Cutting onions can turn a quick prep job into a sniffling mess fast, especially when you have a whole pile to slice. This simple kitchen trick helps keep onion fumes from reaching your eyes so you can finish the job without stopping every thirty seconds to blink through tears. Handy, practical, and blessedly low drama.
Making the most of a basic kitchen setup beats buying another single-purpose gadget you may never use again. A simple unscented taper candle can cost about $0.96 at Walmart, while onion goggles and specialty choppers usually cost quite a bit more, and this trick lets you control your setup without adding another awkward tool to the drawer.
You only need one material and the onion you were already planning to cut. This tip makes one onion-cutting setup, and all you need on hand is a cutting surface, your knife, and a stable candle holder placed a few inches away while you slice or dice.
- 🧰 Materials You'll Need
- 🔧 Tools/Equipment
- 🛠️ How to Cut Onions Without Tears
- 💡 Helpful Tips
- 🛡️ Safety Information
- 💸 Cost Breakdown
- 🛍️ Need Help Finding Everything?
- ❓ Frequently Asked Questions about No More Tears Onion Tip
- 📌 Love this No More Tears Onion Tip? Pin it!
- 🖨️ Print-Friendly How-To: No More Tears Onion Tip
Materials You’ll Need
- 1 unscented candle
- Onion or onions for slicing, dicing, freezing, or canning prep
Tools/Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Stable candle holder
- Long lighter or matches
How to Cut Onions Without Tears
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.
- Set a stable candle holder a few inches away from your cutting area.
- Place an unscented candle in the holder and light it before you start slicing or dicing the onion.
- Keep the candle burning beside your work area while you cut the onion.
- Slice or dice the onion as needed for your recipe, freezer prep, or canning session.
- Blow out the candle as soon as you finish cutting.
A great tip to remember when cutting large amounts of onions for freezing or canning!
If you need plenty of sliced onions for another dish, this pairs nicely with No Tears Perfect Sauteed Onions.
Helpful Tips
- Use this trick when you’re cutting several onions at once, since that is when the eye irritation usually gets old in a hurry.
- Keep the candle close to the cutting area, but not so close that it crowds your board or handle.
- Start with a sharp knife so you can cut cleanly and work faster.
- If mouth breathing has worked for you before, you can still use it, but the candle method helps if that trick fails mid-chop.
- This is especially useful for bulk onion prep for salsa, freezing, or canning days.
Safety Information
Keep the candle in a sturdy holder on an uncluttered surface, and place it well away from towels, paper, sleeves, and anything else that can burn. The National Fire Protection Association also recommends keeping candles at least 1 foot away from anything that can burn and blowing them out when you leave the room, which is worth following even for a quick kitchen shortcut: NFPA candle safety tips.
If you don’t want an open flame near your prep area, skip this trick and use another tear-reducing method instead.
Cost Breakdown
This tip uses very little beyond what you already have in the kitchen. Based on current Walmart pricing, a basic unscented taper candle starts at about $0.96 each, so the consumable cost for the trick itself is minimal and usually under a dollar per use, depending on how long the candle burns.
🛍️ Need Help Finding Everything?
Frequently Asked Questions about No More Tears Onion Tip
Yes. This tip is especially handy when you’re cutting several onions in one session, which is exactly when the fumes tend to catch up with you and make prep miserable.
Keep it a few inches away from the cutting area, close enough to sit beside your prep space but not so close that it crowds the board or gets in the way of your knife hand.
You can, but unscented works better for kitchen prep because it won’t add fragrance while you’re working with food. If you’re chopping onions for dinner, vanilla bean and salsa usually don’t need to meet.
Not necessarily. Mouth breathing was one restaurant trick, but this candle method was more reliable during longer chopping sessions, especially if you slipped up and breathed through your nose.
Yes. It’s a great one to remember when you’re slicing a large batch of onions for freezing, canning, or a big pot of salsa.
Use a sturdy, stable holder that won’t tip easily on the counter. Keep it on a clear surface so the flame stays away from towels, packaging, and any loose clutter.
No. Blow it out if you leave the room, even for a short break. A kitchen shortcut should save your eyes, not create a bigger problem.
A sharp knife helps you work faster and more cleanly, which makes any onion prep easier. It won’t replace the candle trick, but it does make the whole job less fussy.
Then skip this method and use a different tear-reducing approach. If an open flame near your prep area makes you uneasy, trust that instinct and choose another option.
📌 Love this No More Tears Onion Tip? Pin it!
Did you try this kitchen tip? Tell us whether the candle trick worked for you, or share your own favorite way to cut onions without the waterworks.
🖨️ Print-Friendly How-To: No More Tears Onion Tip
No More Tears Onion Tip
Equipment
Materials
- 1 unscented candle
- Onion or onions for slicing or dicing
Instructions
- Set a stable candle holder a few inches away from your cutting area.
- Place an unscented candle in the holder and light it before you start slicing or dicing the onion.
- Keep the candle burning beside your work area while you cut the onion.
- Slice or dice the onion as needed.
- Blow out the candle as soon as you finish cutting.
- 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.
- Use a sturdy candle holder on a clear surface and blow out the candle when you finish or leave the room.
- This tip is especially useful when cutting large amounts of onions for freezing or canning.
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.