I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
Speed tip: Freeze chopped green onions in plastic drink bottles
I’ve written previously about freezing chopped green onions or fresh herbs to speed up prep time and reduce spoilage, but a twist is using plastic drink bottles as handy dispensers. When freezing chopped green onions, put them into an old water bottle that you’ve washed, and use a permanent marker to label the bottle cap with the contents. Freeze. To use, simply remove the cap, shake out just as much as you need, replace the cap and return to the freezer. The clear bottle allows you to quickly see what’s inside, and shaking things out of a bottle is faster than spooning them out of a freezer container. I use them in cooked dishes like fried rice, microwave mixed rice, soups, curries or scrambled egg purses — you name it.
Remember that moisture is your enemy in freezing, so be sure to dry the green onions thoroughly before chopping to prevent freezer burn. I used a large funnel to get the chopped scallions into the bottle, but you could also cut another plastic bottle in half around the middle and turn it over on top of the larger bottle, creating a do-it-yourself funnel. Green onions do become a bit soft in freezing, so they’re best used in cooked dishes as opposed to salads. Use within three weeks of freezing for best quality.
BTW, today (Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008) is the last day to use the 20% off coupon code a15447 at Reusable Bags (after the 3rd, coupon code FREEACME should still be valid to for a free ACME Reusable Shopping Bag on orders over US$50). In addition to reusable bags, they also sell lead-free lunch gear, lunch kits, lunchboxes, reusable bottles and the lead-free Laptop Lunchbox (they ship internationally). Their FAQ on health and safety issues is helpful in learning the latest about lead and plastic concerns. (Disclosure: affiliate links)
FURTHER READING:
- Speed technique: Freezing chopped herbs
- Pack a “rice lid” on top of stew/curry in a food jar
- Master recipe for Thai curry
- Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews
February 3rd, 2008 | Categories: freezing, glutenfree, lactose free, parenthacks, tips, vegetarian | 
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February 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
That’s brilliant.
I’ve got two bunches in the crisper that are dying for the freezing treatment.
Great tip, Biggie, thanks!
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I just discovered your website and am very excited by it. I feel inspired to learn how to create bento boxes to take to work (I’m very, very bored with the things I usually bring for lunch). I’ve subscribed to your feed and look forward to more inspiration!
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
What a smart idea!
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
[...] in Daily life at 1:56 pm by LeisureGuy From Lunch in a Box: Today (Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008) is the last day to use the 20% off coupon code a15447 at Reusable [...]
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Thanks for this tip! I am always sad about how fast green onions wilt in the fridge and this looks like a very easy way to save them.
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I love this idea! I never use up all the scallions before they turn, and I can’t believe I didn’t think to freeze them. But this idea is even better! Thanks!
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February 3rd, 2008 at 11:22 pm
@1 from Kari: Ooh, perfect. Chop ‘em up before they rot!
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
@2 from Kathee: Thanks, Kathee, and welcome! Feel free to leave comments or questions even on old posts; I keep up with them via the Recent Comments widget in the right-hand column.
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:26 pm
@3 from Nicole: Thanks, Nicole! It’s a pretty standard tip in Japanese-language freezing books — I’ve seen it in at least three different books now.
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
@5 from Amber in Portland: I don’t think frozen green onions are a total substitute for fresh because of the texture issue, but I certainly take advantage of freezing them when they’re on the verge of going off because I didn’t use them up fast enough. The trick is in being smart about which dishes to use them in (i.e. cooked dishes, not fresh/raw).
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:32 pm
@6 from Sadaf Trimarchi: Thanks, Sadaf! Definitely use them fresh while they’re still nice, but as you say, freezing is a good way to save them before they go bad forever…
February 4th, 2008 at 1:45 am
I’d have guessed that they would freeze togeter to a big block that couldn’t be shaked out of it’s container…
I really have to try it.
February 4th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Awesome tip. I finally have a use for the water bottles I hoard because I hate sending them to the landfill.
An easy funnel tip is to cut the top off a plastic milk jug, leaving the jugs handle attached. You can slip smaller funnels inside it, and the handle gives you a steadier hand and prevents burning with hot items.
February 4th, 2008 at 7:12 am
@12 from Balu: No, I tried it — no big block. The trick is to dry them as much as possible before freezing, and to give them a little shake once they’re frozen.
February 4th, 2008 at 7:14 am
@13 from Jenny: Nice tip on the milk jug funnel, thanks!
February 4th, 2008 at 7:20 am
What a wonderful idea! Too bad I have brown, soggy onions in my fridge.
I’ll definitely remember to save a water bottle -plus, I’m so glad to know that fresh herbs can be chopped and frozen, too. Thanks, Biggie! 
