Chopping an onion - the easy way with no tears

Preventing the tears

So many people end up with streaming eyes when they chop an onion. There are many ways to stop the tears, perhaps by putting a spoon in your mouth, wearing sunglasses, even a facemask and snorkel.

If you follow my simple method, you should find that you get a lovely pile of chopped onion, without the pain.

This is how you achieve diced or "fine diced" onion.

Tip - Freeze for later

I've also discovered that once diced, you can pop the onion in a freezer bag, flatten out the bag, to try and break the pieces up and pop it laid flat in the freezer. Once frozen, you can then shake the bag and you have "ready diced" onion to use.

At school, my teacher, Mrs Passmore, taught us a different way to chop an onion.

Golden rule - DO NOT CUT OFF THE ROOT.

Start with your onion cut in half, keep the cut side down on the board.  Now peel your onion, slicing it in half first helps you to peel off the outer covering, but keep the cut root on the board.

Make sure the root is left on (if you cut it off the sulphuric acid in the root end will make you cry).

The tear making section is the part of the onion closest to the root.

Hold your knife so that you cut down onto the board at an angle, so that when you get nearly through the onion, you don't cut through the root.

The onion is placed on the board, with the root closest to the knife. 

If you are right-handed, start at the far right when slicing. 

If left-handed start at the far left.

Notice how the knife isn't cutting through the root, it's stopping just above where the root is.

Keep slicing, moving carefully closer each time you slice.

You can use the segment marks to help you.

Continue cutting from right to left (if right-handed) reverse if left-handed, until you've cut through all of the onion.

Now turn the onion 90 degrees, so that you can now slice across, cutting into small dice.

Notice how the root is still attached and the onion is still in one piece.

You can now see that you have one chopped onion.

Carefully dispose of the root into your veg waste, keeping that root away from your eyes.

Do remember not to touch your eyes with your lovely oniony fingers, or you will transfer some of that sulphuric acid and will get tears.

I hope you find this helps when preparing your meals.

Let me know if it works for you.