Red vs White Onion (Pyaz): How to Know if an Onion Is Rotten (Video)

Transcript

Red vs White Onion

Ever wonder why some onions look speckled while others stay fresh for weeks? Let’s walk through how to tell a good onion from a bad one and pick the right kind for your dish.

Mould on Onion Skin

That black powder you see on the skin is a mould called Aspergillus niger. It usually lives on the dry outer layers. If the onion feels firm, just peel off the dusty skins, rinse, and you’re good to go.

At a Glance

Red or pink onions are the everyday desi type, strong raw, sweet when fried. White onions are juicier and softer raw, perfect for salads. Small onions or shallots stay sweet and keep their shape in curries.

Choosing Red or White

In most South Asian kitchens, ‘pyaz’ means a red onion. It turns a deep brown in biryani and qorma, and its sharpness mellows in the pan. White onions are juicier raw, so many people use them in salads, raita and burgers. Small onions are great whole in sambar, pickles and korma-style dishes.

Store Selection Tips

When you’re at the shop, give the onion a gentle squeeze. It should be rock hard from top to neck. The neck should be thin, dry and tight. The skin needs to be dry and papery, with only a few loose outer scales. A fresh onion barely smells; a strong or sour odor means it’s rotting inside.

Spotting Rot

Peel the onion and look closely. Rot often starts at the neck or one side. Soft, slimy or see-through layers mean you should cut well past the damage, or discard the whole onion if it runs through. Brown or grey wet rings are neck rot, toss it. A sour, rotten smell after peeling signals rot. Sprouts with a soft middle mean discard; a firm sprout can be cut out and used soon.

Black Powder Explained

The black powder is Aspergillus niger, a common soil mould that loves warm, humid storage. It lives between the dry outer skin and the first fleshy layer, looking like soot. If it’s only on the dry skin and the onion is still firm, peel off the dusty layers plus one fresh layer, rinse, and cook as normal. If you see black under several fleshy layers or the onion feels soft, throw it out.

Onion Layers

Those onion layers you peel are really swollen leaves, packed around a short stem at the base.

Storing Onions

Whole, well-dried onions love a cool, dry, dark and airy spot. A basket or mesh bag in the coolest room works great. Kept that way, a good red onion can last weeks, sometimes months. Don’t store them in plastic and keep them away from potatoes to avoid sprouting.

Onion Nutrition

A medium onion has about 40 to 45 calories, a little vitamin C, some B6 and fibre. It also contains quercetin and other plant compounds, while red onions add anthocyanins in their outer rings. The outer fleshy layers are the most colourful and nutrient-dense. The fibre includes fructans, which feed gut bacteria, a plus for many, though it can cause gas for some.

Simple Onion Recipes

Here are three quick things you can make. For laccha pyaz, slice two red onions thin, soak ten minutes in iced water, drain, then toss with lemon juice, salt, red chilli powder and mint. For crisp birista, slice half a kilogram of onions thin, fry in hot oil on medium heat for fifteen to twenty minutes until golden, then cool on paper. Chopped onions freeze well flat in a bag for later cooking.

Traditional Uses

Elders used a peeled onion in the pocket to ward off bathroom smells, a cut onion under the bed to “pull germs” from the air, and onion juice on insect bites. The pocket onion is a tradition with no real effect, and a cut onion by the bed doesn’t pull germs out. Onion on a bite may feel cooling but can sting; plain cold water and a clean cloth work gentler.

Common Myths

A cut onion left overnight doesn’t turn poisonous, it’s just like any cut vegetable. Keep it covered and refrigerated and it’s fine for days. If left warm and uncovered it can dry out and grow bacteria, so the fridge is safest. Crying while chopping isn’t a sign of a weak onion; the tears come from a gas released when cells are damaged. Chilling the onion for thirty minutes and using a sharp knife reduces the tears, but the flavor stays the same.

Watch Out For

If you have IBS or get bloated, the fructans in onions can be a trigger; small cooked amounts are usually easier than raw. Raw onion can bring on heartburn for reflux sufferers. People with mould allergy or asthma should avoid peeling black-dusted onions. Onion, raw or cooked, is toxic to dogs and cats. For babies, well-cooked onion can be added to weaning foods around six months, without any added salt.

Fun Onion Facts

Onions are field-dried before storage, they’re pulled and left in the sun so the neck seals shut, which is why a good onion can keep for months. Kalonji is often sold as “black onion seed” but it comes from a completely different plant. Lasalgaon in Maharashtra is one of Asia’s biggest onion markets, which helps explain why Indian onion prices can swing dramatically.

Thanks for Watching

For more details, read the full post on thecareonline.com. Remember, this is general kitchen advice, not medical guidance.