Every time I cut onions I start to get teary eyed and then it looks like I was bawling! I've read about different methods, from using a chilled knife, running the onion in cold water, to even setting up a fan to blow away the gases released by the onion. I've tried a few of them (even wearing goggles!) but I still shed some tears (and the goggles were way too tight for me!) 😂
Before finding out HOW to cut an onion, I wanted to first find out WHY it makes you cry. Onions have sulfur compounds that turn into a gas when you cut into it. The gas reacts with the water in your eyes producing sulfuric acid, causing you to cry. The inner bulb, that stems off of the onion's root, is where the gases are stored. Taking out the bulb as a whole is the best way to avoid the gases from coming out.
Now how do you remove the inner bulb? There are two methods I tried.
Method 1: Remove the inner bulb as a whole
This was a little harder as you have to cut a cone shape around the root to get the full inner bulb, so you need to be careful to not slice your finger when holding the onion! If you have great cutting skills then I recommend this method since it keeps the bulb fully intact but as you can see in the video, I had a little trouble taking it out of the core since I didn't cut deep enough.
Method 2: Slicing down the middle and removing the bulb in 2 pieces
I like this method the best because there was less of a chance of me cutting my finger! You do however, need to try to cut a smooth line when you cut the onion in half to avoid the gases from leaking out. It took me a few tries before I was fully tear free but once you get the hang of it, not a single tear is shed!
Let me know which method you end up trying! Or, if you have any other ways you've tried too!
Comments