Take your pick — you can let your onions chill in the fridge, pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes, or just dunk them in an ice water bath for a little while. Getting an onion nice and cold helps prevent eye irritation by reducing the amount of chemicals released through cutting.
How do you cut an onion without crying?
Another simple and pretty effective trick: Freeze the onion for about 10 or 15 minutes before you cut it. The blast of cold prevents the tear-causing enzyme from releasing into the air.
How do I stop my eyes from watering when cutting onions?
Chill Onions Before Chopping
Onions’ irritating compounds waft most easily through warm air. Chill the onions to be chopped in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before chopping to keep these compounds from rising up toward your eyes.
How do chefs cut onions without crying?
Onions contain a chemical compound that releases into the air and causes our eyes to water. Using a sharp knife creates cleaner slices and causes less of the compound to spread through the air. Cutting into a chilled onion is known to produce fewer tears than one that’s room temperature.
Does a wet paper towel help with onions?
Wet some paper towel and keep it on the cutting board. The acidity from onions gravitate towards water. So instead of hitting your tear ducts it’ll seep towards the wet paper towel instead.”
Does wearing goggles help when cutting onions?
The verdict: Onion goggles work OK — some better than others. They may make you look a little funny, but they do protect your eyes from getting hit head on with a cloud of onion gas. At the very least, they do delay or reduce the tears that typically spring to your eyes when you chop an onion.
Are some people more sensitive to onions?
Some people are more likely to cry when cutting onions than others. If you’re sensitive or allergic to onions or other alliums, your reaction may be more severe or include symptoms such as: hives.
What helps with onion eyes?
No More Tears: Here’s How to Chop Onions Without Crying
- Keep your kitchen breezy. Open the windows, turn on the fan above your stove or use the overhead kitchen hood while you work.
- Chill onions before chopping.
- Have you heard of onion goggles?
- Experiment with fresh or sweet onions.
Will freezing an onion keep you from crying?
Freezing is one of the better ways to prevent you from tearing up while cutting your onions. Placing the onion in the freezer for at least 15 minutes prevents the lachrymatory-factor synthase from converting the sulfenic acid present inside onion cells into its gaseous form.
How do professional chefs deal with onions?
Use this foolproof chopping method:
Cut the whole onion in half, cutting through the root and bulb, and peel [off] the outer layer. Next, cut the bulb’s top off and a small amount of the root (leaving some of the thicker part connecting it to the onion).
What is the onion trick?
First up is the paper towel method, which became a popular #onionhack topic on TikTok in 2021. The trick is to place a damp paper towel next to the onion while cutting to help absorb some of the tear-inducing chemicals.
How do you cut onions without crying paper towels?
The Australian woman, Shilo, posted on Facebook, where she said she puts a piece of wet towel next to the onion when she chops it in order to prevent crying. This works because the chemical is absorbed by the towel instead of your eyes.
What to put on cutting board when cutting onions?
If you want to cut onions, but avoid burning eyes, you can rub the chopping board with vinegar beforehand. The acidity of the vinegar neutralizes the essences that trigger the flow of tears.
What are moisture chamber glasses?
Also known as dry eye glasses or moisture chamber spectacles, they have a gasket (also referred to as an eye cup) that rests comfortably around your eye area. This creates a seal around your eyes that insulates them from the wind, dust and pollen and other drying factors in the atmosphere such as air conditioning.
Why do I react so strongly to onions?
“Onions release a chemical that is very specific that targets the cornea, and the cornea has a ton of nerves,” Dr. Deobhakta explains. That chemical is syn-propanethial-S-oxide, a sulfur compound.
Why do onions make me cry so much?
Onions produce the chemical irritant known as syn-Propanethial-S-oxide. It stimulates the eyes’ lachrymal glands so they release tears. Scientists used to blame the enzyme allinase for the instability of substances in a cut onion.
Why are some people not affected by onions?
Also, some people may have more sensitive eyes than others, which is why not everyone will tear up when they chop onions but why others may feel the effects on the other side of the room.
How long should I freeze the onion before cutting?
Put the Onion in the Freezer Before Cutting it
Chilling your onions in the freezer for 10-15 minutes will have no effect on the taste, but it will reduce the amount of acid enzymes released into the air.
Which end of onion do you cut first?
Cut off the stem end of the onion by about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. Trim the root end, keeping it intact: Trim the roots but keep the root end intact. The root end will help hold the onion together as you make the other cuts.
How do I stop from crying?
Tips for controlling crying
- Walk away.
- Use words.
- Have props and use distractions.
- Think about something positive or funny instead.
- Concentrate on breathing.
- Blink and move the eyes.
- Relaxing facial muscles.
- Get rid of that throat lump.
Does a glass of water help with onions?
Cut the onion near hot running water or a cloud of steam.
Steam from a kettle, hot running water or pan of water will draw away the sulfoxide (gas) from the onion keeping your eyes safe and tear-free.