Beat onion tears with these expert slicing tips
When slicing onions, many of us end up in tears. Use these proven methods to ensure you don't shed a single tear.
Slicing onions is essential for preparing salads, soups, sauces, and other delicious dishes, especially during the holiday season. Certain onions are less likely to cause severe tearing, including red, sweet, white onions, and scallions. Yellow onions, however, are most likely to bring tears to our eyes. So, how can we prevent this?
Onions will stop irritating your eyes
When an onion is cut, its structure is damaged, releasing enzymes like allinase, which react with sulfur-containing amino acids. This reaction releases volatile sulfenic oxides that irritate our eyes and cause tears.
To prevent this, cooling the onions in the refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes before slicing is beneficial. If there's no time to chill the onions before cooking, immerse them for a few minutes in a bowl of very cold water—preferably with ice cubes. Be sure to dry the onion with a paper towel before slicing.
One factor that can exacerbate irritation is using a dull knife, which crushes the onion fibers and releases more irritating enzymes. A well-sharpened knife will reduce the time needed to slice the vegetable, lessening the risk of eye irritation. Using a knife cooled in cold water is even more effective.
Another good method is slicing onions near a burning candle or a gas stove burner. The rising heat helps carry the irritating fumes up and away from your eyes.
If you slice onions in a small, enclosed space, their aroma can become overwhelming. To prevent unpleasant odors from accumulating, it's helpful to improve air circulation—open a window or turn on the vent.
Tools that make onion slicing easier
If you're not keen on slicing onions, consider getting a special vegetable chopper with a hermetic seal. This allows you to chop vegetables in seconds without a knife, minimizing the time spent cutting and ensuring safety and precision.
Although some consider onion-cutting goggles a frivolous invention, they can be very helpful. They protect your eyes from irritating fumes, which is particularly important for people with allergies, conjunctivitis, or dry eye syndrome.
