HOW TO STORE ONIONS

Hope you remember I told you I will be back with more! Yes,because we have known how healthy onions can be I am sure you will like to preserve it this time so you can always have it. But before then let see some of the few varieties we have so we can store them better. 

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    Brown and White onions    yellow onions and red onion

HOW TO STORE ONIONS

1. Green onion and leeks are optimally stored refrigerated.
2. Moreover, it can also be kept in a mesh bag in a dry, cool, dark, well ventilated location making it to last for three to four weeks.

Do you also know that onions can absorb odors and from other food stuffs if stored together?

Have you wondered why onions decay?

Hmm I’m sure you are guessing what could probably be the cause

• Well, onions have the ability to draw moisture from their environment and especially when stored together with other vegetables.

• Should you cut onions more than you planned to use, you can optimally tightly wrap, stored away from other produce, and used within two to three days.

So next time when you buy your onions make sure you protect it so you can have nutritious meals from them all the time.

Health Benefits of ONIONS

In my previous post,i talked about how to prevent irritations when cutting onions to prepare that delicious recipe, hope you like it?
Many people like using onions in the stews and recipes, but have you ever thought of the health benefits of onions?

What would life be like without onions? The onion has been used as an ingredient in various dishes for thousands of years by many cultures around the world and there is no Ghanaian dish prepared without the use of onions.World onion production is steadily increasing so that onion is now the second most important horticultural crop after tomatoes. There are many different varieties of onion, red, yellow, white, and green, each with their own unique flavor, from very strong to mildly sweet. Onions can be eaten raw, cooked, fried, dried or roasted. They are commonly used to flavor dips, salads, soups, spreads, stir-fry and other dishes.

My next post talks about the health benefit of  onions and after this i would teach you how to store them, in case you find abundant of onions at the market.

BENEFITS OF ONIONS 

• Onion is the richest dietary source of quercitin, a potent antioxidant (also in shallots, yellow and red onions only but not in white onions), which is specifically linked to inhibiting human stomach cancer. 

Quercitin in onions also thins the blood, lowers cholesterol, raises good-type HDL cholesterol (preferred dose: half a raw onion a day), wards off blood clots, fight asthma, chronic bronchitis, hay fever, diabetes, atherosclerosis and infections.

chew the onions

• Onions have also been shown to have a significant blood sugar-lowering action, even comparable to some prescription drugs.  The active compound that seems to be responsible for lowering glucose works by competing with insulin for breakdown sites in the liver, thereby increasing the life span of insulin. 
• Onions contain a number of sulfides similar to those found in garlic which may lower blood lipids and blood pressure

• Do you know onions can treat asthma? Yes,Onions have historically been used to treat asthma, too. Its action in asthma is due to its ability to inhibit the production of compounds that cause the bronchial muscle to spasm and to relax bronchial muscle.

• Onions have a variety of medicinal effects. Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects. In Chinese medicine, onions have been used to treat angina, coughs, bacterial infections, and breathing problems

What Next?

I can go on and on sharing with you the health benefits of onions and why you should always have some in your favorite Ghanaian Dish.But Remember, make sure to visit your local Banku and Tilapia Joint and never forget  add onions to your meko. What do you think about this post, have your say

WHY DO ONIONS CAUSE IRRITATION TO THE EYE?

 Hi there,after years of battling to share my knowledge in food science with the world, I am finally here. 

Today, I begin a journey that would spark a burning desire among food lovers in Ghana and the rest of the world. Haven acquired a BSc Food science and technology from the KNUST, Ghana; I have been inspired by a colleague to share all that I know in food science i.e food  processing, food product development,food chemistry  etc with the rest of the world.

So what am I going to blog about? I asked. Then I said to myself what better way to start blogging than to blog about the significance and functions of major ingredients that all and sundry use to make some delicious Ghanaian foods, that makes you hunger for more.

The ever delicious, Light Soup with Fufu, Banku with Okro Stew,Yam and Palava Sauce all contain one common ingredient onions. Can you imagine what the stew you ate yesterday would have been like without onions. Just think of it, eating Ga Kenkey with Shito and no Onions to accompany it? So let’s talk about Onions.

WHY DO ONIONS CAUSE IRRITATION TO THE EYE?

If you a typical Ghanaian women and love to cook, you may have a common experience with the irritation  caused by onions. This irritation makes you cry  when no one has beaten you, So what causes this irritations when cutting onions and how to you prevent them?

Onions are often chopped and used as ingredient in various hearty warm dishes like soups, stews, salads in combination with other ingredients: but not withstanding, they are often used as a main ingredient in their own right, for example in French onion soup or onion chutney.

Though most people enjoy chopped or sliced onions in their diet, they usually experience eye irritation in the process. This is due to the breakdown of amino acid sulphoxide into sulphenic acids. A specific sulfenic acid is rapidly rearranged resulting in the production of volatile gas called onion lachrymatory factor or LF which diffuses into the air and eventually reaches the eye, where it activates sensory neurons, creating a stinging sensation resulting in the tear glands produce tears to dilute and flush out the irritant.

PREVENTING EYE IRRITATION WHEN CUTTING ONIONS.

onions in my eye

I believe you enjoy chewing chopped onions in your stew, but you hate the process of cutting this onion because of the irritation accompanying it. So how do we prevent the  eye irritation when cutting onions?

Here are some few tips

• ·         Cut onions under running water or submerged in a basin of water.

• ·          Chilling or freezing onions prevents the enzymes from activating, limiting the amount of gas generated

• ·         Not cutting off the root of the onion (or by doing it last), as the root of the onion has a higher concentration of enzymes

• ·          Using a sharp blade to chop onions will limit the cell damage and the release of enzymes that drive the irritation response.

• ·         Having a fan blow the gas away from the eyes

• ·         Wearing goggles or any eye protection that creates a seal around the eye.

The amount of sulfenic acids and LF released and the irritation effect differs among different species of onions eg. Spring or green onions.

WHAT NEXT?

Well, in my next post I would like to take you on the journey down the Onion road. We would learn about some health benefits of onions. So that when you visit your favorite Kenkey joint, you can force Akwele Mami to add more onions to your shito. Stay tuned.