peppers too. I like my chopper because it fast with easy clean up. I use snack bags and then put them in a gallon ziplock bag and pull out what I need. Plus it keeps my freezer from smelling like onions.
I only keep a couple of onions for fresh eating.
Have a blessed day!
Same here! I've been buying onions in 50 lb bags and processing them in the freezer on my extra freeze dryer trays for several years. Admittedly, I freeze all of them in various sizes of dice, but I freeze dry quite a lot to save space in my freezer. But when I can get onions for about a third of the cost or less - you bet I'm gonna take advantage of those sales. And the Vidalia chopper is a Godsend.
I do onions and green pepper by the tray method and neither clump together. It's so nice to have ready and not need to chop them every time 🙂
This is the first time I have seen an onion preservation video except for dehydrating. Thank you! The tray method seems to make the most sense.
Such timing! BIL and we were just talking that onions and potatoes seem to be going bad really fast nowadays. Maybe producers aren't drying them as long? Yes, love my Vidalia chopper! We use it for almost everything: onions, potatoes, peppers, carrots, celery, etc. Freezing any of those with the tray method is 100% the best. Thank you!
The tray method is exactly how I’ve been doing mine for probably 20 years. It is so much easier to process and then use them as needed. I do peppers from the garden the same way. And with a mini loaf pan I make up my meatloaf recipe and fill the mini loafs with meat mixture, freeze them, pop them out and seal individual servings for a fast supper. I buy the meat in bulk at Sam’s club. I also make beef, cheese and bean burritos and do the same thing. Quick meals with no more prep work. 😊
Good tips
I chop them small put in freezer bags quart size,lay them flat in the freezer so when they are frozen they won’t be a solid chunk that you have to pound and break up. When they freeze laying flat you just shake them to loosen them and then you can scoop out what you need. Don’t fill the bag to bulging, but enough to cover the whole bag when you lay it flat in a single layer.
I have been doing the tray method for years with all vegetables. I don't want waste any food so, before taking off on my long trips, I chop all the extra vegetable I have in the house. Tray freeze and bag them. I find them very convenient when I get back home. I do believe that tray freezing is the fasted and the most convenient. Don't scrape the vegetable off the parchment paper. Fold the paper instead and the vegetables will detach from the paper by itself. Happy chopping !!!👍
I have been doing this for years. Such a great way to do prep ahead of time. I use the Vidalia Onion Chopper. I don’t normally vacuum seal mine, I just double ziplock bag them
Caramelize onions first and freeze, once frozen you can vacuum seal bag, I usually make package a bit flat for quicker thawing. When I make a soup I put frozen onions in at end of cook time soup is hot and they thaw quickly
Good tip
Almost gave up on trying to preserving onions since most of my recipes utilize carmelized onions. Definitelly going to try this, thank you
I could never do the tray method as I can’t stand to smell the onion in my freezer and fridge. It also makes my ice taste like onions lol. I just lay them flat in vacuum sealed bags if I have to but for the most part we use up what we buy at a time. Thanks for sharing your ideas ❤
The bigger are your onions faster they will perish. In fall i buy 2 ten pounds of small onions, put them in my cool store in the cave and they're still there in next march. But not everybody has a cool store in their bouse😁😁😁
I use the tray method for lots of food - especially blueberries and raspberries.
Strawberry too and lemon slices.
I've done that method the tray for years. I also do my bell peppers that way in the tray. I just love the tray method
Loved this. I have done the bricks and the pan freezing. I have also hung onions in legs of pantyhose. Sure helped to keep them longer till I had time to put up another batch.
I do the tray method too. The only difference is that I freeze mine in thinner, folder-like shape. I do this with sliced & diced onions, as well as the various bell peppers in various colors. Over the last couple of years, I’ve even gone so far as to prep out, I think that’s the term used these days, batches of mirepoix 2:1:1 ratio of onions, celery, carrots. I used to freeze them separately but after a bit, it became easier just to measure them out, dice, & freeze. My garden plus raised bed produced so many onions, carrots, & celery that I ran out of ways to use them up without storing them. I prefer freezing to canning, though I do a smart amount too. The mirepoix is frozen in the same sheet pan then transferred to a freezer FoodSaver bag in the folder shape.
I would probably do the brick method as I can seldom find a flat place to put a tray of onions.😊
Not sure where you live. I have the same issue, and no freezer. I have a tote box I put the tray in and leaves them outside overnight now that the temps are below freezing. I do put the product back into my freezer. The FoodSaver bags do not provide a long term seal so if using those, remember to use the onions over a couple of months.
