Cutting Onions

How to
Written By Karyn Shalda

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Onions can be a pain, am I right? Sometimes literally! Probably 1 out of every 10 onions, maybe 8, makes me cry. To remedy this, I usually wash my hands really well with plenty of soap and stick my face into my freshly-washed hands and inhale that soap smell. A little weird, but it works. Goggles might work too, but I have yet to try that.

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today!

Cutting onions can be tricky but I have a cheat for you. My husband taught me this trick when we first met and I haven’t looked back since. Let’s get started!

The Easy Way to Cut an Onion

Cut the onion in half through the root. Cut the onion in half. This time, do NOT cut through the root; cut the other way as seen above. Remove the paper outer skin (which I usually remove with the thin top layer of onion).

  1. Cut the onion in half through the root.

  2. Cut the onion in half. This time, do NOT cut through the root; cut the other way as seen above. Remove the paper outer skin (which I usually remove with the thin top layer of onion).

3. Using a quarter onion at a time, make vertical cuts along the onion, slightly angled towards the root end. Be careful NOT to cut through the root, otherwise the onion will just fall apart. You can see above that my onion has vertical cuts all the way through from top to bottom.

3. Using a quarter onion at a time, make vertical cuts along the onion, slightly angled towards the root end. Be careful NOT to cut through the root, otherwise the onion will just fall apart. You can see above that my onion has vertical cuts all the way through from top to bottom.

4. Slice the onion! Because you sliced already vertically, the pieces just fall already diced!

4. Slice the onion! Because you sliced already vertically, the pieces just fall already diced!

Clockwise, from left to right: Minced, Diced, Chopped.Depending on how you want to cut your onion, you can adjust the cuts!Minced: The finest of cuts. Make the vertical cuts very close together and slice the onion thinly.Diced: As demonstrated in the process above. Make the vertical cuts pretty close and slice the onion pretty thin.Chopped: Make the vertical cuts wide, and slice the onion thick.This method will save time and hassle! It also works for shallots! Since shallots are significantly smaller however, I would recommend a paring knife instead of a larger knife like seen above. For garlic, I recommend a garlic press - no sticky knives or fingers.

Clockwise, from left to right: Minced, Diced, Chopped.

Depending on how you want to cut your onion, you can adjust the cuts!

  • Minced: The finest of cuts. Make the vertical cuts very close together and slice the onion thinly.

  • Diced: As demonstrated in the process above. Make the vertical cuts pretty close and slice the onion pretty thin.

  • Chopped: Make the vertical cuts wide, and slice the onion thick.

This method will save time and hassle! It also works for shallots! Since shallots are significantly smaller however, I would recommend a paring knife instead of a larger knife like seen above.

For garlic, I recommend a garlic press - no sticky knives or fingers.

Karyn Shalda https://www.cookingtothepoint.com/
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