February 4th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Hi! I’ve been reading this blog for a bit and ADORE the techs and recipes! I’ve only started packing bento for my hubby in the morning and man…6AM kills!
Aside, this is a great idea! I’ll be sure to try it out the next time I get some herbs…and water bottles hahaa!
Oh! I’ve also stumbled across some Lock&Lock containers!
http://www.giantsuperfoodstores.com/
I’m not sure whether this is solely a Pennsylvania shopping chain or not, but if it’s available across the nation, GIANT has a very good selection of Lock&Lock containers!
February 4th, 2008 at 9:49 am
@16 from oh_mom: Argh, brown, soggy onions bad. Definitely check out some of the reader comments on the other entry on freezing herbs — there are some good ideas in there as well.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:55 am
@17 from Jenii: Thanks for the kind words, Jenii! Thanks also for the tip on the Lock & Locks at Giant — their website certainly doesn’t make it easy to find store locations, does it? Lock & Lock containers are great, I totally recommend them. Very durable, watertight, and good in the dishwasher (but a little plain-looking).
February 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
You know, if you spread them out on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer for an hour, THEN stick them in the bottle, they’ll be dry and won’t clump. This works for berries, chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, and other veggies and fruits.
I’m going to go home and slice those extra green onions tonight! Got my bottle all ready.
February 4th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
What a fabulous idea! I just bought some green onions today that are getting the frozen treatment now!!
If anyone has a Trader Joe’s near them - they sell frozen cubes of herbs (cilantro, parsley, green onions, ginger…) that are cheap and easy for popping into something you’re cooking.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:35 am
[...] * A great tip for storing frozen chopped green onions at Lunch in a Box [...]
February 5th, 2008 at 7:36 am
@20 from Cindi: You’re absolutely right about flash-freezing the green onions on a cookie sheet beforehand, but at the moment I can only dream of having that much flat, empty space in my freezer…
February 5th, 2008 at 7:37 am
@21 from Monica: You might want to keep one or two fresh ones aside if you need their crisp, raw texture in anything you’re making. Good tip on the Trader Joe’s frozen herb cubes, or you can always make your own if you’re so inclined.
February 6th, 2008 at 11:53 am
This is great.
It seems like a lot of people have extra green onions in their kitchen, I’m one of them
I’m off to the kitchen to do some freezing before they turn brown and yucky.
Thanks for the tip, you saved some onions from doom.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
@25 from Anat: Glad to hear I’m making a difference in the world, one bunch of green onions at a time!
February 8th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Wow. Such a simple idea, wish I thought of it. I love it. Thanks!
February 9th, 2008 at 2:44 am
@27 from Y.: My pleasure, Y, thanks!
April 14th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I’m so glad I found your website (stumbling). These are fantastic ideas. I always wondered if you could freeze cilantro as we can never use it all before it goes bad. I am assuming (from the photo above) that cilantro can be frozen the same way as the green onions?
April 14th, 2008 at 11:58 am
@29 from Foodaholic: Yes, you can freeze cilantro (coriander) the same way, but it takes more of a hit in terms of texture (get soggy, so suitable only for cooking, not sprinkling fresh over dishes). I have luck keeping cilantro washed, then rolled up inside of a length of paper towel, then inside a plastic bag in the refrigerator. If you can find cilantro with the roots still attached, it’ll keep longer as well. I read about people having good luck standing cilantro up inside of a cup with a little water at the bottom and a plastic bag over the top, but I have better luck with the paper towel method.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
[...] Frühlingszwiebeln waschen, gut abtrocknen, schneiden und in leeren kleinen Plastikflaschen einfrosten. [...]
June 10th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Hi - I love the idea of a freezer shaker! Where I live has several versions of the “pop” bottle including wider-mouth versions for juice and such.
That said, a cookie sheet and an afternoon or overnight to pre-freeze does not take much space. I tend to freeze sliced mushrooms, grape tomatoes,green onions,diced peppers, leftover sliced onions and tiny cubes of older cheese all on ONE cookie sheet or recycled foil plates and then put them in individual tupperware containers after they are frozen.
I line each with sections of parchment or wax paper and these become my ‘funnels’. Then it is all done at once. Once a week is preferred as new produce replace the tired ones…
The “shaker” aspect makes this method much more user friendly for adding to dishes where texture is not as important. Soups, stews, omelettes, some pizzas and marinated salads do not appear to recognize the difference!
To me having them not freeze clumped together helps get it out of the “bottle-shaker”.
I enjoyed reading everyone’s comments.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
[...] be used for cooking, not raw, afterwards), I discovered Biggie at Lunch in a Box. She recommends freezing green onions and chopped herbs in plastic bottles, so that they are simple to pour out and measure when adding them to a recipe. Brilliant! Why [...]
