What's the best way to not cry while cutting an onion?

Question

What's the best way to not cry while cutting an onion?

Answer 1

my husband always says its about how sharp the knife is- if its really sharp the knife slices without squashing the onion and you get less fumes- but i still manage to find the blunt knife every time- it sounds good in theory

Answer 2

use swimming goggles

Answer 3

Strangely enough, chewing gum while doing so will keep you from crying; that or chilling the onion beforehand.

Answer 4

make sure the onion is very cold from fridge.  Martha stewart said if you burn a candle while you cut it helps.

Answer 5

I run it under cold water then cut. Try not to breathe out of your nose to. That's when i find my eyes start to water.

Answer 6

If you have to cut onions for a long time you should rinse them after pealing and half way through the cutting procedure.

Answer 7

Breathe through your mouth.

Answer 8

When I'm wearing my contact lenses, cutting onions doesn't bother me.

Answer 9

hopping up and down on your left foot while singing stairway to heaven

Answer 10

soak it in ice water for 2mins / pop it in the fridge to chill it

Answer 11

Burn a candle.

Answer 12

Let someone else do it! hehe

Answer 13

there are a lot of ways people try to prevent this. But, out of all the ones I have tried.. these two things work for me. And I cook with onions in almost all my dishes.

I make sure the onion is cold... that is key and helps so much. When it is warmer the fumes are so strong.

And, I turn on the sink and let the water run.. helps with the onion "fumes"...it sounds weird.. but, it works for me

Answer 14

ALWAYS refrigerate your onions, and cut them fast once you get them out of the fridge.

When onions are warm, or room temp, the sulfur compounds dissipate into the air rapidly.  Those molecules go straight up, and into your eyes.  That's it.

If you keep the onions cold, and chop/slice them before they warm up, the molecules will not have a chance to dissipate into the air.

Sticking bread in your mouth and all that c**p doesn't matter.  The object is to keep the compounds from getting into the air in the first place.