Cut onions without crying about it!!! LIFE HACK

ermini2 Level 1

October 26, 2016, 5:10 pm

29

Write the reason you're deleting this FAQ

Cut onions without crying about it!!! LIFE HACK

Anyone who has cut an onion before knows that no matter what you do or how you cut the onion, you still end up crying!! =] Cutting into an onion breaks the cell walls which contain sulfenic acid and enzymes, which mix in the air to create propanethiol S-oxide, a sulfur compound that irritates sensitive tissues like your nose and eyes.

So I have a way that doesnt involve holding your breath or any extra contraptions to use....you just need your tongue!!!

Alls you have to do is simply press your tongue hard against the roof of your mouth and breathe through your mouth while you cut the onion. This method helps to pull all of the irritant into your mouth (which is much tougher), making it bypass your sinuses and eyes so you can skip the tears!

How awesome is this??! I will be using this life hack the next time I need to cut onions!!!

Comments

Please login or sign up to leave a comment

Join

CryptoGuru

CryptoGuru

This is awesome and i have been saying this works for years but nobody believes me! I like how you broke it down and explained exactly what it is in the onion that makes you cry when you cut it. I never knew the science behind it and i am very interested in it. We cut onions al ot especially when it comes time to start making homemade tomato sauce. This is a very cool hack and im glad that you took the time to share it with us. Thank you for sharing!

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

ermini2

ermini2

yeaaaa! i will be trying this the next time i need to slice up some onions!!
i had to explain what causes the crying part because i had no idea it was because of those certain enzymes and acids mixing with the air.!!

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Cristian

Cristian

The best trick I know when it comes to cutting onions is to keep them in cold water before you get to cut them, pull the exterior leafs and get them in cold water for about 30 minutes, I usually don't have any problems after that point. breathing through you mouth also helps.

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

ermini2

ermini2

oh wow, i have never heard of that one before, i will definitely be trying this out next time i cut onions!!

8 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

anor0428

anor0428

I am doing this, too. One of my mother's friend taught me about this, he said soak or wash the peeled onions to water to avoid yourself from crying, then I cracked a joke to him, "how about a broken heart? how can you avoid yourself from crying? lol".

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

augusta

augusta

This method is the one I was told by my granny and I don't really have problems with slicing the onions any longer.

Will also try this new hack to see which is better and I will be more comfortable with.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

lerryrian

lerryrian

The best thing is before you cut peel the skin and soke in water or put in the water, it helps ypu not to cry when you cut it.There is the other way too,Just chew a gum while you arr cutting a onion, opening of you mouth and breath into it helps you not make cry when you cut a onion.Its pull away the enzymes that irritate your eyes.

Use an electric fan to blow away the enzymes that irritate you. A good, sharp knife helps minimize damage to the skin of your onion as you cut, minimizing the release of the irritants.If you don't like cutting while there is a fan on your side,Lighting a candle (or whatever kind of open flame you have at your disposal) can help reduce the likelihood of tears too!

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

felabruno

felabruno

Seriously? I would never imagine something like this would help at the moment of cutting onions. I think I already got used to cutting onions every time I cook and it doesn't affect me much but sometimes the onions can really make you cry no matter what you do to try to avoid it. Next time I will try this life hack that you shared here, thanks!

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

aleunamme

aleunamme

I am really thankful for the tricks that you provided. I am really new at cooking and what I usually do is to cover my face with a cloth "like a ninja" and for the eyes, I just wear sunglasses. It is really inconvenient for me to do that all the time just to avoid crying while chopping onions. Thanks a lot!

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

naknakdatu

naknakdatu

Nice method you got there. I also have mine. Before cutting or slicing the onion I wash it with a cold water or dip it on a glass of cold water for how many seconds and start slicing it without tearing your eyes.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

gelotologist

gelotologist

My best trick when I;m cutting some onions is I chew a gum. I've been using this trick quite a while and its actually working. The one that told me this trick is my sister he told me to chew a gum which will prevent the tears and forced you to breathe through your mouth. I recommend this but you can also try different tricks but this is the one I'm currently doing right now.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

trebor2017

trebor2017

I will try it in my next encounter of my great enemy in cooking the cutting of onions. Mostly when I cut onions it makes me cry even though I don't want to so it is very annoying, the solution I usually use is putting a eye glass in my eyes which is actually very helpful for me but it's kind of hard to cut onions with an eye glass that you always fix the position and it actually destruct my focus on cutting onions. Thank you very much for this life hack, now I don't need any eye glass to avoid myself crying while cutting onions.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

