It’s a commonly held belief that onions are one of the most delicious but inconvenient ingredients the average kitchen-user might encounter. have you ever wondered how to cut onions without crying?
Delicious, because, you know, they are, and inconvenient, because cutting onions often results in runny mascara or red, puffy eyes. They’re such a common thing we add to our soups, our casseroles, our roasts. Why, oh why, do they have to be so annoying to cut?
The Science:
The science behind it is interesting. Put simply, there’s a volatile chemical compound that gets released when we cut onions, because of the damage caused to the cells of the onion. The compound? It’s called Lachrymator Factor, but we’ll call it LP for short. When you cut an onion, LP is released. The more damage to the cells, the more LP. To explain a bit more about what the volatile in “volatile chemical compound” means, it’s a chemical term that implies that it easily and rapidly evaporates into the air. LP, is something that irritates the tear-glands of our eyes, hence the crying.
The Point:
There are a couple different techniques people talk about to mitigate the effects of that release, and we’ll see which one is a) actually effective and b)most practical from a time and prepping standpoint, from here.
So, if you’ve ever wondered how to not cry while cutting an onion? Listen, and we’ll find out together.
A Disclaimer:
Some people are more sensitive to LP than others, so amongst the options we’ll go over, there might be ones that are more effective for them than others. Do what works for you, yeah? Much as my opinion might be set and expressed, some people have different needs and very different solutions waiting for them.
The First Option: Wearing Goggles
To prevent the irritant from touching your eyes, just, you know, place a barricade in the way. If it works, it works, but it can be an annoying length to go to, buying a tool like that for something like this. Unless radiation and toxic chemical handling become much more common, most people will only use it for this one thing, unless you’re using swimming goggles, which…ew. So it works, but…we can do better, I think.
The Second Option: Wearing Contact Lenses
This is fairly similar to goggles, but also different, in that it does not protect your tear ducts, the irritated factor that causes you to cry. The effectiveness of this is inconsistent, at best, and downright incorporeal, at worst. That in and of itself should be enough to disqualify this as an option, but there’s also the factor of people who don’t need glasses or contacts getting contacts, putting them in just for cutting onions and then taking them out again when they’re done. That’s a lot of effort for something so regular. Suffice to say, this is not an option we should lend any credit to.
The Third Option: Chilling / Freezing The Onion
Chilling the onion slows down the chemical reaction that creates the compound, and significantly reduces the production and release of LP. It’s an effective method, by all accounts. That said, however, there’s a lot of prep time for just this, at least thirty minutes of waiting after the onion is put in the freezer, and then there’s the whole, cold thing. Your hands will be freezing, and you’ll hate yourself for that. Basically, while this is a valid method, it’s neither practical nor fun.
The Fourth Option: Holding a Slice of Bread in Your Mouth
Of all of the options, this is probably the most…unusual, seeming. To be honest, I can’t even imagine what was running through the head of the person who decided to try this and subsequently recommend it as an option. Now, essentially, the idea is that the bread will soak up the LP, or block it or something. Please remember that LP is an airborne compound. The effectiveness of this is…questionable, at best. There’s also the visual factor of this, which…mmh. You’d end up looking slightly insane, or a bit like a golden-age-of-hollywood style fool. On the plus side, however, you would get to munch on some bread while cooking. Essentially, this is a rather wild option, and really isn’t worth the uncoolness points.
The Fifth Option: Soak Onion in Water
This is of a similar kind to Chilling the Onion. It removes, or at least softens, the production of the LP. The method, as I understand it, is to peel the onion, halve it, put it in a bowl of cold water, and then move it to the fridge to soak for fifteen or so minutes. The trouble here is that there’s a significant amount of prep time, once again. It works, but it takes longer and makes more dishes than may be strictly necessary. It’s a method that has value, but it’s not streamlined or time-efficient.
The Sixth Option: a Very Sharp Knife
Do you remember, way back up the page, where I mentioned how the more damage you cause to the cells of the onion, the more LP is released? Yeah, this is where we fight that. Blunt knives are your worst enemy, in the kitchen, no matter what you’re cutting, but especially in this case. Brute-forcing your way through an onion is the fastest way to look like you’ve had the most traumatic breakup of your life, and also, it’s also just not very fun to cut things with a dull blade. An extremely sharp knife causes far less damage to the cells, and optimizes the amount of time you spend cooking! While there is still some LP released, it’s greatly reduced by the sharpness of the knife. It’s something you’d already be using in the process of cutting an onion, so that helps. Having a really sharp knife is something professional chefs have prioritized for years, because of this. It’s time efficient, space efficient, and honestly, cost efficient, as well.
Our Conclusion
After reviewing all of these options, it seems our most practical and effective method is number six. Now, this is a bit self-serving, but you’ll forgive me, because getting that really sharp knife will greatly improve your experience in the kitchen. Besides that, you’ll get some sick-as-heck chopped onions.
So, you might be wondering, where might I find a sharp knife, one that I can be sure will slide through onions like butter and keep that nasty LP to a minimum. Well boy sure howdy, do I have a couple gifts for you. There’s the first, which is a link to our store page:
Get a nice sharp knife for yourself
The second, a link to our knife sharpening service:
And lastly, but far from leastly, we have more kitchen tips to help you have the best possible cooking experience:
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