Although chopping onions frequently makes one cry, there are some smart tricks you could try to keep your eyes dry. We’ll look at several practical ways to stop crying while cutting onions in this blog post such as sharpening your knife.
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These hacks can help you enjoy a more enjoyable cooking experience and bid goodbye to tears caused by onions.
Use a sharp knife
In general, maintenance of knives is always recommended but more so when handling your onion. A sharp knife causes little damage to the flesh of the onion and will reduce the released gas. It’s unwise to have a blunt blade since it may delay you.
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Also, owning a knife sharpener or getting a new blade set would not fully eliminate crying, but it would minimize its impact.
Refrigerate Your Onions Ahead
This tip requires placing your onions in the refrigerator before using them. This is perhaps the best method to try as chemical reactions are likely to slow down with the cool temperatures.
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This will take 30 to 45 minutes depending on how early you removed it from the refrigerator. Storing onions in the refrigerator long-term is not advised since it causes the onions to go bad.
Use Eye Protection
If you’re struggling to get through prepping your meal, attempt to limit the exposure of the gas to your eyes. Just a simple glass or shades may do the trick, however, eyewear with a ducting seal will be best.
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There seem to be onion goggles available and may be somewhat fun to wear, although not exactly necessary.
Use Alternative Kitchen Tools
Once again, if you have the means, it’s worthwhile to acquire special gadgets. Make sure you have a good quality blender that has a blade for chopping or cutting. You minimize the tears because your time of exposure is minimal and, sometimes, the onions are enclosed.
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Another cheap kitchen gadget is a vegetable chopper, which you can use with any type of produce.
Additional Quick Tip
Always choose fresh onions preferably in their natural state, especially if you want to get them from a store. In its natural state, fresh onions don’t release so many tears as ones that have been kept for long.
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Eventually, it loses its enzymes and you know how it reacts with the water once you start cutting the onions.
Debunking Hacks That Don’t Work: Chewing Gum
One of the ways that individuals claim to keep the tearing to a bare minimum is chewing gum. Chewing gum does not guard your eyes nor does it prevent the onion from letting off tear-producing vapors.
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Sadly, it’s just a mere myth with no science backing it up. Also, the tear that the onion brings will not be prevented.
Soaking Onions in Water
So, the ability to stop tears by soaking onions in water is a myth, it actually increases the process to make one cry.
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Furthermore, tossing wet onions inside the hot plate can lead to oil spattering, which can result in a burn on your skin. This is not only an inefficient hack, but somewhat of a safety hazard.
Holding Your Breath
There are numerous myths that people believe, one of which is holding your breath while cutting onions. Professionals state that it’s the blow that is faced with your eyes that produces tears, not the breath.
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Also, by holding your breath, using a sharp knife becomes perilous. This hack is harmless, and dangerous as it could destabilize you.
Microwaving Onions
The misconception arises because microwaving onions is believed to help minimize the tearful experience whenever one is cutting the onions. Whereas in a real sense, it intensifies them. The heat also increases the effect of tear-inducing gas and even changes the taste of onions.
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Unfortunately, this hack does not guard against tears as it also changes the taste of the dish.
Ventilate Yor Kitchen
One way to help dissipate the tear-producing gasses emitted by onions is to improve kitchen ventilation. To quickly get rid of the gas, open windows, and doors to allow air to flow through them.
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You can also switch on exhaust vents. Improved ventilation makes it simpler to chop onions without crying by keeping molecules from building up and getting into your eyes.
Drawing The Curtain
An onion emits enzymes when chopped, which irritates the eyes and makes you cry. Although there are many fake tips online, try using a sharp knife and pre-chilling your onion in the refrigerator. This will lower the possibility that you will cry.
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If everything else doesn’t work, you can avoid being a sobbing mess by wearing eye protection or using specialized kitchen appliances.