Doesn’t your freezer smell like onions when flash freezing? I know when I use to precut my onions many years ago I put into a freezer bag and froze but every time I opened my freezer it had the strong odor of onions..maybe that’s because I didn’t use my Food saver bags🤔
No, I don't have a smell in my freezer
Yes, the strong onions from our garden will out gas. I didn’t use vac sealer either because it just was one more step and cost, so I just used freezer bags. I did put those flat bags inside another gallon sized freezer bag to cut the odor. After a bit it goes away.
My experience with cut frozen onions in freezer bags was smelling onions every time I opened freezer.
@@ceepark114 ~Thank you. I even doubled bagged and still had the whole freezer smelling of onions.
The tray method by far. Sadly I don't have much freezer space. I make my own dog food which takes a lot of room. Hope to get a large deep freezer chest eventually.
I flash freeze ( tray method) almost everything that I plan on freezing. Not only is it easier to use, but it also prevents any liquid from being sucked into the machine.
I agree, that's one big reason I also do it that way.
Perfect timing. I am doing onions today and I will use your tray method. I see your subscribers also do peppers that way. I will do that with my pepper crop next summer. Thank you.
I recently got the mandolin chopper like you have. Best thing I ever did! The big screen chopper is the best for onions, celery and carrots.
I am using mine this am. Love it.
Can we just put the whole onion in bag and freeze without chopping?
Probably. I haven't tried that.
you were scaring me with that giant knife and your thumb 👍😅
Yes, I am a clod
Suggestion: cut open the bottom of the bag and you won’t have to relabel. I love your pan freezer method
Good tip
This video is why TH-cam exists! I'm very frequently losing onions!
PLEASE! Buy yourself a sharper knife, before you hurt yourself!! 😳😳
I use the tray method for everything I freeze. Zucchini, peppers, parsley/cilantro, green onions, fresh dill, and many others. By far the best and easiest way to freeze.
I have a little tool (it’s a slicing guide), long spikes like a comb. This allows you to cut the finest dice.
I also spend a bit of extra time and sauté a huge pan of onion slices, then put into pots and freeze. This way they’re already cooked saving a lot of time.
Great tip!
I use a crock pot and do a batch of caramelized onions, then bag and freeze. If you do a thin layer in bag, you can just break off what you need. I then use for brown gravy and onions on steaks, etc.
This might sound crazy…but those metal bread boxes (the chrome/polished steel ones where the door slides up inside the box like a roll top desk)…well anyhow, onions seem to keep a LOT longer in those things. Weeks, right on the counter.
My understanding is that it depends on the type of onions. Sweet onions keep longer in the frig but other onions like a dark place to hide.
@@PrepperPotpourridark, cool and dry for onions and garlic.
Put the plastic bag in the muffin mold first easy pezey
Excellent video! I just bought a 50 pound bag. Got my work cut out. I plan to dehydrate some and freeze some.
You don't have to put onions in muffin tins if you want a measured amount 🤯.just measure what you want, put in bag and THEN FREEZE
Great video! I experienced the Vidalia onion loss last year. I will use your tray method from now on….Thanks
I usually dehydrate my onions and freeze the skins for use in stocks and broths. I buy bags of diced frozen onions when they are on sale for $1, but I find I usually end up dehydrating them as well. I will slice onions pole to pole and freeze for stir fries along with peppers and julienned carrots and celery. I find the only time I really, really, really need a fresh onion is in the summer when we have burgers. Even then, my husband now has dentures, so I end up dicing the onions for him. Might as well use frozen I guess.
I just get those small snack ziplock bags and put a half cup or a cup in them, press them flat. Then put the bunch into a Large gallon sized freezer bag, squeeze the air out and throw them in the freezer and remove one when I need it. But thanks for other ideas
Merry Christmas! I am with you I think the tray method would be my favorite! We recently purchased a Harvest Right I really like it we got the medium, then soon after they have the five tray medium. Now I need that. I will try and freeze dry some. I want to try the tray method. I am so busy on the farm I need all of the help I can get. Happy Holidays! Wendy🎄⛄️
I've been dreaming about a Harvest Right 😴.
Congrats on the freeze dryer
I basically use the muffin method, Although I use 1 or 2 C storage containers. the little bricks of frozen onion pop out and I can easily cut off what I want to use, then return the rest to the freezer.