September 28th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
What a cool idea! Now I know what to do with any extra scallions from the garden. Thanks!
October 19th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Hi Biggie,
Have you ever successfully frozen Vidalia or sweet onions? I often have half of a diced onion leftover and it would be great to save them for a future dish.
Thanks!
October 20th, 2008 at 9:54 am
@35 from ~M: I haven’t tried freezing onions before, but my excellent Japanese freezing book (Shufu no Tomo’s Reito Hozon & Tsukaikiri Tokuwaza) says you can totally do it. They show three examples: sliced raw onions (in a freezer bag, squish/suck excess air out of the bag), sauteed or caramelized sliced onions (in a freezer bag, excess air removed from the bag), and salted sliced raw onions. Their conservative guide says to use up frozen raw onions within 2 weeks, and frozen cooked onions within 3 weeks (although this is a very conservative guide that’s looking for the peak flavor and quality — you could still eat them after this period).
May 15th, 2009 at 11:32 am
This is a great tip that I will use immediately, thanks! Plastic bottles are great when you can find ways to reuse them!
May 30th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Thanks for that tip. We planted too many onions and they’ve all come in at once (duh!~) and I didn’t know what to do with them! Thanks!
May 31st, 2009 at 5:41 am
Wow, I just stumbled on this website and I love it, I am going to go chop up my chives now and put it in an empty water bottle - great idea.
June 4th, 2009 at 11:49 am
what a great tip for reusing plastic bottles. how useful!
June 13th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I know a lot of people are very much against plastic bags but I live in a tiny trailer that has less floor space than an average one car garage, need less to say, my freezer space is small too.
When I moved in I found a box of the “snack size” freezer bags. I have problems with very dry skin and any time I chop strongly scented foods it takes forever to get the smell out of my skin (Yes, I’ve tried lemons and stainless steel and all of it.) So when I DO chop up onions and garlic and ginger and green onions (and since it’s just ME here, I make several portions because I don’t need that much) I freeze them in those “snack size” baggies, label them, double wrap them ( and after usuing them keep the “exterior baggies” to become the “interior baggies” of the next set) and they fit very neatly in the corners I can’t get anything else to jam into in my freezer. It takes very little time on the counter or even in the fridge for things o thaw.
September 6th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
this is very dangerous tip as i know freezing a bottle of water is not good because it has some chemicals that they dislove when you freeze it and these chemicals leads to cancer!
January 19th, 2010 at 1:05 am
[...] your cut green onions (in a bottle!) instead of throwing away 9/10 of the [...]
July 21st, 2010 at 11:05 am
this is a great site,so much to learn and we are never too old to learn.love making soups,trying lettuce soup today it looks rather inviting.thank you AUDREY aquartermain@msn.com
August 4th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
my husband went over the top with onions this season; red & white and all ready to harvest @ the same time. We’re hoping to store the bulb and needed a way to make the greens last. Now we know! thanks so much (he’s all ready to plant more sets tomorrow!) ps.I love onions but note that onions right out of the ground are STRONGer flavor than anything you’ll ever find in the store.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
My favorite thing to do with extra green onions? Plant them? I keep a spare pot in the garden specifically for green onions. Most of the recipes I use either only use the greens (which I can then clip/let regrow) or will only use a couple of the whites at a time. Meanwhile, they not only keep, they grow, becoming big onions if I ignore them too long (oh, darn the bad luck!)
July 4th, 2011 at 8:34 am
This is so smart! I never use up all my scallions and hate that they go to waste. Thank you so much!
August 21st, 2011 at 6:20 pm
I just found your site today and I am so lucky to find you. I have tried freezing cilantro and just removed what I needed, I never thought about all of the other possibilities. thanks for all the wonderful ideas!!
August 24th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Thank you for posting this! You are brilliant. I found your blog via Pinterest
September 12th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
[...] Freeze green onions in plastic bottles ~ in a lunch box [...]
October 4th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
This is a great idea! Our green onions almost always go bad before we can eat them all. Thanks so much for sharing.
November 15th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
[...] Stuff the wrapped green onions into your freezer bag. I close the bag until only a centimeter or so of the freezer bag is open. I push to get the air out and then suck in to create my own suction. I realize this is a kind of “ghetto” way to do this, I found a creative way to freeze green onions here. [...]
December 13th, 2011 at 11:23 am
[...] http://lunchinabox.net/2008/02/03/freeze-green-onions-in-plastic-drink-bottles/ [...]
December 29th, 2011 at 11:30 am
[...] For more on freezing your green onions, check out Lunchinabox.net. [...]
February 1st, 2012 at 4:52 am
[...] saw this on the most addictive website ever created. Thank youuuuu pinterest! It took me to this blog which you should check out to read more about freezing things like green onions/fresh herbs (!!) [...]