How To Find The Best Onions At The Grocery Store

Onions are the true kitchen workhorse since they not only add flavor to everything short of cookies and ice cream, but you can even use them to clean the grill. In return, though, onions require that the cook put in some effort, too. The proper way to chop an onion requires both time and tears, and all easy onion-cutting hacks are just so much snake oil. Even before you bring your onions home, though, it behooves you to spend a few minutes at the store picking out the best onions. This is easier to accomplish if you select individual onions rather than those packaged in a mesh bag. While these bags do allow for airflow, they also make it more difficult to inspect each onion individually.

While you don't need to squeeze the onions and risk the wrath of an angry Mr. Whipple (assuming he ever leaves the toilet paper aisle), you should give them a quick feel to make sure they're solid, dense, and don't have any squishy spots. The skins should feel smooth and crisp. And be sure to avoid any onions that are starting to sprout. Sprouting is the last stage before an onion starts rotting, and onions at the end of their life cycle tend to be extremely pungent.

Unless you're shopping for a specific recipe, you should also put a little thought into what type of onions are likely to be of most use to you. The onioniest-tasting onions, which are also usually the most budget-friendly, are the yellow ones. These are great all-around onions so long as you plan to cook them, as they may be a bit too strong to use raw. Red onions, on the other hand, are at their best and most colorful when raw, so these mild and vivid onions are a great pick if you enjoy onion-enhanced salads. White onions are the tweener of the allium family, as they are mild enough to be eaten raw (a thick slice of onion on a hamburger, for example), but they've got enough oomph for cooking.

Spanish onions, while they look like big yellow onions, are even milder than white onions, so they'd be your best bet if you're not much of an onion fan but don't dare omit them from recipes where they're called for. As for sweet onions — Vidalia, Walla Walla, and their ilk — these summer onions don't last nearly as long as their hardier winter counterparts mentioned above. They are quite mild and also sweet, as the name implies, and are de rigueur for the TikTok-trendy onion "boil" (which is actually baked).