Do Shallots Go Bad?

Shallots and onions alike have a pretty long shelf life. Knowing id shallots go bad is important to know before using them in your dish.

Shallots are known to add a great flavor to many dishes. Maybe you got a little excited after watching a cooking show and you went out and bought a few too many shallots.

More than you can use up in a week or two.

No worries! I am here to tell you how and where to store them so that they last you a while and your shallots don’t go bad. Here is a great post on how to cut shallots that might be helpful too.

So, do shallots go bad?

Yes, shallots do go bad eventually. They can last anywhere from 2-4 weeks at room temperature. Keeping them in a dry, cool location like a pantry is a great place to store them.

To help keep them lasting even longer you can keep shallots for up to 3-6 months stored in the fridge.

How to know if shallots have gone bad

It is important to know when shallots are bad or not before you cook with them. Look them over and make sure that they aren’t growing any mold or oozing any juices.

1. How do the shallots feel?

Shallots that have gone bad will become soft and mushy. Once they get to this point they can start to leak liquid which is another sign that it is time for them to go.

2. how do the shallots look?

Another way to tell if your shallots have gone bad is if they look yellow. A good shallot will be a light red in color and the papery skin with be a whitish color with a little bit of pinkish-purple at the ends.

3. How do the shallots smell?

You might also notice an off smell to them. Shallots don’t usually have much of a smell to them so if they have a mildew smell or sour smell to them they should be thrown out.

How to store shallots

There are a couple of ways that you can store shallots. Depending on how quickly you think you are going to use them will help you decided the best place for you to store them.

Room temperature

Like onions, you can store shallots in your pantry for a month or so before they start to get mushy or oozing liquid. If your environment is humid you might be better off storing them in the fridge.

You want to make sure that when you store shallots that you keep them away from ethylene-producing fruits and veggies because they give off the ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening process.

Refrigerator

Shallots are sure to last you quite a while when you store them in the fridge.

Keeping them in the crisping drawer where the moisture and humidity are just right for storing vegetables will allow you to keep shallots for upwards of 6 months.

This will allow you to buy that bag of shallots and be sure to sure them all before they start to go bad.

If you have cut-up shallots ahead of time or have leftover cut shallots, you can keep them in the fridge for up to a week as long as they are in a tightly sealed container.