This Viral Hack Shows How To Slice Onions So You'll Never Cry Again
Now the only tears you'll shed are from life's pain. :')
By Tamara Jayne — 08 Jul 2021, 05:04 PM
Wipe your tears, folks. This hack for cutting onions without crying may just change your life.
No, you don't have to wear goggles or wrap yourself in cling film.
A chef on TikTok, Will Wright, has gone viral for sharing a method on how to dice onions so you'll never, ever have to shed a tear again... while cooking at least
Using a sharp knife, he splits the onion down the middle vertically and places it with the flat side down
He then proceeds to chop up the onion while keeping the root on
The chef explains that keeping the 'eye' or root on the onion reduces the amount of 'bleeding', which is what causes you to tear up.
According to The National Onion Association, "The root end has the highest concentration of sulphuric compounds that make your eyes tear."
His video has received over 5.1 million likes and 44,000 comments, as several have also shared other techniques to avoid crying when cutting onions.
Why do onions even make us cry?
Onions contain sulfur compounds and an enzyme called synthase. Once they're sliced, the two elements form a chemical compound, which is released into the air as a gas called syn-Propanethial-S-oxide.
This gas irritates our eyes and causes them to water.
The key is to reduce the amount of gas that's released. So, the less 'damage' you cause to the onion cells, the less likely it will happen. This is why many suggest using a sharp knife instead of a dull one, which often crushes the flesh that causes the tear-jerking gas to be released.
Cold onions are also said to release this gas slower, so you can pop them into the freezer for 10 minutes before cooking.
