My nephew’s football team was selling 25 pound bags of Vidalia onions a few weeks ago as a fund raiser for their team. Of course I snapped them up, thinking of all the delicious dishes I could make with 25 pounds of onions.

And then they were delivered. Did you know that 25 pounds of onions is a whole lot of onions?

Well, luckily, I remembered my Grandmother would always have onions on hand from those she’d grown in her garden. She’d have them practically year-round and without any of the stink of onions going bad in her pantry.

You know that smell?

Yeah, I do too. It’s not very pleasant.

So I decided I either had to crank out one onion dish after another for a week or get busy storing them as my Grandmother did many years ago.

Here’s how you store onions using the good ole pantyhose method.

 

Keeping Onions

1. Cut the leg out of the pantyhose, being sure to maintain as much of the pantyhose leg as possible.

2. Push one onion into the bottom of the pantyhose toe and tie a knot as close to the top of the onion as possible.

3. Place a second onion into the pantyhose right next to the knot, tie a knot at the top of the second onion.

4. Repeat until you’ve reached the top of the pantyhose leg. Tie a final knot.

5. Hang the pantyhose on a hook in your pantry or preferred spot making sure that air can completely circulate around the onions.

Note: For 25 pounds of Vidalia onions, I needed two pairs of pantyhose. The number of hose will depend on the size of the onions, etc.

 

So now, don’t be afraid of buying your onions in bulk.

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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24 Comments

  1. I had heard of this before. I usually grow red onions and I keep them similar to this in net bags that I save from oranges etc. I don’t know where I learned to not let them touch? Fun to hear this even works in the humid south! It is sort of like we make ristras with garlic and chilies!

  2. Vidalia Onions have got a lot of sugar and need to be kept in the Refrigerator That’s why you can eat them like Apples they have low sulphur content

  3. Would it work in Arizona when the garage is 100 degrees (or more) and the house is in the 80’s? Or can I freeze them?

  4. I don’t have pantry space for this but I guess I could hang them in the basement. Cute idea and I actually have some old pantyhose around. My husband uses knee high hose to tie up the tomato plants.

  5. Can’t wait to try this. Have to buy a pair of hose (haven’t worn them in ages it seems like!). I love onions and often they do go bad even in a cool space in a basket, i see they don’t get too much air circulating that way!! Thank you.

  6. what are pantyhose . . . just kidding . . . but i haven’t worn any in years and years . . . and i am NOT kidding about that one!! i’ve actually heard about this tip but never have tried it . . . you know what they say though . . . grandmother’s are smart, so we’d better listen up!!

  7. OMG, I’m laughing so hard envisioning legs of pantyhose with onions in them, like little round sausages. Our pantry is too small to do that, but it’s a great idea!