The thing I don't like about freezing onions is that my whole fridge & freezer smells like onion. Does the vacuum sealing help with that? Thabks & Blessings!
Yes it does
Good simple smart tip. I been freezing my green garden onions in small bags individually, then put them in a large freezer bag , take out one small bag at a time as needed, as I sont have a vacuum sealer yet.
I’m going to use the tray method! Never like the brick method. Thanks for sharing something new to me.
I don’t care for vidalia, they are way too sweet for my preference. But I sauté and freeze or chop and freeze.
It's probably the camera angle, but I cringe hard when I see those fingers right under the knife when she cuts that onion. I always curl my fingers like a claw, so the knife never goes near those finger tips. It's so easy for the onion to slip, and the knife goes where you don't want it to.
I didn't think we could vaccum seal onions due to the gasses like garlic is what I read. Thank you for your video love every one of them.
I always stored onions and potatoes until I found that they causes each other to spoil. Now they last a long time when separated. Love yours freezing messages.
That does preserve them but I discovered that freezing onions also toughens them, even after cooking.
I'm lazy and dont have a vacumm bagger so I put them in a freezer bag but I flatten them out so I can break off chunks later :)
That's good know-how! I usually have fresh and also dehydrated onion, but I'm going to add chopped frozen into my pantry staples. Thanks.
I put the chopped onions in sandwich bags, about one cup each. Place them in a large gallon bag, I get about 6 per bags and I am able to just pull out one bag at a time as needed.
I had one of those vegetable chopper and the lid broke off at the plastic hinges. I wish they would make them with metal.
I keep my onions in a cardboard box. Keeps them in the dark and dry. I do the same for my potatoes and sweet potatoes. But I always do peppers and onions the same way on the tray like you do!
I have purchased dehydrated onions as a back up just in case of a power outage and vacuum sealed them in mason jars.
So sad people who really NEED to use tis method cant because too poor to have adequate freezer space😢
I’ve been doing that for years but my freezer is too small for a tray so I use freezer bags lying flat and stacked on a plate.
I'm a tray girl myself...onions, peppers, all kinds of things
For long term storage, we put those Sam’s dehydrated onions into vacuum sealed quart canning jars. Yes this is a very expensive way to go but I assure, if it comes to a point that we need those preps, canning jars and lids will be worth their weight in gold. To us and our neighbors. And for longevity and confidence in your preps there is absolutely no more reliable method.
For years now we have had a stash of money put back for those last minute preps that we knew didn’t preserve well. It’s time to spend that money now! We are currently packing away literal tons of dry goods in vacuum sealed canning jars and buying every darn lid that we can get our hands on.
Be certain to wrap those jars, on the flats that you purchased them in, using stretch wrap. I wrap them both directions to ensure that dust and moisture do not corrode the rings and lids. Also they wont sweat as easily, as the temperature stays more constant around the product.
Good tips
I usually use the brick method but after seeing this I may do the freeze on tray them bag them.😊
I always put my onions in the door of the fridge, way down on the last shelf on the door. They keep for months on in without ever getting soft or rotten.
I blanch my onions before dehydrating…no onion smell when dehydrating.
My house isn't big enough to dry onions. Pew. I buy dehydrated ones too if I'm out. I had onions sprout really late so see if they last the winter and grow like garlic again in the spring. I got the combo food chopper and mandolin. Quick work if doing large amounts of chopping for canning.
With my freezer all lumpy a flatter brick to be able to break off what I need. Maybe pinch into squares in the bag. If it clumps from the sealer could use something to keep squares separate. Maybe fingers and be fast. Use the little bags. Would use for soups, stews or pot roasts.
When we dehydrate onions, peppers or garlic we set the dehydrator outside 😅 it would be overwhelming.
Best way is to have bags of onions diced and sautéed in olive,canola ,butter or margarine mixture and allow to cool down .. I use snCk ziplock bags and then freeze and easy to open and reak off as much as needed and recline and in freezer it goes back...4 bags of onions will give up to 36 snack bags of frozen sautéed onions .. ready to use when needed .. one half an onion in each bag...🎉
I love onions in butter
That is a gem of a comment. I am so partial to sauteed and carmelized onions. Definitelly going to try it.
@@Tygydyk17 ...I even have a container or two of caramelized onions in freezer since I also like to just eat them or make onion soup...
By the way I like my dice on a board that has a fine dice...sorry forgot the name am getting older...
