We are always looking for better and neater ways to store things like potatoes and onions. (Our readers ask about this regularly.) There are storage boxes like these, and hanging storage too. But we rarely see something new. I just found these hanging vegetable keep sacks from Orka, however, and and now I am rather smitten. These bags have all sorts of great little features; read on to see!
These keep sacks come in three sizes, and they are designed to be hung on a wall or in a pantry. Each sack is made of cotton and linen, and they are machine washable. They each have a drawstring opening at the top, to put vegetables in, and another at the bottom, to let you take them out.
I just really like the design of these sacks. They keep the vegetables in the dark, which helps prevent onions and potatoes from sprouting, and they also look nice on the outside. I love the bright colors, and they even have little details like an onion, potato, or garlic bulb stitched on the outside. The bag design keeps onion skins from shedding all over the kitchen, too.
The potato bag holds 8 pounds, the onion bag 4 pounds, and the garlic bag 2 pounds. This is plenty of room to store enough vegetables for as long as they will keep. I also like how you could just take these, empty, to the grocery store or market and fill them up there, bypassing a plastic bag completely.
The price on these is very reasonable, too. The best price and selection I found was at ReusableBags.com. Crate & Barrel has similar prices, but no onion bag. Amazon also carries these, but for a higher price.
• Vegetable Keep Sacks, $7.95 - $9.95 at ReusableBags.com
• Potato and garlic storage bags, $7.95 - $8.95 at Crate & Barrel
• Potato, Onion, and Garlic & Shallots Bags, $10-$15 apiece at Amazon
Do you own one or more of these? If so, tell us how they work for you!
Related: Tip: Store Garlic and Shallots in a Bamboo Steamer
(Images: Orka by Mastrad; Crate & Barrel)
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Oh my are these ever cute. I love any idea that will free up more counter and storage space, and this certainly fits the bill!
http://operagirlcooks.com
I love these, way better than the random paper bags I have on my counter. But here's a question. Where do I get those colorful little wall mounted hanger thingys from the picture? I don't think a little screw in hook in my dry wall would be able to confidently support 8 lbs of potatoes...
@caliH those are also made by Orka, and they are suction hooks that supposedly hold up to 17 pounds: Multi purpose hook at Orka/Mastrad.
They look like something out of Tremors.
@ Faith D: Thanks for the link to the colorful hooks. I looked at the reviews on Amazon, and it sounds questionable whether they actually work (unfortunate because they look so nice). Has anyone used these before, how did they work for you?
Wow! Who has 2 pounds of garlic?
Can the vegetables "breathe"? That's my problem with potatoes sitting around, that they get moldy.
@aaakid, I think that's the point of the cotton/linen construction. I have left my potatoes in closed bins, too, where they can't breathe, and it's not pretty. I have been looking for something where there was more airflow.
i like that as you add new ones the older ones will still be used first. Thats my problem, as i replenish my bins i often forget to rotate the older ones to the top so i use them first. then i end up with a shriveled sprouted potato in the bottom back corner of my bin.
I've got some other products from Orka- they have awesome stuff!
I wonder how strong the mount has to be to hold a bag of medium sized onions? I bet most magnets wouldn't work and even the sticky back plastic hooks might fail.
These look terrifying. They look like worms to me.
I've been using a stacked bamboo steamer that I bought in Chinatown, NYC - Pearl River, I think. Works great for onions, garlic and shallots. I buy potatoes as I need them, since I don't eat them very often.
OK, I thought about it all week and I took the plunge and bought the potato and onion bags. They are ideal for my current pantry setup. Will report back in a couple months to let you all know how they worked out.
Nice, simple, super!
Faith - I would love an update on these - did you like them? Thanks!
Hey @Faith- where's that update?