How to Chop an Onion Without Any Tears

We've all been there, prepping for a meal and tearing up so bad it looks like we are watching the aftermath of the stampede during Lion King; or the last scene in Homeward Bound when Shadow doesn't return with the two others; or the hunting scene when Bambi's mother isn't behind him anymore. (Seriously, I cried so bad during those scenes. Why do they make children's movies so sad. It still makes me melancholy.)

1. First, it is very important to use a good, sharp knife, especially for the following techniques. If your cutting knives are dull, you will need to apply more pressure to make a cut in the onion and risk slipping and hurting yourself. Please be cautious!

2. Your onion has two ends, the root and the “blossom.” The root end is flat and brown, while the blossom end tends to be pointier. Remove the blossom end and the papery outer layer. By keeping the root intact, you’re not only helping to hold the onion together while you cut, you’re also minimizing the release of chemicals into the air that irritate your eyes!

3. Cut the onion in half and immediately place the two halves flat on the cutting board. Take one half of the onion and hold it so that the root end is pointing away from you.

4. Keeping your fingers bent away from the blade, hold the onion steady while you make a series of vertical slits in the onion towards the root. It is very important that you DO NOT chop all the way through the onion! Leave about an inch between the end of your cut and the root of the bulb. Again, this will hold the onion together while you finish cutting and make your life much easier.

5. Rotate the onion so that the blossom end is facing the hand holding the knife, with your fingers gripping the root end. Hold the onion steady while you make horizontal cuts into the onion towards the root (parallel to the table). Do not cut all the way through; stop cutting when the blade is an inch away from the root. Make two or three of these horizontal cuts, depending on how big or small you’d like your onion pieces to be.

6. Last step! All you need to do now is take the knife and chop vertically down towards the cutting board, releasing the perfectly-sized and even onion pieces! Repeat with the other half of the onion.

Once you’ve mastered this technique, you’ll notice that you can chop both halves of an onion in under a minute! (Just be cautious and don’t get too cocky, remember that speed in the kitchen can be a dangerous thing). Using this cutting method will not only impress your family and friends, you’ll also be saving them some tears.

Source: CSN Stores