An onion with a green sprout emerging from its top presents cooks with a choice: throw it away or use it after all?
As explained to the Simply Recipes portal by chefs and experts from the Institute of Culinary Education (USA), sprouted onions are generally safe but have their nuances.
Why Onions Sprout
In high humidity, lack of constantly circulating air, or under direct sunlight, onions typically sprout immediately. They perceive the conditions as the arrival of spring. The same happens if the vegetable is left in the refrigerator for a long time.
Can You Eat Sprouted Onions
Onions with sprouts do not harm the body and do not change in composition, but they become slightly bitter in taste, as the sugar in the bulb is converted into energy for growth, experts explain. Such onions are better used in cooked dishes—stews, fried, and baked—where the bitterness is "suppressed."
Fresh sprouts can also be cut and used instead of green onion tops.
However, in some cases, sprouted onions have only one outcome—the trash bin. The product should be discarded if it:
has become soft or dry;
is covered with dark spots;
is coated with a film.
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