Are you about to cut an onion? But, you fear that it will make you cry. Well, it is possible to prevent such a reaction. The question is how to chop onions without tears? Before realizing the objective, you will be interested to know the reaction that takes place and leads to the production of teary drops. Onion’s basal plate produces an enzyme. The latter gives rise to a gas which is released when the enzyme comes in contact with the vegetable (onion). Now, this gas comes in contact with the watery fluid of your eye. As a result of this contact, your eye produces tears.
- Cut while the onion remains submerged in water
The purpose is to prevent the synthase-based enzyme from reaching your eye. Now, if you submerge the bulb in water during the process of chopping, then water will serve as a shield of protection. Since this particular chopping process is risky, make sure that you have enough safety precautions. For instance, you should have a flat dish or put the onion on a broad cutting board, which then, you can place in a sink so that the board remains exposed to the tap’s running water.
- Freeze the bulb
At least, keep the vegetable for ten to fifteen minutes inside a freezer. Have it chilled before resorting to cutting. Chilling doesn’t reduce the flavor. Rather, the process serves to control the release of the acidic enzyme. Your focus is on how to chop onions without tears. So, you should try out those techniques that minimize the release of the tear-causing enzyme.
- Don’t cut the stem
In other words, make sure that the root of the vegetable remains intact, while chopping. The process is effective in preventing tears. But here also, you should be careful about avoiding accidents because cutting the round shaped onion, whose root remains intact, proves to be tricky. Make sure, that you cut it slowly with a knife that is sharp.
- Using a proper knife is important
The knife used should be sharp and effective. Use a knife that serves as a slicer. The latter will help you chop without crushing the cells. In this context, it is worth noting that if you crush or break the cells; then that process encourages the release of the tear-producing enzyme. It is here that a sharp knife in the form of a slicer proves to be handy. It chops without crushing or breaking. As a result, you can prevent tears from coming out.
- Place the onion near hot water
Here is another interesting technique to learn on how to chop onions without tears. Make sure that the water is steaming hot or boiling. The goal is to draw out and dissipate the vapor. It is here that steam does the trick in extracting and removing the onion’s vapor content.
- Use your microwave oven
Use it for microwaving the entire onion bulb. The process subdues the release of enzymes, as a result of which you shed fewer tears during chopping.
- Use of a matchstick
You need not light the stick. Instead, take a match that has not been lit and place it in your mouth between the teeth, while chopping onion. Make sure that the stick’s front end (which is used for lighting) remains exposed. The logic behind this procedure is interesting to note. The tear-causing sulfuric compounds of the onion bulb are going to be absorbed by the matchstick’s red end.
- Bread also absorbs the sulfuric content of the enzyme
So, what you can do is hold a slice in the mouth in such a way that enzymes produced are absorbed by the same. This particular method of using bread has also been found effective in reducing eye irritation.
- Another simple technique
Remove the outer layers and keep the onion soaked in water for some time. Soaking helps denaturing the enzyme that facilitates tear generation. But, because of soaking, the flavor tends to get slightly affected.
- Place the onion in a proper way
Make sure that the tubular part doesn’t point in the direction of your eye. Place the onion in such a way that your eye doesn’t come in direct contact with the juicy enzyme that it produces.
- Try whistling while chopping
You can also hum a tune. Here again, the purpose is to spray away and divert the misty content of the onion from coming in contact with your eye. After all, you are learning how to chop onions without tears. Hence, you will not mind resorting to these unique tricks and techniques.
- Use of lemon juice
Before chopping, sprinkle a few drops of the juice on the slicer. Rub the juice nicely throughout the blade. Then, use it for chopping. The juice reacts with onion’s enzyme content. This reaction, in turn, helps the process of dissipation, on account of which, you can safeguard your eyes.
You may well think of masking your eyes under goggles or gas tight glasses before chopping the flavorful vegetable. The process is equally effective as those mentioned above. At the end of the day, your focus is on learning how to chop onions without tears. You are free to use techniques which suit your convenience and style of working.
