Onions will keep fresh for up to six months if stored in one common kitchen area

You’re likely storing your onions in the wrong place

Tips for storing food are always handy to know – not only for bananas and potatoes, but also for prolonging the freshness of your onions. Onions, a kitchen essential across the UK, are often kept in the fridge alongside other vegetables, but this is far from the ideal environment for them.

If you notice your onions beginning to sprout, soften, or develop mould, they are likely not being stored properly.

YouTube content creator Jerry James Stone has shared his top guidance for keeping onions in prime condition “without them rotting or going mushy”, offering his expertise in one of his videos.

He advised: “I’m going to talk to you about how you properly store onions – if you do it correctly, you can actually store them for up to six months.”

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He continued: “Onions hate being in the fridge, that’s the first thing – never put them in the fridge. If you do, they actually rot and go mushy.”

Jerry stressed that the cold and damp environment of a fridge is entirely unsuitable for whole onions, as they require the complete opposite conditions.

Given their tendency to absorb moisture, refrigerating them can cause onions to become soft and deteriorate far more quickly — though this does not apply to peeled or pre-cut varieties.

“The other thing about onions is they prefer to be in a dry place, that’s cool, and has good ventilation,” Jerry continued.

“Avoid storing them in a cramped drawer; instead, aim for a pantry where there’s plenty of air movement. That’s [ventilation] super crucial as they emit quite a bit of moisture.

“One thing you definitely don’t want to do is store onions anywhere next to potatoes. Because of the moisture and ethylene gas onions put out, they cause potatoes to sprout. The food you can store onions next to is garlic – they prefer the same environment.”

If you have bought onions from a supermarket in a plastic bag, it’s recommended to remove them from the packaging before storing them. The plastic can trap moisture, which may result in mould developing.

To stay fresh, onions require enough ventilation, so it’s worth considering storing them in a net or mesh bag, which promotes better air circulation and helps to control moisture levels.

For short-term storage, if you intend to use the onions within a couple of days, leaving them in a bowl on the kitchen worktop or inside a cupboard will do.

For longer-term storage, however, onions should be kept in a cool, dry and dark space, away from direct light, such as a cellar or garage.