What's the secret to chopping/slicing onions without crying?!
Answers: Do you guys cry when you slice or chop onions? Whenever I watch a cooking show, the cooks never cry when they chop/slice onions! I want to be able to do that! Is there a secret to all that?
A few suggestions
Put an unpeeled onion in the freezer and freeze it for 20 minutes before chopping/ slicing/ cutting it. You will not ‘cry’ because the sulfuric compounds contained in the onion do not react with the air as quickly when they are cold.
Cut a cone at the bottom of the onion, the root end, roughly about a third of the diameter of the onion and about 1/3 deep. Throw it away and chop the onion the usual way without crying.
Light two fragrant candles close to you when slicing onions. Not only do the candles smell great they also burn up the fumes that cause the tears.
Peel the onion, cut it in half and soak it in water for a few minutes before cutting it. The water dilutes the sulfuric compounds.
Do’s
The easy way out is to use swimming goggles while chopping onions. Works like a charm though the sulfuric fumes fog up your vision from time to time.
Use a food processor to chop onions.
Don’ts
Don’t use a blunt knife to chop or cut onions. A sharp knife releases less sulfuric fumes as compared to a blunt knife.
Don’t keep your mouth open while chopping onions.
probably keep your face as far as possible while chopping.
Do It Under Running Water.
get a small fan to blow the fumes away
I found that if I keep the tips of my fingers out from under the knife blade that helps greatly! Hope that works out for you!
Eat Gum .. Trust me..
get contacts ( even if u dont need them just get the ones withou perscription it helps alot)
cut them under running water
1. soak them in cold water for 15 minutes
2. slice it in half, then put the sliced side down and slice away!!
Cut the onion in half & then run cold water over it. It works for me all the time.
A really, really sharp knife helps. Also, if you cut the onions in your sink under water, no more tears.
The smell that comes off of the onions goes directly above it so If you keep your head a good distance away, you should be fine. Also, if you whistle it helps a lot.
chop it in water, or else i know that they sell these onion chopper things that are supposed to not make you cry. fortunoff has some
Chew Gum while chopping the onions.
i'm the one at work, while i still worked in the kitchen, that had to cut the onions every day i was there. they're so messy. all i did though was breathe in through my mouth and i was fine. also, i wear contacts, so not a single tear came out as opposed to when i wore glasses and my eyes burned. it may seem silly, but try a pair of safety goggles for when you swim or something :)
My mom had the same problem.
Chew gum while chopping the onions.
Not sure why it works but it does.
Also, chopping them under cold water helps too.
The secret to chopping onions without tears is a very sharp knife. Dull knives crush and tear the cells of food, rather than cut it, releasing more fumes and fluid. It's the fumes from crushed cells that rise to make you cry.
I watched an episode with Alton Brown's Good Eats and he had a super quick way to dice onions. Peel off the cover layer, cut the onion in half. With the half facing down, cut slices lenghtwise into the onion every 20/30 degrees depending on how small you want the onion bits BUT don't slice it completely to the top of the onion...where all the layers are being held together. Once you have sliced all around the onion, you turn it sideways and cut into the diced shape. You leave the top of the onion intact so the onion doesn't fall apart on you while you're cutting. Of course, if you take forever to cut the onions, the fumes will get to you and make you tear up. This was definitely alot faster than how I learned it in cooking school and just as effective. If you have a range hood, it's good to turn it on and cut near or under it so the fumes get sucked up.
they don't be straight over the onions
Put them in the fridge first, but a sharp knife is the most important thing.
There is a urban legend that people with blue eyes are more sensitive than people with blue eyes.
Use a really sharp knife and cut quickly.
Dull knife will release more of the juices that will make you tear up.
1. chop ur onions in a bowl with water make sure that the knife is very sharp
2. don't breath
haven't tried this yet. but i think it works they showed this in Boy&Kris a show in the Philippines
ok a very short answer but a very good one i have worked in a kitchen for almost 10 years take a candle and light it beside u were u are cutting and i give u my word it will be no more tears.. i cant explain it but it works great
Well chewing gum is a big help and put them under water if u dont got gum or forgot water a food processor those things will help big time it helps me hope it helps u
hehe when i was younger i would wear goggles (but i dont think u want to do that)
My Dad used to put a match in his mouth when chopping onions, (phosphorous end out, and unlit of course:) I know it sounds crazy but he always swore by it.