Let’s admit, we all have a love-hate relationship with onions. It’s a great flavour enhancer and we love it in our dishes, but when it comes to cutting an onion, oh boy, makes us weep like a baby, EVERY TIME! There are plenty of hacks out there on how to ease the tears, so we’ve put some to the test. A few tricks worked, while the rest left us crying in the kitchen.
Why Do We Cry When Cutting Onions:
What’s wrong with onions? It all boils down to the chemicals. Like every plant and animal, they all have their own kind of self-defense. Onions contain amino acids called sulfoxides on the skin, and when you cut into them, you damage the skin. Hence, it’ll release a stinging chemical into the air, which explains why we’re all a crybaby when cutting them.
What Works:
- Freezing the onions for at least 30 minutes
Freezing your onions prior to cutting sort of freezes and retards the sulfuric chemicals in it, and it works! The downside is, you’ll need extra strength to cut the rock-solid vegetable.
2. Cutting onions under running water
This sort of works too, as you’re cutting them in the sink, your head is further away from the onions. You’ll end up with wet onions though, anything but crying right?
3. Wasing the onions & soak them for a minute
Peel off the skin, wash them and soak them in water for about 10 minutes helps to reduce the peppery chemical. Your eyes will still sting a little, but definitely helps!
4. Wearing Goggles
It’s the most straightforward way to do it, 100% works if you’re willing to look like you’re swimming on land.
What Didn’t:
- Putting Onions in Microwave
Unless you want your whole kitchen or house to smell like a heated raw onion, don’t do it. You’ll be banned from the kitchen.
2. Putting a piece of bread in your mouth
Some say it will help absorb the stinging chemical before it goes into your nasal and eyes. We ended up with red, watery eyes, not in a pleasant way.
3. Cutting with a sharp knife
We’re no chefs here with solid, rapid knife skills, so it still gets into our eyes. Chances are you’ll end up with cut wounds.
Cutting Onions Are Not An Easy Task
All we wanted is to cut an onion without looking like we’ve just gone through a breakup. Different onions work differently though. Yellow (Holland) onions are the most pungent, while red onions and shallots have little to no burning eyes. We hope these tips help in saving your tears.
Also Read: This Eatery In KL Is Distributing 100 Lunch Sets Daily To The Needy
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