Samuel Chiltern answered
Besides obvious dark spots and other signs of decay on the outside of the skin, you can normally tell whether an onion has gone bad by squeezing it.
A fresh onion should be very firm to the touch, whereas one that's past its use-by date will be soft.
If there are any shoots beginning to emerge from the top, then this is also a sign that the onion is past its best.
Don't bother using an onion if it exhibits any of these signs, as the taste will not be pleasant.
If an onion gives off any kind of foul smell, then just get rid of it straight away, because it is unusable and will cause other onions to rot too.
If you cut an onion in half and several of the outer layers are dry, then you don't need to throw it all away. In my experience, removing all the dry layers will still leave you with a smaller, but often still usable onion - I don't like waste in my kitchen!
How To Store Onions
Onions tend to keep for several weeks, provided they are stored somewhere cool and dark. Don't bother refrigerating them.
If you have a paper bag to keep them in, you'll find this helps. However, don't keep them close to potatoes, because the two vegetables emit chemicals which cause them both to decay faster.
A fresh onion should be very firm to the touch, whereas one that's past its use-by date will be soft.
If there are any shoots beginning to emerge from the top, then this is also a sign that the onion is past its best.
Don't bother using an onion if it exhibits any of these signs, as the taste will not be pleasant.
If an onion gives off any kind of foul smell, then just get rid of it straight away, because it is unusable and will cause other onions to rot too.
If you cut an onion in half and several of the outer layers are dry, then you don't need to throw it all away. In my experience, removing all the dry layers will still leave you with a smaller, but often still usable onion - I don't like waste in my kitchen!
How To Store Onions
Onions tend to keep for several weeks, provided they are stored somewhere cool and dark. Don't bother refrigerating them.
If you have a paper bag to keep them in, you'll find this helps. However, don't keep them close to potatoes, because the two vegetables emit chemicals which cause them both to decay faster.
