Onions are inexpensive and good for you to eat, but cutting them (especially when you’re cutting several!) can be a pain to your sensitive eyes. Here’s a simple trick for tear-free onion chopping . . .
While working in a restaurant I learned from a chef that if you simply breathed through your mouth and NOT through your nose, you could avoid the “fumes” of an onion and thereby avoid tears. However, after chopping 5 or so very large onions for salsa, I discovered that if you slipped up even once, this trick stopped working immediately.
So, upon further testing, I discovered that by simply lighting a candle a few inches away while you’re slicing or dicing an onion, The fumes of the onion are “burned” by the candle flame and never reach your eyes.
A great tip to remember when cutting large amounts of onions for freezing or canning!
What’s your favorite way to avoid tears when cutting onions?
i tried this but i don’t think i put it close enough to where i was working cause it didn’t work. :drama: but i never knew about the breathing out of your mouth. i’m gonna have to try it.
thanks
another tip is to put the onion in the freezer for a couple hours first, it always help me with the tears
what i do is i light a candle and i also chew a piece of gum… works for me everytime
i use salt. just wet hands and put some salt in one and then rub them together. no burn, then when done, i pour ketchup in hands and use like soap, washing my hands with the ketchup.
rinse and guess what, no onion smell.