Hmm hot water.will try that!Thanks village green :O)
krazy_kat,
Aug 13, 3:26am
Its sulphuric acid that onions give off - remember seeing something on "Jimmy's Food Factory" about it and there really is no solution.Apparantly its alot of "environmental factors" that determine the amount of sulphuric acid given off by an onion.
I have found though that if you do start to get sore eyes, get a dessert spoon, hold it right near the spoony bit with the spoon against the back of the cold tap and turn the water on so it runs over the spoon and your hand.I don't know why but I have found this always stopped the sore eyes/ crying.I was shown that by a Home Economics teacher in form 1!
mellish,
Aug 13, 5:49am
have you tried chewing gum! um i mean chew the gum while you chop!
doree36,
Aug 13, 9:15pm
dont cut the hairy bit of at the bottom- works for me - was given this hint by a dutch chef i did a course with years ago
doree36,
Aug 13, 9:18pm
when you have finished preparing as above - quickly cut the bottoms off and put into your jars
firecentaurr,
Aug 15, 2:07am
Yep, I knew about the end bits.quite potent when you chop that bit off. I think by the time I've chopped the end off the 100th onion, ummmm yeah lol.
firecentaurr,
Aug 15, 2:08am
Do you mean putting the spoon over your eye, with upturned face below the water tap, run water over the spoon!
tammiraven,
Aug 15, 7:34am
I was told by someone to hold two or three tablespoons (I just take a gulp) of water and hold it in your mouth while cutting onions . I thought it was a joke and I dont know how it works but IT WORKS! .
evie.t76,
Aug 15, 9:08am
I have a pair of swimming goggles & they work,love em!They give everyone a laugh too lol
strebor1,
Aug 15, 9:10am
I saw on MasterchefAustralia last night, they reckon it is because you are using a knife that isn't sharp enough. If the knife is a bit blunt by chefs' standards, the knife bruises the onions and that is what causes the crying. Try sharpening the knife and see if it makes any difference and let us know. I always cry myself.
tanz101,
Aug 15, 11:39pm
Same as Raewyn said - I wear contacts and can cut onions till the cows come home - no tears - take them out tho - whole nuther story!
cookessentials,
Aug 16, 1:36am
I always chop both ends off and then run under cold water before chopping. The onion googles are great, but swimming goggles will work ( or a dive mask LOL) or get yourself an aliigator.
I wear contacts and chopping onions is not a problem, goggles would work if they have a seal around the eye
theanimal1,
Aug 16, 12:56pm
In front of an open window is what i do, no problems.
grandma,
Aug 26, 1:08am
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the posters who suggested using swimming goggles - after decades of trying everyone's tried and true suggestions (and still crying copious tears) it looks as though it is the answer.It is well worth looking a dork - it does work!
spaniels,
Aug 26, 1:47am
I chop all my onions out side. I dont care how cold it is
bedazzledjewels,
Aug 26, 1:50am
According to the Aussie Masterchef judges, you need to have a very sharp knife so it doesn't bruise the onions which releases the fumes.
carlosjackal,
Aug 26, 2:36am
According to the judge chefs on Masterchef Australia there is no gimicky way to stop the crying.the only thing that will reduce it greatly is ensuring your knife if extremely sharp; they said that a blunt knife actually "bruises" the onion and vapours of juice are released into the air - and that's what causes the tears.
bedazzledjewels,
Aug 26, 2:39am
Seems as though we both stored away that 'juicy' bit of info Carlos!
davidt4,
Aug 26, 3:05am
That's right.Another aspect is knife technique: rather than cutting the onion directly from above with a vertical "hit", you should use a slicing motion.It's hard to explain, but the best example I can think of is slicing a thick-skinned tomato.If you just hit it from above it will bruise and not cut cleanly, whereas if you approach it slightly from one side it will slice cleanly.
I use very sharp knives and rarely have any problems with onions.
spicecraft,
Aug 26, 4:55am
There is only one way that is guaranteed not to make your eyes water when peeling onions. You will be surprised at the simplicity of this. When ever I have had a lot of onions to peel it has always worked. It is not always practical but worth the effort.Get someone else to do them for you! - that is the onion peeling secret - worked for my mum (she got the kids to do them) and now it works for me.
annie.nz,
Aug 26, 1:02pm
I put the big chopping board on the stovetop and turn the extractor fan onto high.
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