Do you cry every time you cut a red onion? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to cut a red onion without crying.
Checkout this video:
Cutting an onion
Choose the right onion
Onions come in all shapes and sizes, but for cutting purposes, you’ll want to use a large onion like a yellow onion, red onion, or white onion. Smaller onions like pearl onions or shallots are more difficult to cut and don’t yield as much.
Cut off the top of the onion
Cut off the top of the onion so you have a flat surface to work with. Peel off the outer layer of the onion. Cut the onion in half so that the root is still attached to one half. Cut each half of the onion in half.
You should now have four equal quarters of an onion. Cut off the root of each quarter. You can either discard the root or save it for another use such as making homemade vegetable broth.
Place one quarter of an onion on your cutting board flat side down. Slice the onion vertically evenly as close to the root as you can. Start slicing at a 45 degree angle if you want to create evenly sized pieces.
To dice the onion, hold your vertically sliced onion together and make horizontal cuts across it, being careful not to cut yourself on the knife. Again, start at a 45 degree angle if you want evenly sized pieces of onion.
Peel the skin of the onion
Cut the onion in half so that the root is still attached to one half. Peel off the skin of the onion. Cut off the root end and the top of the onion. You can now cut the onion in half again or leave it whole depending on how large you want your pieces to be.
Cut the onion in half
Cutting an onion in half is the first step in most recipes that call for onions. It may seem like a simple task, but if you don’t know the correct way to do it, you can end up with cuts all over your fingers. Here’s the best way to cut a red onion in half so that you won’t have to worry about crying:
1. Cut off one end of the onion and discard it.
2. Peel off the skin of the onion, being careful not to take too much off with the skin.
3. Cut the onion in half, lengthwise (so that the uncut end from step 1 is still attached to one half of the onion).
4. Cut each half of the onion in half again. You should now have four quarters of an onion.
5. To chop the onion, make lengthwise cuts through all four quarters, being careful not to cut yourself on the sharp edges of the onion.
6. Finally, make crosswise cuts through all of the lengthwise-cut quarters to create finely chopped onions.
Cut the onion into thin pieces
If you’re looking to cut the onion into thin pieces, start by slicing it in half from the root end to the top. Once it’s halved, peel off the skin of each half. You can then start slicing the onion vertically into thin pieces. For a more uniform look, you can also dice the onion by first cutting it into thin slices and then cutting those slices into small cubes.
Cutting an onion without crying
Choose the right onion
There are different types of onions: sweet, white, red, and yellow. Each type of onion has a varying amount of pyruvic acid, which is responsible for the tears. Onions that have less pyruvic acid produce fewer tears. For example, sweet onions like Vidalia or Walla Walla onions have less pyruvic acid than other types of onions.
Cut off the top of the onion
onion before cutting it. This will help to keep the onion’s juices from getting into your eyes. Cut off just the very top of the onion, enough to get rid of the root end. You don’t need to take off much, just enough so that you have a flat surface to work with.
Cut the onion in half, then peel off the skin. Be sure to do this carefully so that you don’t cut yourself. Once the onion is peeled, cut it in half again. Then, cut each half of the onion into thin strips. To do this, first cut the onion in half lengthwise. Then, make a series of lengthwise cuts, angling them towards the center of the onion as you go. Finally, make a series of crosswise cuts to create thin strips of onions.
Peel the skin of the onion
Using a sharp knife cut off the top of the onion, about ½ inch from the root end. Cut off the root end. Peel off the skin of the onion. If your eyes start to tear up, stop and take a break. Cut the onion in half alongside the root with a sharp knife. Again, if your eyes start to tear up, stop and take a break.
Cut the onion in half
Cutting an onion in half is the first step to cutting it safely. Place the onion horizontally on the cutting board so that the two ends of the onion are facing out. Slice the onion in half vertically, and then peel off the skin.
After the onion is peeled, cut off the root end and stem. These can be saved to use later for soups or stocks, but they are not necessary for cutting the onion.
Next, cut the onion in half again vertically. You should now have four quarters of an onion.
Start by slicing one quarter of the onion in half. Then, slice each half of that quarter into thin strips. Finally, cut each strip into small pieces. Repeat this process with the remaining three quarters of the onion.
Cut the onion into thin pieces
One way to reduce the amount of time you spend cutting an onion is to slice it thinly. This not only takes less time, but it also means that you’ll be handling the onion less, giving it less opportunity to release its noxious fumes. Use a sharp knife and cut the onion in half alongside its root. Peel off the skin, discarding any brown layers until you’re left with two white onion halves. Make a few horizontal cuts into one half of the onion and then start slicing it vertically into thin pieces. Don’t worry if they’re not all even — thin slices will cook more evenly anyway. As you finish slicing one half of the onion, add the slices to a bowl of cold water. This will help to keep them from oxidizing and turning brown as you finish preparing the rest of the ingredients for your dish.
Rinse the onion with cold water
Rinsing an onion with cold water before cutting it can help to keep you from crying. Fill up a bowl with cold water and soak the onion in it for about 5 minutes. This will help to release the sulfenic acid before you start cutting into the onion.
Cut the onion under cold water
Cutting onions is one of the most common tasks in the kitchen, but it can also be one of the most difficult. Onions release a gas called lachrymatory-factor synthase (LFS) when they’re cut, and this gas interacts with the water in your eyes to create an irritant known as sulphinic acid. This is what makes your eyes water and sting when you cut onions.
There are a few things you can do to minimize the amount of LFS that’s released, and one of the best is to cut the onion under cold water. This will help to keep the onion fresher for longer, and it will also help to reduce the amount of LFS that’s released into the air.
If you don’t have access to cold water, you can also try cutting the onion in half before you start chopping it. This will help to release fewer gases, and it will also make it easier to chop the onion evenly.
