Sweet Onions

Look for a sweet onion that:

• Is firm and feels heavy in the hand for its size

• Has a shiny, dry, and tissue-like outer skin
• Has little or no smell
• Is dry and free of soft or dark powdery spots, and bruises
• Has a tightly-closed neck with no signs of sprouting

As long as it is dry and does not have dark powdery spots, a sweet onion does not need to perfectly meet all the criteria above to be edible or usable in a recipe. The closer it is to meeting these guidelines, however, the higher its quality should be.

Notes

As the name implies, sweet onions have a sweeter, more subtle flavor than yellow onions. Well-known varieties include Vidalia, Walla Walla, Maui, and Texas Spring Sweet. Sweet onions work very well in dishes that call for raw onions such as salads, relishes, and sandwiches. The flavor of a sweet onion will diminish somewhat with cooking, but it makes excellent onion rings, and can be baked or roasted.

One medium-sized sweet onion should yield three-fourths to one cup of chopped onion.

After you get your sweet onions home

Onions should be stored in a dry environment with good air circulation, and typically will last up to two weeks when stored at room temperature. Keep your onions in an open paper bag, net bag, or material that promotes good air circulation. If you want to store your onions in the crispier of your refrigerator, wrap them in a paper towel to absorb moisture. Because onions have quite a bit of moisture content and are susceptible to bruising, mold, and rot, they should never be wrapped in plastic or stored in airtight containers.