Storing Your Shallot Bulbs
After you’ve planted your shallots, you’ll be waiting impatiently for them to grow so that you can start adding them to your recipes. Once you’ve grown and harvested your shallots, there are four ways to store them as bulbs.
- One is to store them in a string or metal mesh bag.
- Another storage option is to substitute nylon hose for the mesh bag. The tighter mesh of the nylon hose still allows air to circulate around your shallots, but restricts it more than a mesh bag would. So mildew spores have less access to your bulbs.
- Hang the bulbs in a cool, dry location such as a cellar or a basement, if you have one.
- The third option is to store your shallots in the familiar brown paper lunch bag. After you fold the flattened bag lengthwise, use a hole punch to make holes through all the layers along each edge of the bag. The holes should be about 1 inch apart. Fill the bags about half full, fold the top edge down a few times, label the top of the bag according to its contents and the date, paper clip the bags closed, and move them to your storage location.
- Ideally, the location you choose should be between 32°F and 42°F (0°C and 6°C) with a relative humidity between 60 percent to 70 percent, but if you keep your air conditioning turned down to around 70°F (21°C) you might find a closet, cupboard, or drawer that offers a suitable space.
- If the ideal temperature and humidity sound like the crisper drawer in your refrigerator, you’re right. The fourth option is to store your shallot bulbs uncovered in your refrigerator.
Shallots stored in the refrigerator will keep for two weeks while shallots stored in bags in a cool, dry location can be stored for two to six months or longer.
Storing Sliced, Chopped, or Minced Shallots
Sliced, chopped, and minced shallots can be stored in sealed plastic bags or plastic containers with lids in the refrigerator or freezer. However, only use plastic containers for shallots you plan to store in the refrigerator. To prevent freezer burn on shallots that you want to freeze, use freezer bags and press all of the air out of the bags. You can store shallots in the freezer for up to three months, but they will lose crispness. When they thaw, your shallots may have the same texture that they would have if they had been lightly sautéed. You can store sliced, chopped, or minced shallots in your freezer for about two weeks.
