Onions, shallots, and garlic will keep for months in a cool, dry, dark place. Leeks, scallions, and chives all need to be refrigerated. Keep them tightly wrapped so their flavors don't permeate milk, cheese, eggs, and butter.

Chives are perhaps the easiest allium to grow yourself. They do well in a pot on the windowsill.

Stored garlic cloves can develop green shoots in the center; remove them before cooking, since they can taste bitter and burn easily.

For a dramatic look, cut green onions diagonally when sautéing.

Use scissors to snip chives; chopping with a knife can tear them.

Be careful when you sauté garlic; burnt garlic will add an acrid, bitter flavor to the finished dish. When cooking onions and garlic together, add the garlic after the onions have begun to soften.

Sometimes an onion browns quickly or exudes lots of juice when sautéed. This is due to its high sugar content -- the sweeter the onion, the quicker it will brown and caramelize.

To make short work of peeling small onions and shallots, place them in a large bowl, cover with boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain. The skins should come off easily.

Dirt is sometimes trapped between the layers of leeks. To clean, cut the root end, then slit the leek lengthwise. Fan the layers out, and rinse under cold water.

When peeling a shallot, remove a couple of the outer layers along with the peel. You might need an extra shallot to make up for the discarded layers, but this method is a lot faster than removing only the thin peel.