@@Lstn2urmamaI always cot onion in half alond root to top line and then cut it into the slices longitidonally then saute/carmelize it. That goes for most meat dishes ready to it or whole variety of canning recipes.
Thank you for sharing this good storage hacks.I'm starting today.
Great video. I love onions as well. I freeze mine and a lot of times it's the brick method. I knew what you meant before you explained. :) I'm going to do the tray method. Thank you.
Its only because your knife is so dull. I noticed that right off.😊
Lived 5 years in Iceland, lived and worked in Reykjavík, I am Danish so for me, it wasn't a huge culture difference, but it sure was for the amazing Nature and wildlife., sadly it's very expensive living there. I especially loved to go to "sund" in the evening and enjoy the hot pools outside while snow was falling down...OMG, I have so many good memories from my time there. Hope to go back again soon, One of the thing I remember from a month-long visit to Germany a few years ago was how I was able to find some really, fantastic deals on food at the grocery story. Usually it was stuff that simply had to be sold that day or thrown away, and it was marked down considerably. If you wanted to, you could simply walk to the grocery store every day, buy whatever was on sale, and just make a day's worth of meals out of that.
I will be visiting Iceland in May
I just had a big onion go bad, I planted in the backyard to see if it would do anything.
I dehydrate my Vidalia onions! Some i grind to a powder, some i make lipton onion soup mix and others chopped. I keep them in glass jars. They're good for 6-10 years if you use oxygen absorbers
Great tip!
I was thinking after you chop up the onions then measure maybe a half cup or a cup into each small bag spread them out in the bag so that they will lay flat then vacuum seal date and put in the freezer?
Sure, that will work.
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.
Wow, wow now. Did she say that frozen onions do not carmelize well? Did you try carmelize frozen onion yourself? I am very partial to carmelized onions and I use 90% onions this way.
You should slice some onions and colored peppers (for things like fajitas) and freeze together. It seemed like your microphone was on the countertop because when I turned the volume up enough to hear your voice, I got blasted out with the sounds from the chopper, crinkly bags and slamming the pan on the counter!
Sorry about thar
So instead of buying smaller portions of onions that could be easily used up before getting spoiled, you increase plastic waste ... glorious 🤦♀
I guess thats the american way, as your infrastructure does often just not allow for walking accross the street to a supermarket, but instead have to take a half our drive to some oversized store. Sure bigger is always better 🙄
By buying smaller you increase your expense and you throw away more small bags the onions come in and you may use more gasoline because you have more trips to the grocery store. I also grow my own onions and use this method at harvest
I like the tray method the best. We raise a garden and it’s a great way to store all of the vegetables.
Wonderful freezer methods, I do use this rather than loosing my Vidalias❤ However, what would be your method for preservation if you don't have freezer room?
Dehydrating
Why vacuum seal it if you're going to freeze it anyways?
Takes up less space in freezer
I use the tray method for vegetables like peas,carrots and potatoes, etc, but for onions and sweet peppers, I put 2 cups in cheap sandwich bags, then put the sandwich bags into good freezer bags. I love the foodsaver,but once it's opened, it's opened, and you have a smaller bag to reseal (unless you're using those reseal foodsaver bags). I love having premeasured amounts without having to open everything. I do love your veg chopper though! I need one of those! 👍
The veggie chopper is great
I also freeze all my garlic and ginger then I just grate them.
I used to freeze my chopped onions. The tray is a great idea.
I am a home chef and I watched you struggle a bit with your chef knife and I was cringing. I am glad you use your machine instead. God Bless you and have a good year🙏
Yes I am knife impaired LOL
Trey method also great as uses much less plastic! Good video
I like to premeasure my chopped onion and vacumn seal in small bags, flattened well. I store them like books on the door of my freezer or put them in gallon zip lock bag to keep them together in my chest freezer.
Great tip!
Why not grow some of each bag. Then you’ll always have FREE ONIONS.
I do grow onions each year but where I live we cannot grow onions year around
I'm thinking about canning some French onion soup.
Some of us are highly allergic to the preservatives they use in dehydrated onion products you buy in the store.
I do green peppers this way also but I’m not sure the best way to freeze these so they will not be a very large brick. What do you think . Maybe the cookie sheet way. Freeze then bag up.
Yes I do the tray method for green peppers too
🤔 So .. frozen then vacuum packed.
Clever, always lose a few onions! Thanks potpourri.
Just in time, you saved my large bag of onions! Thank you, I really appreciate you😊❤
You are so welcome!
Not worth it to me using so much throw away plastic.