It’s truly not worth crying over…seriously! Onions. We love to hate them. They add great flavour to soups & stocks. So tasty on a burger or sandwich, but we just can’t get past how much it stings the eyes and makes us cry when we have to cut them.
The dreaded cutting of the onion. These tips will assist you with this task. These are ones I have tried and worked for me:
1. First and foremost, as all chefs know, always use a sharp knife.
2. Sweet onions like Vidalias are less cry-inducing than white, red, and yellow onions, so consider trying one of those instead.
3. Save the onion for the last step in your prep, so you won’t have to spend as much time in an onion-infused space.
4. To eliminate the onion odour from your hands, just rub your hands under water with a piece of stainless steel (utensil, bars that can be purchased from any restaurant supply company).
What works:
1. Freeze your onion 15 minutes prior to you needing to cut it. Trust me.
2. If you have a vent at home, cut the onion underneath it.
3. Wearing goggles while you cut. I do not recommend this, though as using a sharp knife you must always have clear sight of your task.
4. OR suck it up, take the pain and the tears & move on…LOL!
What doesn’t work:
1. Lighting a candle prior to cutting an onion.
2. Cutting under running water. This actually creates a safety hazard, especially if your knife is sharp as it should be.
3. Chewing gum while cutting onions. Men, we stink at multitasking so don’t even bother with this one!
4. Cutting onions while holding your tongue to the roof of your mouth…seriously?
My Mirepoix 