How to peel onions without tears: 20 methods and tips from chefs

Many people will find it surprising that you can calmly cut onions and not cry. There are about 20 ways to avoid tears. The easiest way is to rinse the onion under cold running water.

How to stop crying from onions?

Onions are a unique plant. It has firmly established itself in the human diet and is included in countless dishes. Thanks to it, products acquire piquancy and sharpness, and meat - juiciness. The onion contains many useful substances: B vitamins, as well as A, C and PP. Onion juice has antimicrobial properties and protects against colds. But as soon as you cut the vegetable, you immediately start crying. This is due to the substances it secretes to resist attacks from insects and rodents.

When onion fibers are damaged, a chemical reaction of amino acids and enzymes is triggered. As a result, the volatile compound 1-sulfinylpropane is produced. Once on the mucous membrane, upon contact with liquid, the substance forms sulfuric acid, which causes pain in the eyes and tears. To cut a vegetable without crying, you need to either protect the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and eyes, or minimize the release of onion juice. This can be done in different ways, from washing the bulb with running water to using a gas mask.

Onion juice mostly causes tears when it gets into the nose rather than the eyes.

20 ways from the people

Onions are present in the diet of every resident of Russia.And, as you know, the Russian people are cunning and inventive. What ordinary people haven’t come up with to peel and cut onions without tears.

1. Sprinkle the cutting board with salt. It will absorb the onion juice.
2. Place the onion in the freezer for half an hour or in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Under the influence of cold, the concentration of irritants in onions will decrease.
3. Put on a gas mask.
   
4. Use a gauze bandage.
5. Sing while chopping onions. While singing, a person inhales less oxygen and, at the same time, less volatile substances.
6. Take liquid into your mouth. It will dissolve irritants, preventing them from injuring the mucous membranes.
7. Swallow saliva frequently. When cutting onions, it becomes saturated with volatile compounds. Swallowing helps clear the oropharyngeal mucosa.
8. Chew chewing gum. Chewing gum promotes increased secretion of saliva, which cleanses the mucous membrane of sulfuric acid.
   
9. Use artificial tear eye drops (Artelak, Vidisik, Oftagel). They form a protective film that prevents volatile compounds from irritating the eyes.
10. Rinse the peeled onion under the tap. This helps wash away the onion juice that is causing the tears.
11. Use a very sharp knife. The less onion fibers are injured, the less juice flows out - and the less watery your eyes.
12. Do not cut off the root portion of the onion until it is completely chopped. It is in this area that the maximum amount of irritating substances is concentrated.
13. Rub lemon juice onto the knife blade and cutting board. The acid neutralizes irritants in onions.
    
14. Peel the onion in a draft, taking the windward side. Volatile compounds will be carried away without irritating your eyes.
15. Use air conditioning to purify the air.
16. Turn on the fan and direct the air flow towards the bow away from you.
    
17. Light a candle when cutting vegetables. Fire can burn away irritants floating in the air.
18. Chop the onion in a wide bowl of water or in a basin, placing a board on the bottom.
19. Chew parsley. Its juice neutralizes the effect of sulfuric acid.
20. Scald the onion with boiling water. This method additionally helps to get rid of bitterness.

White, yellow and red onions contain the maximum amount of substances that make you cry. And in green and sweet onions their number is minimal. These varieties can be easily peeled and cut without crying.

The most effective tips from chefs

Folk methods for protecting against onion tears will seem ridiculous to many. Although they work, they are often associated with inconvenience and the need to use additional devices.

Professional chefs solve the problem much easier. They use:

• sharp knife;
• cold running water for washing the onion and rinsing the knife;
• food processor.

Using this technique, you can chop an onion in seconds without crying at all. Using special attachments, you can cut the onion finely, coarsely or even into rings.

When chopping onions, place a ladle of cold water and a handkerchief nearby. If tears suddenly appear, under no circumstances should you touch your face with your hands. Wet the handkerchief and apply it to your eyes and nose. The pain will go away immediately.

Many people are so accustomed to associating onions with pain in the eyes and tears that they don’t even try to fight it. Meanwhile, professional chefs have long used proven methods to neutralize volatile substances. After all, crying in the kitchen of a restaurant is an unaffordable luxury.Use these tricks and tell your loved ones about them, so that cutting onions will finally stop being associated with something unpleasant and uncomfortable.