Don’t Cry for Me; Onion Cutting Made Easy

Most people are deeply moved, passionate even, about food and cooking on some level. From the ongoing cheese steak battle in Philly, to the New York pizza debate to the local farm-to-table movement of the west coast, blood is stirred, as often as the pots are when it comes to emotions and food. Food brings laughter, debate, joy and even tears.  One food moves us to tears world-wide more than any other, that food is the humble yet mighty onion. Rather than a flood of complicated emotions, onions, most literally, make us cry.

Now, certainly the smell of cooking onions is universally one of the most evocative smells of all time, yet onions are so common in one form or another to nearly every food culture on the planet we almost take them for granted. If you add in the “stinging-eye” factor, you can see why many people just do not relish cutting onions. When I was a young prep cook, I had to cut 100 pounds of onions at a time, pretty much my body weight then, so I can relate. Most of you are probably not dispatching onions in 100 pound increments, so do not fear, there is a way to truly begin to love and to soon master cutting onions. 

To begin with, onions are a member of the allium family whose members include red, yellow and white varieties, leeks, shallots, scallions and garlic with a myriad of variations of each. Onions of one form or other are the basis of most cuisines, such as the French “mirepoix” of diced onion, carrot and celery; also known as the “holy trinity”. How’s that for passion? I just love the French.

Shallots are easily cut by the same techniques that are illustrated in the video below but first you split the shallot into its two lobes. I use a paring knife on the small shallot. Note the size if the shallot varies widely as seen in the picture.

Leeks are first trimmed at the top where the white part begins to turn a deep green. The green tips can be used if cut thinly, just taste for excessive bitterness before using. Do not cut off the root end, but you can trim it if it is really dirty.  The leek is then split, but not all the way through the root end. You will see the dirt inside. I often split it again into quarter cuts and then run the split end under water to clean, dry the leeks very well and slice as needed.

So, what about all of that crying we talked about? As onions are cut, cells are destroyed and eye-irritating enzymes are released. You can chill onions, which helps or use a fan to blow away the gas or yes, even use goggles to protect your eyes. The best way, and certainly the most dignified is to master the simple techniques in the video below. By learning either method and by using a sharp knife that destroys fewer onion cells, you will greatly reduce the amount and exposure time of the enzymes reaching your tender eyes. Also, the highest concentration of enzymes is in the root end, which you do not cut until last. If you then use a board scraper to move your cut onions to an awaiting bowl with a paper towel over it, your culinary crying days are pretty much over.  That is, unless you are a prep cook…

Hopefully now you can save your tears for something truly soul-stirring, such as my favorite, a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge with a cerulean sky above, the sail-dotted bay below and the full promise of all that is San Francisco just ahead.

Watch the quick video in the link below, try the two methods and let me know your thoughts.

Knife Skills I. Cutting an Onion- Two Ways

 

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