I've stopped shedding tears over chopping onions thanks to my grandmother's techniques

Onions are an essential ingredient in countless dishes, appearing in both our everyday meals and festive feasts. While chopping them isn't a particularly challenging task, the inevitable tearful outcome can be quite off-putting. Luckily, my grandmother imparted to me her tried and tested ways of managing this issue.

There's no denying that chopping onions has made even the most thick-skinned among us, who didn't even cry at "The Lion King" or felt particularly touched by Bambi's story, well up. My grandmother figures prominently among individuals who've come to grips with onions, managing to chop copious quantities without shedding a single tear. This is less a feat of superhuman strength comparable with Superman or Wonder Woman, and a more smart hack that simplifies life.

Onions are a type of vegetable with a robust, distinctive scent resulting from the presence of strong sulfur compounds. When we chop onions, the cell damage instigates the release of these compounds.

The sulfur compounds, on reacting with each other, form a gas that irritates the eyes and nose, which prompts our eyes to produce tears to wash away the irritant.

My grandmother has an effective strategy for tearlessly tackling the task of chopping onions. Before cutting an onion, she either cools it in the refrigerator or briefly soaks it in ice-cold water. This is based on the premise that higher the temperature, the more eye-irritating enzymes get released. Cooling the vegetable thus puts a cap on their secretion.

In addition to cooling the onion, she also lights a candle before chopping. This doesn't serve to induce a mood, but instead helps increase the temperature of the irritating gas with the flame's heat, thereby dispersing it and reducing its chances of reaching our eyes. If you desire a more effective solution, simply switch on your kitchen hood to absorb the irritating fumes.

Sharp knives cause less damage to an onion's cells, which consequently leads to the release of fewer irritating enzymes. Therefore, it's prudent to have the right tools for the job. On a side note, glasses-wearers are at an advantage here, as their spectacles act as physical barriers to these irritants.

Red onions are also a more eye-friendly alternative, as they are gentler and can successfully stand in for the more popular white variety in most dishes.