anor0428

anor0428

Wow, thanks for sharing this one. I also heard that chewing a gum while you're cutting onion can prevent tears. I haven't tried it though, I cannot recall his name but he's a chef and I guess this will work to. Soaking onions on water before cutting them can also help to avoid tears, just peel them before soaking and it's good.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

betty01

betty01

Put on shades or eye glass while cutting onions, this is what I do every time I chopped onions, sometimes I soak in a water so you won't be teary eyed.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

saygorem

saygorem

Wow! I will try your suggestion. I also know of a way for you to lessen the effects of onion tear jerker, You just have to use a very sharp knife in cutting onions. That way the onions will not secrete chemicals in the air so you will not tear jerk from it.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

vinaya

vinaya

I have never heard of this method to cut onions without crying. When I have to chop onions, I cut them into two halves and then keep in cold water for few minutes. This trick always helps.
I understand the logic behind the onion cutting tricked shared on this thread. I hope to try this next time I am ready to chop onion.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Blank629

Blank629

I always cry when I cut onions. I don't know how to stop it. So this tips is helpful to me. I will try it when I am going to cut onions again.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

tophew

tophew

wow nice! i am glad i found this one this is a big help for me because every time i cut onions i got teary eyes so for me this is a good start on not crying for just an onions i will share this idea to my friends and cousins too.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

jemuelterrado

jemuelterrado

Wow this such a great and informative Life hack. I never thought there are some ways to avoid crying in slicing onions. I will try this next time i will cook and exactly most of served foods here in the Philippines are with onion ingredients this is such a useful discussion. Now crying will end during onion sessions.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Pixie06

Pixie06

Thank you for this great trick. I was not really aware about that and will try it the next time that I cut some onions. You seem to know quite a lot of tips. I hope that this one works. I totally hate it when my eyes get irritated as when this happens my nose starts itching too.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Barida

Barida

This is really good to know how one can cut onions without having tears drop down on the chins. I have always found it tough cutting onions while cooking because of that and I'm happy to learn more on how to prevent that.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

ColdFlameChris

ColdFlameChris

Thanks for the tip. This would really do the trick. Cutting onions is really a no joke. It's irritating to my eyes and I don't like it. I think, chilling the onions would also do the trick.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

Another trick that I learned in my home eck class when I was a kid is to cut a onion with a piece of bread in your mouth. When ever I tell people about it they laugh at me until they try it. And then they tell me WOW your right lol. I learned that trick 30+ years ago. =)

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

wallet

wallet

Ha ha ha this tip is a bit funny and I would never think of it. I know from my mother that if we want not to cry when we cut the onion we must put the onion in water for a couple of minutes before we will cut it.
I must say that this trick is really good, keep the onion in water and you will not cry anymore!

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

jaymish

jaymish

I 'll definitely, be trying this life hack. Cutting onions is one of the most painful and irritating thing to do. I also know of another hack that is said to work, but when I use it it never works. Maybe I can suggest it to all of you and you can try it and see if it works for you. Cooks in my country advise that when your cutting onions you lay out two slices of bread beside you so that the bread socks up the onion juice and it does not sting your eyes.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Nice trick. Here we freeze or chill the onion what happens is it prevents the release of sulfuric acid which hurts your eyes.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

DenisP

DenisP

I found that this trick doesn't really work all that well for me. Maybe I have some ultra potent onions or something, but if the onion is bad enough, nothing works. As soon as I cut into it, bam, it's in my eyes and I'm crying like my cat just died. I've found one thing that slightly helps is not cutting the root of the onion. It seems to reduce the amount of enzymes released which cause your eyes to tear up. The best advice of all is just hope you bought a batch of onions that aren't crazy strong. I recently got fresh onions from a local farm, and they're sweet as fruit and don't burn my eyes at all.

7 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Soak it in cold water with some salt for 30 minutes. After that you can cut it without any tears involved. You can also use an onion cutter which is the best option in cutting onions.

6 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?

Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Another effective way of solving the onion crying problem is to put it into the freezer an hour before using it. I tried it and it's very effective.

6 years ago

Are you sure you want to delete this post?