Tuesday, 01 March 2011
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Never Cry While Cutting an Onion Again!
It seems impossible to cut an onion without crying. Sometimes it gets to the point where I just have to stop because I can't take it anymore! There are many supposed things you can do in order to decrease the reaction or attempt to eliminate it entirely. Perhaps some of these will help YOU out!
When you cut an onion, the root, also known as the basal plate, releases an enzyme. This particular enzyme reacts with the rest of the onion to then release a gas. When this gas combines with water (i.e. in your eyes), it creates a type of acid. Acidic eyes are sure to make you cry.
You could just wear goggles, but that just seems silly (though it would most likely be very effective and probably worth a shot!). Below are some ideas you can give a try to never cry again.
- Chew a piece of gum
- Breathe through your mouth (I often do this, but find that it doesn't entirely stop the process of crying from happening. If it is a small onion it works pretty good, though.)
- Light a candle and keep it near your chopping board (the gases released will be attracted to the flame and go in that direction)
- Chill the onion in the freezer before cutting it (this will help to slow the release of the enzymes)
- Cut the root, the piece mainly responsible for your crying, out of the onion first (about 1/3 of the onions width in diameter and also 1/3 of the way deep)
Personally, I plan on giving all of these a try and seeing what works best. Hopefully I will have some successful results!
What works for you when cutting an onion to avoid crying? What have you heard that doesn't actually work?
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- From: aliconklin
- Name: Ali Conklin
- Location: New York City, New York, United States
- About Me: I am a college student in New York City who loves to cook and be cooked for. There is nothing more satisfying than a delicious meal.
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Comments (39)
My roomie wears her lab goggles and it actually does work.
I run the knife through a lemon or lime first. It works every single time.
my aunt swears by the candle trick; i've seen her do that for years. for little onions, i do the breathing through the mouth trick. for big onions, i'll run a little water in the sink and slice in it. i read somewhere a long time ago that the water would keep the gases from getting into your eyes. it works, but you have to be ever-mindful of your knife hand so you don't slip >.<
You know, for the longest time I haven't had problems with onions making me cry until I read that contacts kinda block the gases from getting to your eyes.
Working in a professional kitchen for most of my life, the truth is you just get used to it after a while haha. Chewing gum doesn't help, but being near a fan helps a lot (or any well ventilated area).
If you think onions make you cry, try mixing a gallon of wasabi powder. THATS fucking tough man
@SupperMick@xanga - hahaha, that's hardcore.
Nothing helps me =/
Everything in the onion family can make me cry, no matter how mild it is, and I've been cutting them shits for years on a regular basis. I usually just try to avoid the situation by using a slap chop haha. It's awkward to have someone walk in the kitchen when you're mincing garlic or slicing scallions and go, "Oh my god, what's wrong?!"
I usually chill the onion when I can.
I'll definitely try out some of these tricks very very soon! I was using a lot of onion for various dishes last week and tears were just running down my face non-stop... it was horrible.
oh my god i have to try these, i literally bawl my eyes out when cutting, and run out of the room in agony! my boyfriend always tries to get me to put a spoon in my mouth? does that even work? i just think hes being weird? lol
Hmmm...I need to try these ideas. It's not worth dragging out the food processor to chop ONE onion, you know?
@AnonymousBlonde@xanga - You have a slap chop, huh? Does it actually work? Haha I've been so curious, cool idea but I don't want to waste the money if it is a piece of crap
@aliconklin - It's not an actual slap chop, it's a different brand, but it's the same type of kitchen gadget. It does actually work, but it's not worth it for small quantities of finely chopped or minced ingredients (like garlic) because more of the ingredient gets caught in the blade protector than gets cut up and it's a pain to constantly clean it out and chop it up. If you want to power through onions, shallots, celery, carrots, mushrooms, decent sized hunks of ginger, etc in a short amount of time for a recipe though, it really does come in handy because it cuts your prep time in half at least.
Onions don't affect me too much, but I'd probably go straight to the goggles.
Actually none of those things have ever worked for me... The only thing that works is lemon juice.
I splash a little on the cutting board, and viola, no sore eyes. For me, it's not just watery eyes, it's HELLA PAINFUL. I've taken to splashing some lemon juice in the pan when I'm cooking them too. It works every time. ^o^
A chef I know explained it very well on his blog... link is here.
Thanks for posting this! So awesome! I live in India so I cut onions every day. So hard!!
If you have contacts, they actually act as built-in goggles
I didn't realize this until I experienced it for myself. I worked at a coffee shop and sometimes cut up onions so they could make sandwiches for the day, and I always wondered why people thought onions made you cry because they never affected me that way. One day I came to work without wearing my contacts and MAN did my eyes water and burn!
I break out my Ninja and use that to kill all my vegetables and fruits. Works like a charm.
@Heather_Also@xanga - Hmm I've never heard of this lemon juice remedy, I'll have to give it a try!
@getawayfine@xanga - Weird! I have contacts and I think my eyes burn more when I am wearing them as opposed to my glasses. Maybe it depends on the type of contacts? Haha
@freesia39@xanga - I wear contacts too and I never cry. Meanwhile my husband will walk into the kitchen and immediately tear up. Haha.
@aliconklin - You should! =D It's the sole reason I am still cooking. I literally CANNOT cut onions without the lemon juice. My eyes and the skin around the eyes burns to the point where the pain is unbearable. =(
I luv cooking, and I luv the taste of onions, so I was pretty frustrated until that chef's blog post. ^o^ It's so quick and easy too. That's what I luv about it. =]
It all depends on the way you cut it. I used to cry something chronic when I chopped onions, then when I moved to the technique I currently use - that's all about limiting the release of the juices/enzymes - I haven't cried in oh, years.
I chew gum
I wear contacts. Onions haven't bothered me since I started wearing them.