Dehydrating Onions for Storage; Take Advantage of Grocery Store Sales

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

One of the best frugal tricks is to take advantage of food sales when they are offered. Right now, in my part of the country many bulk food from last year’s harvest are going on sale. Basic items like carrots, potatoes, beets, apples, potatoes and onions are at rock bottom prices because they need to clean out the storage facilities.

This is the perfect time to stock up and have them in your pantry for the rest of the year. Of course they won’t store for more than a few weeks in your refrigerator so you can use alternative food storage like freezing, canning and dehydrating.

Last week I went to my local market and big 10 lb bags of onions were selling for $6. What a deal! The problem was, I could tell that some of them were starting to get a little soft, and I live alone. Ten pounds of onions is a lot especially since I probably have a few more in my refrigerator at home.

I quickly did the math in my head, for under $15 I will have enough onions for at least 6 months supply of onions for soups, stews and sauces. It will take me a couple of hours this weekend, but I will use them for months. It makes sense to dehydrate foods for storage.

Other than saving money, I have an article about the benefits of dehydrating foods  here.

So, today I am dehydrating onions.

What do you use to dehydrate your food?

I have been dehydrating for at least ten years, and have been quite satisfied with the Hamilton Beach model. It is easy to use, it has a temperature control as well as a timer.  For serious dehydrating perhaps you need to think about a the Cadillac of dehydrators, the Excalibur but this Hamilton Beach Digital Food Dehydrator has been a great product for me and my needs.

 

Can’t you dehydrate in your oven?

A dehydrator is much better than an oven because ovens tend not to have low enough settings; they will cook the food, where dehydrators use low temperatures and air circulation to extract the liquid in the foods.

If you are just doing a batch of apples, then by all means use your oven, but if you plan on dehydrating more, invest in a dehydrator.

How do you dehydrate onions?

Onions are one of the easiest things in the world to dehydrate.
Hint: You may want to put the dehydrator outside or in the garage for this process, because your home will smell like onions for days.

1. Remove the outer skin
2. I slice the onions thin because they take less time, and some will be pulverized into a powder when they are dry. I use my slicer attachment on my food processor, but you could certainly use a mandoline or knife and cutting board if you don’t mind the tears.
3. Spread evenly on the trays of the dehydrator. I know that some people suggest blanching them first, but I have had terrific results without blanching. Go ahead and experiment with both methods.
I shuffle the trays a few times during the process so the onions dry evenly.
3. Dry thoroughly. This may take from 12 – 18 hours or even longer. Note: if the onions are not thoroughly dried they will mildew in the jar.
4. If you are making homemade onion powder, pulverize in a food processor or coffee grinder.
5, Store in a jar.
6. Walk by and admire your work.

How do you use dehydrated onions?

I am really not a fan of re-hydrated vegetables for use in things like stir fries, I like to use fresh vegetables for those, but as an ingredient in dishes like sauces, stews, scallops, casseroles, soups, these crunchy morsels are absolutely perfect. I think they are wonderful to use in the following recipes:

Homemade Onion Soup Mix

One of my favorite uses for dehydrated onions is to make a homemade onion soup mix. This can be added to meatballs, or meatloaf recipe, used to season gravy, eaten alone as a light mug meal or as a seasoning for pork chops.

1 cup dehydrated onions

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1/2 cup beef bouillon powder

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon paprica

Mix all ingredients in a pint canning jar.  Shake before use.  To use add 2 Tablespoons of mix to 1 cup boiling water.

Lovely dinner for one:

Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the onions have been reconstituted.  Pour into a onion soup bowl, add toasted french bread or croutons and shredded mozzarella cheese.   Broil until the cheese has melted.

Homemade Onion Dip

I love dips for vegetables, crackers and potato chips. Onion dip is a long time favorite that I remember having even in the 70’s.

1 pkg  (8 oz) cream cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

(Add milk if you want it a bit more runny.  You be the judge.)

2 Tablespoons of the Homemade Onion
Soup Mix (see above)

Mix together in a medium bowl until it reaches desired consistency.   Good for crudites or chips.  I have been know to slather it on a piece of toast or a bagel if the mood hits me just right.