Top Ten Tips for Cutting Onions Without Crying


I generally don’t cry when chopping onions, but it does happen occasionally. So I’ve scoured the net for the top ten methods for cutting onions without crying.

  1. Breath through your mouth. This one is the one that works for me, Probably all the scuba diving I’ve done lets switch my  nose off without even trying.
  2. Use a sharp knife. The more you cut and the less you crush the onion, the less vapors you’ll release.
  3. Chop the onion underwater. This makes sense to me. The flow of the water will wash the vapors away. I’m knot sure if you can do a good dice with the onion in the sink though.
  4. Use frozen diced onions. I’m a fan of the fresh is best school of thought, but if the pain is too much then this is a valid option.
  5. Place the onion in the freezer for 20 minutes before cutting. Similar to the last one, but at least your using fresh produce.
  6. Cut in a well ventilated place and cut fast.
  7. Cut Onions near an open flame. Either a candle or a gas burner. Rumor has it that the onion odor is drawn towards the heat.
  8. Wash your hands as soon as you’ve finished cutting onions. You don’t want to rub your eyes with onion juice. Trust me on that one.
  9. Put some white vinegar on the chopping board before you start cutting. I don’t like this one, the vinegar will interfere with the flavor of the onions.
  10. Cut the root out and throw it away. This one seems to be the most popular. The the theory is that the aromas that cause the tears are based in the root area of the onion, so if you cut a cone out of the onion around the root then you’ll be home free.

Give those a try and let me know how you go.
 [Sources one two three]

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Reader Comments

Only freezing and running under water work. Though running under water is risky with the knife, and tends to blunt it.

heyyy….i am a student
i am doing an experiment on cutting onions. i used your website to research. thanks for the info.

I breath through my mouth. That’s what Chef taught me. Great tips.