Julia Child found a simple way to keep onions fresh for months, and all it takes is a pair of pantyhose. Her Depression-era storage hack is still brilliant today.
Julia Child wasn’t just a culinary icon: She was a practical home cook at heart. Long before she brought French cuisine to American kitchens, she was the queen of making do. The “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” author knew that good food starts with good ingredients, and that includes how you store them.
Proper storage can mean the difference between a firm, flavorful onion and one that’s sad, soft and sprouting on your countertop. A bad onion is a bad start to a recipe. Luckily, Julia had a clever little trick for avoiding that.
How did Julia Child store onions?
Forget fancy storage bins or modern produce keepers—Julia Child used pantyhose. Yes, really. According to an anecdote from the New York Times, she’d drop an onion into one leg of the hosiery, tie a knot above it, then add another onion, repeating the process until she had a string of spaced-out alliums. The result? An efficient, breathable storage system that kept onions fresh for months.
The logic is simple (and brilliant). Onions need air circulation to stay dry and firm, and pantyhose provide the perfect balance of airflow and separation. Each knot prevented moisture and rot from spreading between onions, and when she needed one, she simply snipped it off with scissors. No digging through a pile of bulbs or weeding out mushy ones.
It’s an idea born of Depression-era thriftiness and French kitchen practicality. And, honestly? It’s as effective today as it was then. (Bonus: It’s a great excuse to upcycle those old tights from the back of your drawer.)
What are other ways to keep onions fresh?
If pantyhose storage feels a little too…intimate, there are other tried-and-true options. Mesh bags, wire baskets or even old-fashioned onion keepers with ventilation holes work well, as long as the onions stay cool, dry and well-aerated. Skip the fridge. It traps moisture and leads to spoilage. Instead, aim for a dark corner of your pantry, away from potatoes, which release gases that make onions sprout faster.
Julia’s trick reminds us that smart cooking isn’t just about the recipes—it’s about resourcefulness. And if storing onions in a pair of nylons keeps them fresh longer? Well, we think Julia would say, bon appétit!
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