Storing the Onions and Potatoes: Bins, Baskets and Bags

A friend recently wound up with a bunch of onions and asked if I knew any good products for storing them. She knows onions should be kept cool, dry and well-ventilated - but what can she use for storage? Not surprisingly, I do indeed have some ideas. This farmhouse vegetable store is just one - but it comes from the UK, which won't work for my friend.




A number of woodworkers make good storage bins, too. Here's a potato/onion bin from Hahn Enterprises, which does custom work.




And here's a potato and onion bin from Simply Rustic Woodworking.




This potato and onion bin comes from Rabourn's Creative Arts. The back is made of pegboard for ventilation.




These stackable potato and onion bins provide a different sort of option.




And bins aren't the only answer. Another way to go would be the willow onion and potato baskets; the onion and potato versions are the same design, just different sizes.




Dibor provides three sizes of vegetable hoppers, intended for potatoes, onions and shallots.

In the U.S., I'm seeing such baskets being sold by Bed Bath & Beyond. (This must be the "beyond" part.) In the U.K., you can also find such baskets here, here and here.




Another sort of basket is the Shaker onion basket.




And finally, you could consider food preserving bags - including ones for onions and potatoes. [via Kitchen Critic]




Here's another style of storage bag.




And here's yet another storage bag design. There's also a smaller size for garlic.

There are also a number of products meant for storing various fruits and veggies that might also work for your onions - but that's another post.

Update on Sept. 30, 2009: Please look at the comments on this post; storing potatoes and onions together seems to be a poor idea!

Update on July 7, 2010: I've got a new post with more storage options!