Freezing diced onions to preserve?

[~gd]

Part of the trick is to freeze them as fast as possible. I don't have access to a flash freezer and only occasionally is dry ice available so what I do is place a baking sheet in the freezer BEFORE I peel or dice [or slice see below] when all is ready Pull out the sheet, spread thin as fast as possible and pop the sheet back in the freezer. They are done in about 20 minutes depending on the moisture in the product. Indivually frozen nuggets. These are poured into plastic bags and back in the freezer before they thaw. I said slices above because I do the same with onions sliced thin, and peppers and mushrooms. I use the slices on burgers they lose the crispness but the flavor is there.
For plucks I use plastic Dixie cups 2oz? small bathroom size just right for a 3 egg fry-up
BTW the ice crystals that cause clumps is due to the sugar in the onions, it is enough to raise the melting point of the juice and if you have a self defrosting freezer they melt during the thaw cycle. I prevent that by placing the small bags between blue ice blocks so the heat from the defrost cycle doesnt get to them
~gd

 

[Justme]

Ice cube trays are good for freezing stuffs too. I especially them for those things that I only want a small amount at a time of. Great for onions,a little bit of tomatoor hot pepper paste, herbs, etc and when I get a bumper crop of lemons and limes like I did this year.
The trick behind avoiding the ice crystals that form and the sticking together is work fast and cold and in low humidity. Of course for my area that is about one day a year. But do your best. The thing you have the most control over is to get in and out of a bag as fast as you can and try to get all the air out that you can every time you open it. Vacumme sealers are great but even if you are using ziplock bags a straw can do wonders as long as you don't have lung issues to suck the air out of them.

 

[Joel_BC]

You might even try quick freezing them spread out on a cookie sheet, and when frozen, bag up. They will stay more separate that way.

Jill, this idea (freezing the spread-out pieces on a cookie sheet - as we've done when freezing raspberries) sounds good to me. I also like wannabe's idea of covering all the onions so that before they freeze they don't make the whole freezer smell like onions!

We're generally cooking for two or more people here, so it's not uncommon to use 1/2 or a full cup of chopped onions at a time. If the pieces didn't clump, it would make using them easier at cooking time.

 

[txcanoegirl]

We're generally cooking for two or more people here, so it's not uncommon to use 1/2 or a full cup of chopped onions at a time. If the pieces didn't clump, it would make using them easier at cooking time.

I cook with more onions than that for just two of us! We love onions! You won't find the clumping together as much of a problem as you think. Even when they do, they break off easily. As was said above...work fast and keep them cold. I admit that I never thought of freezing the cookie sheet first as was suggested. Great idea.

I still have my preference of the stackable storage containers in the sizes we use. I use the Lock & Lock storage containers in various sizes. Kind of pricey, but they last forerver and are air tight, water tight (won't even let water in if they are floating in water for considerable time), and because they stack well, they don't fall out of the freezer when we open the door. I also use my canning jars in the freezer. I have plenty because of a bonanaza score on Freecycle (180 pints and quarts--free!).

I can't say I've ever noticed an onion smell in the freezer, but I don't dehydrate onions in the house for that reason. I move the dehydrator to the service porch for garlic and onions. Usually. Let's just say that last week I had a good buy on garlic (not growing our own yet) and couldn't put the dehydrator on the porch because it was rainy and humid. Ack, ack, cough, cough...hard to breathe for a day, but the good news is that my house doesn't have vampires. Wish it worked on spiders as well. Anyway, I knew what I was doing, and sort of anticipated it. Shoulda warned the husband unit about it before he walked in after work, though.

 

[the funny farm6]

my kids hate onions in anything so i run them threw the food processer and freeze them in ziplock bags but i leave the bags kinda flat so i can just break a chunk off. i do this with green peppers too.

 

[Corn Woman]

I freeze onions all the time but I have noticed that the walla walla's have more water in them than others. Only time I noticed a problem is when I tried to saute with mushrooms. Seemed to take forever.

 

[Wannabefree]

my kids hate onions in anything so i run them threw the food processer and freeze them in ziplock bags but i leave the bags kinda flat so i can just break a chunk off. i do this with green peppers too.

That's a great idea! Would have been terrific 5 years ago when mine went on an onion and pepper strike. No worries though, they got out of it pretty quick, and niecey....can't keep her away from the onions! Ever since she was 3 her favorite snack was hot dog topped with mustard and onion, and ya better not skimp on the onion either!!

 

[Blaundee]

This year, along with a winter-keeper onion variety or two, I'm thinking I'll plant Walla Wallas - a big-globe summer onion variety. These will be great as early onions for adding flavor to dishes we cook here.

Because the thing is, even keeper onions eventually dry out, or occasionally begin to mold, before the next season's onions are ready to harvest. And so the thought came to me that we could try dicing the Walla Wallas, bagging them in small freezer bags, then freezing them until we need them in winter thru spring. Could then thaw the minced onions in a low-heat skillet (or as an ingredient in a soup pot) as an ingredient.

Has anyone tried freezing early bulb onions? I haven't read about this method anywhere, so I don't know if it works out well or has been rejected for good reasons. What do you know or think?

I myself dont especially like frozen raw onions, because they are mushy. Better for me is to sautee them, then freeze them, I just like the consistency better. Onions dehydrate pretty well...

 

[txcanoegirl]

I myself dont especially like frozen raw onions, because they are mushy. Better for me is to sautee them, then freeze them, I just like the consistency better. Onions dehydrate pretty well...

Carmelized onions can also be frozen.

 

[Joel_BC]

I freeze onions all the time but I have noticed that the walla walla's have more water in them than others. Only time I noticed a problem is when I tried to saute with mushrooms. Seemed to take forever.

Well, I don't have experience with the frozen onions yet... if I did, I would not have started this tbread, but...

I know that when I sautee onions with other things (mushrooms, peppers, etc) I usually have to start the onions in the fry pan before the other things. Always a matter of timing. And mushrooms don't take very long, by comparison.

Now I suppose what you're saying here is that this is the case with the frozen onions, only more so. ???

I don't see how the freezing of the onions can add water - but only bring it out of the cells of the onion bits.