Cutting an Onion

I learned this technique for how to cut an onion while interpreting a cooking class over 10 years ago. I had a friend over at the house the other day and I was showing her what I had learned and she suggested that I add it here so that others could learn if they cared.... It makes cutting an onion so easy whether you want to slice, chop or dice... it cuts them evenly and smoothly...

Step one... Take your onion and place it on your cutting board.

Step Two.... Slice the onion in half... down the center.

Step Three... Take one half of the onion and cut it in half again right down the middle of the roots/end. You can cut up as much of the onion that you need. Store the rest of the onion in a ziploc bag or container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Step Four... Peel off the outer layers of the onion and discard.

Step Five... For dicing the onion, start by cutting the onion in slices, but don't cut all the way to the end of the roots.

It will look like this after you have cut the whole length of the onion. Vary the distance between each slice to get a chopped onion, or if you slice it closer together you will get more diced and for minced, slice these steps even closer together.

Step Six... Now slice down the onion and the chopped or diced pieces will fall away. Again, you can vary the size of your onion pieces by how close or far away you slice the onion.

Step Seven... Here is the quarter of an onion all diced up... Ready to saute, or add to fresh salsa. You can use almost the entire onion and it never slips when you are trying to cut it. Throw away the end piece, and proceed with other sections until you get the amount of onion needed.

For sliced onions instead of diced, skip steps five through seven. Just slice the onion to whatever thickness you desire. Once again with the onion being held together by the end piece, you have more control of cutting the slices.

Try it and see if it is easier to get even pieces of onion.

Also here are some pointers for ways to cry less when you cut the onion....

*Use a Sharp Knife
Use a very sharp knife when cutting onions. The enzymes are released when cells are broken or crushed; using a sharp knife slices through the onion rather than crushing and thus, fewer enzymes are released.

*Chill the Onions
Chill your onions in the freezer before cutting them. This reduces the amount of the acid enzyme released into the air. This was found to be the most effective way to reduce tears by the television program Food Detectives. (I store my onions in the refrigerator)

*Don't get the gas in your eyes
Wear gas-tight goggles or a mask;
Cut the onion next to a strong draft from a fume hood or fan so that the gas is pulled away from your eyes; or
Wear contact lenses (easy enough if you wear them anyway) - they create a barrier between the surface of your eyes and the gas.

*Absorb the gas in water
Cut the onion under water
Cut the onion near running water or a cloud of steam (from a kettle or pan of water)
Breathe through your mouth (to draw the gas over your wet tongue) or stick your tongue out.

*Slow or stop the reaction that makes the gas
Put vinegar on the chopping board (the acid denatures the enzyme);
Soak the onion in water (the enzyme is denatured by the water-air boundary); or
Soak the onion in salt water (the ionic solution denatures the enzyme).

*The Candle Method
Light a candle and set it near the cutting board before cutting the onion. The gas released by the onion is drawn into the flame of a candle.

*Chewing
Chew bread or gum. Many people report that chewing, especially gum, helps avoid tears when cutting onions.