Hey there, In this “HOW TO” article, We’ll be going over the best methods to peel and cut your onions with the least amount of tears. We’re talking slicing, dicing, chopping, grating and even some more. So read this article and learn How to cut an Onion like a pro. And do not miss our little hack at the end that will make things so easy. Believe me! After watching the video below, you will feel like you’ve been cutting onions all wrong this whole time.
Why do we use onion everywhere?
Onions are the backbone of so many savory dishes. Every dish needs a different type of cut, and those cuts determine how much flavor your onions will have. Now, we need to peel our onion.
But Before we get into anything, let’s address the tears and the myths. Onions contain both sulfur compounds and an enzyme called synthase. As soon as you cut into the onions, those two elements combine to form a chemical compound called syn-propanethial S-oxide. That compound is released into the air, and that’s what irritates the glands in your eyes.
There are a lot of myths and methods that people say will stop you from crying. Some of the methods that could work include making sure you cut with a sharp knife and avoiding cutting the onion near the root end. But honestly, the only thing that works is wearing contact lenses. Now that we got all that out of the way, it’s time to peel.
How to peel your onions?
There are a few different ways to peel onions, and it all depends on what you’re going to use them for. The first way to peel is the method taught in culinary school. It takes two knives: a paring knife and a chef knife. For this part, take a paring knife, cut the bottom off, and peel away the skin to the root end. Make sure to get any dry skin off because dry skin is basically paper.
Leave the root intact, but trim the root ends flat. This keeps the onion from falling apart while slicing and chopping. And that is the classic culinary school peel.
Another method, often used daily, is simpler. Cut off both ends of the onion. Then, cut the onion in half and peel away that first layer. Some may argue it wastes a bit of onion, but the removed layer can be used for stocks, so it’s not wasted.
Once you’re done peeling, clean your cutting board of all skin, bits, and pieces. The onion skin is inedible—like paper. You might as well put napkins in your food. Now that the onions are peeled let’s get into cutting them.
How to cut an Onion like a pro.
Slicing Onions
There are a few ways to slice an onion: full rings, half rings, thick slices, thin slices, and julienne. A julienne cut is ideal when you want the onions to hold their shape, like in French onion soup. All onions have lines, so cut along the lines and follow the onion’s curve for even slices.
For rings, keep the root intact and use a sharp knife. Rings are great for salads or thick onion rings. For half rings, cut the onion in half first. Thin slices work well for garnishes and sandwiches, while thick slices are great for dishes like fajitas, where you want a stronger onion presence.
Dicing Onions
We’ll go over fine chop, small dice, and medium dice.
Small Dice (culinary school method): Start by cutting through the root end but not all the way through. Make horizontal and vertical cuts, leaving the root intact to hold the onion together. Turn the onion, rock the knife, and finish your dice.
Small Dice (quick method): Turn the root end away, make quick cuts along the natural separations of the onion, and finish by following the angle of the onion. This method is faster and safer.
Medium Dice: Follow the same method as for a small dice but with larger cuts. Medium dices are perfect for soups and stews where you want visible chunks of onions.
Finely Chopping Onions
The finely chopped cut is similar to the small dice but with much closer cuts. A sharp knife is crucial for this. After the close cuts, rock the knife over the onion to make the pieces even smaller. Finely chopped onions are great as a garnish, in stuffings, or for recipes where the onions disappear into the dish.
To achieve finely chopped results without effort, you can also use a food processor or a manual chopping gadget. Snap the onion in, press, and it quickly produces a fine dice.
Grating Onions
A box grater is perfect for grating onions. It has four sides for fine shredding, large shredding, grating, and slicing. Grated onions are ideal for meatballs, meatloaf, and potato pancakes. Instead of the traditional “granny method,” which is tiring, lay the grater on its side and push the onion across it using body weight. This method is faster, more efficient, and easier to clean up.
Our Final Notes
On the punchy scale, grated onions are a 10 out of 10. Open a window, turn on a fan, and get out of the kitchen because this method will make everyone cry. If you eat raw grated onions, don’t expect to get kissed anytime soon.
And there you have it: all the onion-cutting techniques you’ll ever need in the kitchen. These cuts aren’t just for onions—you can use them for all kinds of vegetables. Just remember, don’t eat onions like apples. It’s a bad idea.
Haha! Do you think that we forget about the little hack? Surprise! Here is it!
This guy came up with a clever way of using an everyday item that will help you cut your onion like a kitchen ninja. Check it out in the video below… Absolute genius! I think I’ll be picking one of those up pretty soon! And don’t forget to thank me later in Comments.
