We all know that the refrigerator is a silent hero in the kitchen. It extends the shelf life of milk, preserves highly-perishable meat and keeps beer taste great.
But the refrigerator is not the place to store certain items. It can dehydrate bread, sweeten potatoes and harden honey and cooking oil.
In addition to the items above, onion also rightfully belongs to the list of foods that needs to stay out of the fridge.
Why?
Chemical reactions take place for onions under such cold, humid conditions inside the fridge. When onion is chilled, the surrounding environment converts the starch to sugars, thereby making onions soft and soggy. That’s besides the broad knowledge that onions make your refrigerator stinky and turn everything in it smell or taste like onions.
So instead of storing onion inside the fridge, place them inside their mesh bags to allow onion to “breathe”, and store them in a cool dry place. Store them away from potatoes which excrete moisture and accelerate the rotting of onion.
This no-fridge policy doesn’t apply to scallions or green onions, though, as they have a higher water content and need to be chilled.