Potatoes and onions are needed for the preparation of numerous dishes.
If you don't have a basement, you should think about another storage option.
Since you need potatoes and onions almost every day to prepare many dishes, it is a good idea to stock up.
Because if stored correctly, onions and potatoes can even last for half a year.
Most people keep their emergency supply of potatoes and onions in the basement.
That's right, because that's where the optimal conditions for storing supplies prevail.
But what to do if you don't have a basement?
Don't despair, because even without a cellar you can make provisions and stock up on enough onions and potatoes - even for emergencies.
It's also a good idea to have other supplies on hand.
Read here what you have to consider when storing water supplies, how best to keep cash for emergencies and how you can safely store fuel.
The following should be considered when storing onions and potatoes
DOS | Don'ts |
|---|---|
✔️ Basement | ❌ Fridge |
✔️ open paper bag | ❌ Plastic bag |
✔️ Cardboard box | ❌ Aluminum foil |
✔️ air permeable | ❌ next to each other |
✔️ relatively dark | ❌ too bright |
✔️ cool | ❌ too warm |
✔️ dry | ❌ moist |
Store emergency supplies correctly: This is why onions and potatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator
On the one hand, you should not store onions and potatoes next to each other.
Because the onions would accelerate the ripening of the potatoes and thus reduce their shelf life.
On the other hand, neither onions nor potatoes should be kept in the refrigerator.
Even if they keep longer in the refrigerator, they lose their taste very quickly.
However, there is one exception: you can only store spring onions in the fridge without hesitation.
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Even without a cellar, you can stock up on potatoes and onions.
© CHROMORANGE/Imago
If you don't have a basement, you can still stock up on potatoes and onions
Although the basement is the best place to store onions and potatoes, you can still stock up even if you don't have a basement.
Place the potatoes you want to store for emergencies in an open paper bag.
Place the paper bag with the potatoes in a cardboard box.
Do the same with the onions.
It is important that potatoes and onions are not stored next to each other.
That's why both should get their own bags and their own cardboard box.
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On the one hand, the optimal lighting conditions for the supply of potatoes and onions prevail in the cardboard box - similar to the cellar.
On the other hand, both the paper bag and the cardboard box are permeable to air, absorb moisture and allow the supplies to breathe - unlike a plastic bag or aluminum foil, for example.
Potatoes and onions will become mushy or go moldy more quickly in it.
Potatoes that are sprouting are a sign of storage that is too light, onions that are sprouting are stored too damp.
Take a quick look in your fridge: these foods have to go
Take a quick look in your fridge: these foods have to go
Since potatoes and onions should be stored dry and, above all, cool, cellars are ideal for creating an emergency supply.
Roofed balconies, conservatories or garages also offer good conditions for storing potatoes and onions.
If the winters are too cold, you can put dry straw in the cardboard box as a frost protection.
If you don't have a basement, a covered balcony, conservatory or garage, the pantry in the kitchen will do the trick.
The paper bags and cardboard boxes extend the shelf life.
Just make sure the onions and potatoes are kept at the bottom of the shelf.
List of rubrics: © CHROMORANGE/Imago
