To cut an onion properly, follow these steps:
- Prepare the onion and knife
Use a very sharp knife for clean cuts. Cut the onion in half vertically alongside the root, leaving the root end intact to hold the onion layers together and reduce tearing
- Peel the onion
Remove the outer skin layers from each half, keeping the root end attached
- Slicing onions
- Lay one half flat on the cutting board with the root end away from the knife.
- Hold the onion like a tennis ball, curling your fingers to guide the knife safely.
- Slice vertically towards the root, spacing the cuts as your recipe requires (thin slices, wedges, or rings).
- Finally, cut off and discard the root
- Dicing onions
- After slicing vertically, make horizontal cuts perpendicular to the vertical ones, again keeping the root intact.
- Then cut down vertically perpendicular to the previous cuts to create diced pieces.
- Discard the root once done
Additional tips:
- Leaving the root intact helps keep the onion together and reduces eye irritation.
- To avoid tears, you can chill the onion before cutting or wear goggles
- For safety, use the "claw grip" to protect your fingertips by curling them inward and using your knuckles to guide the knife
This method yields clean, uniform slices or dices and minimizes waste and tears
