6 ways to cut onions and not cry: advice from chefs

It is assumed that once faced with the effect of tears, any living creature will forever give up trying to eat onions. Alas, something went wrong: people turned out to be extremely persistent and continue to destroy it in huge quantities – they cry, but continue to cut it, and then eat it. They also want to know if using oil to reduce irritation caused by bunions is effective or if they should, as recommended on TikTok, chew mint gum.

Spoiler alert: These two hacks don’t work, and here’s what might actually help.

As doctor, author and television presenter Stuart Farrimond explains, avoiding sobs is very simple: you need to protect your eyes from S-oxide, which is released by onions: without it, there are no tears . This can be done mechanically – by carrying kitchen glasses to cut the onions. (Bonus: you’ll look incredibly cool in it!)

Are you not ready to spend 500 rubles on a new accessory? Find your swimming goggles: their snug fit means they work just as well as special goggles. Well, those who wear contact lenses basically don’t need glasses (now you know that your friend doesn’t have superpowers – she just won’t admit that she is nearsighted).

Using a sharp knife to cut onions is also important, says Farrimond. “A sharp blade will damage fewer cells, so fewer eye-irritating compounds will be released,” he says. And of course, don’t forget that a sharp knife will help you complete the task faster – it’s also important to prevent tears. The same principle applies to chopping onions with a mandolin to minimize tears: the grater helps minimize interaction time with tear gas.

Chemical reactions take place more slowly at lower temperatures – the anti-tear refrigerator hack is based on this principle. You can place the onions in there half an hour before cooking (or for 15 minutes, but in the freezer), placing the onions in cold water before slicing for the same amount of time will also work.

Gordon Ramsay uses this method: he and many other chefs say that when you cut onions, you should not damage the area near its root, which contains most of the substances that produce tears in the vegetable.

Ramsay’s tips video has racked up 27 million views, making it probably the most popular cooking tip on YouTube. However, if you think it’s too difficult to repeat (we don’t have such sharp knives either!), take a simplifying reminder: just cut off the tip of the onion along with the rest of the roots.

This method also works very well, but only when it comes to getting rid of tears. Otherwise, not everyone who tried the lifehack was very happy: water makes chopping onions very difficult, and the technique is only suitable in cases where precision is not important.

By the way, chopping onions under running water does not work at all – the pieces instantly float into the sink with them, and it’s easier to cry a little than to collect them. Don’t expect to dip the knife in cold water before cutting the onion – this will only slightly delay the release of S-oxide.

Using a fan or extractor hood to chop onions is another professional life hack. As chef Eric Rose explains, it works by removing the compounds that cause tears before they reach the eyes. To do this, you can strategically place a fan, open two windows to create a draft or even cut a vegetable under a functional hood.

Also Read: How to Cut Vegetables into Perfect Cubes – A Simple Trick from a Chef

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