VERIFY QUESTION

An good ole onion is a cooking stable. It can make you cry, but can it also cause real pain? If you put a sliced onion in the fridge, can it develop deadly toxins?

That's what Good Morning Show viewer Brenda Hall Roberson asked us to VERIFY. She had seen this post, shared nearly 300,000 times. It reads, "Dangerous! Share with everyone! Please remember it's dangerous to cut an onion and try to use it to cook the next day... it becomes highly poisonous for even a single night, which may cause adverse stomach infections."

VERIFY SOURCE

To get to the bottom of this post and claim, we consulted one of our regular VERIFY sources -- Katie Jordanhazy, a registered dietitian at Novant Health.

VERIFY PROCESS

Jordanhazy said this is a myth stemming from a 2008 blog post that resurfaces now and then. The post incorrectly claims that a potato salad spoiled due to the onions, when in reality it spoiled due to the mayonnaise.

She explained the USDA has done extensive research on food storage. You can safely store chopped or sliced onions for seven to 10 days. If you buy pre-cut or frozen products, use the manufacturer's 'use by' date.

VERIFY CONCLUSION

This post is yet another example of why you should do your research and not share false information.

You're fine to put a sliced onion in your fridge, even though it might be a bit stinky.