The Best Way To Store Your Homemade French Fried Onions

Back in ye olde times, french fried onions were mostly relegated to one of several polarizing Thanksgiving Day sides: The green bean casserole. Love or hate the casserole, it's impossible to deny that there's something about that crispy, crunchy, oniony goodness that always got sprinkled on top. Today, we know that french fried onions are good for so much more than green bean casserole, and there are so many uses that you may be considering making your own.

Should you? Absolutely. Why? For starters, it allows you to control exactly what goes into the recipe, and the sodium is key here. Some commercial brands of french fried onions have as much as 60 milligrams of sodium per two tablespoons, and that can add up quickly. At home, you can opt to replace that salt with celery salt, Creole seasoning, or flavors like smoked paprika. But once you've made a batch of delicious french fried onions, how do you keep them fresh and crunchy?

It's incredibly easy to make mistakes while storing your onions, and some of those mistakes can shave quite a bit off the shelf life. When it comes to french fried onions, there's one thing that's key — making sure they're in a dry and airtight place.

Time is precious, but when making homemade french fried onions, there's a fundamental reason to take your time. It doesn't matter what kind of container you choose to keep them in if you put them away when they're still warm. Why? Warmth will cause condensation to build up inside the container, which, in turn, will ruin the crispiness that makes these onions so delicious. 

Keep them from turning into a soggy mess by letting them cool completely before transferring them to your container. What kind of container should that be? Ideally, something completely airtight.

This doesn't have to be complicated, and a zip-top bag will work well — particularly because you can use a variety of sizes, break your onions down into batches, and only open what you're going to use in any meal. (That'll help protect them from outside moisture getting in.) Keep in mind, though, that homemade french fried onions aren't going to last as long as an open container of a commercial variety. Even when packaged properly, you should still have a plan for using them. Consider a week the expiration date: If you want to use them when they're at their finest, consider three days their best-by date. But what if you want to whip up a big batch?

Frying can be a hassle, so it's completely understandable if you want to turn, say, a dozen onions into french-fried onions while the oil is hot. (Pro tip: After frying your onions, you can definitely use your onion-flavored oil for some delicious fried chicken.) There's no reason not to fry up a large batch because homemade french fried onions will hold up well in the freezer. 

The guidelines for storing them are the same: Be sure to let them cool completely before transferring them to an airtight freezer bag. After getting as much air out as possible, pop them in the freezer — but don't forget to label and date them.

They'll be fine in the freezer for about four months, which means that date is crucial for ensuring you're using things in a timely manner. Use smaller, single-portion-sized bags so you can thaw the onions and use them immediately. While they'll technically keep in the fridge — again, in an airtight container — for a few days after taking them out of the freezer, there's a chance that'll impact their crispiness. Plan ahead, use them fresh or right out of the freezer, and enjoy.