At a family reunion, my sister-in-law told me I was cutting onions wrong and told me how her chef friend had told her a much better way.
Her way creates uniform pieces. You can use this method to dice or mince, simply by changing the width of the cuts (I usually make 1/2 inch cuts for a dice, and 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch cuts for a mince).
Here is that method, and the best way to explain it is to use pictures (Actually, video would work better, but I’m not quite ready to be on camera yet). If it doesn’t make sense, let me know, and I’ll fix it as I come up with better ideas.
1. Using a sharp knife, cut the onion in half, right through the skin. Peel the skin off both halves.
2. Place each half, cut side down, on a cutting board. The root ends will serve as an anchor, holding the pieces together until you are finished cutting. Cut off the brown papery part on the shoot end and discard.
3. Make radial incisions into the onion (like the rays of the sun), ending about three-fourths of the way to the root.
4. Cut across the radial cuts until you reach the root end.
5. To rid your hands of the onion smell, rub the edge of a stainless steel spoon over your skin. Wash hands with soap and water. Repeat as necessary.
Aha!
And I was cutting in the opposite direction all this time……
Thanks for the tutorial!
Always good to find a better way to do things!
Thanks for the helpful tip.
Yes, but how do you cut it without crying? I’ve tried all the tricks and tips that I have seen, but the only way I can do it is to have Grant cut while I wait in another room until the fumes are gone.
I used this last night when I was chopping onion for a salad and WOW ~ it was awesome! I had another way that I tried to copy off some cooking show but it was always hard…this was so easy and produced perfectly cut little onions! Thanks for sharing!
I learned this from Martha Stewart and have been doing it ever since. It really is a great method.
@ Connie: Ever heard of a gas mask? :p
@connie Make sure you chop onions with a very sharp knife. If the knife is dull, the flesh is crushed rather than sliced cleanly through and produces more fumes.
@Connie @Seanni @Jason You know what helps the most for me?
Contact lenses!
Try some onion goggles! They are hilarious. I got them as a gag gift, but I wear them regularly (of course when others aren’t around to potentially catch a photo)
Just found your site through StumbleUpon, thought I’d throw in my two cents…
To keep from crying you can take a whole piece of bread and hold it in your mouth. You’ll look a little goofy with a piece of bread hanging out of your mouth, but it works!!
Also, I recently learned how to cut onions similar to this. Instead of radial cuts you can cut straight down, then make two cuts parallel to the cutting board before making the final cuts.
Where do you get onion googles?
@Caryn Nu-uh. No way.
I learned that watching Food Network shows–mine still don’t come out even!!!
I cut it the same way; I do find an incredible differences in the amount of tears if I am wearing contacts vs. glasses. Contacts = tear-free! Who knew?
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