Tips (No.3): How To Cut Onion Without Crying

Do you wanna know how to cut onion without crying? Do you need goggles?! It helps, for sure. I know the food chopper will work. But it takes your precious counter-top space and requires extra washing. Why don't many of us use those amazing and simple techniques???? Well, I'll introduce bunch of those cool tips on this blog. I'll always pick simple and easy ones that even cavemen can do :)

Ready?! This is the reason why you want to know how to cut onion without crying.
When you chop onions, cells are broken, allowing enzymes (alliinases) to break down amino acid sulphoxides and generate sulphenic acids. A specific sulfenic acid (1-propenesulfenic acid) is rapidly rearranged by a second enzyme (LFS), giving a volatile gas (LF). The LF gas diffuses through the air and reaches the eye creating an irritation - that's why you cry. 

I found all kinds of information about it and picked the most popular ones. 

• Tip No. 1      1) Hold a chopstick in the side way (like the picture) in your mouth and then cut it. (It helps drooling instead of making tears.) 
• Tip No. 2      Keep onions in the freezer for about 15 minutes before chopping. (The sulfur would not affect the eyes if the onion is cold.) Do not freeze for over 15 minutes.
• Tip No. 3      Soak it in plain water for about an hour and then cut it. (The water dilutes the sulfur present in onions.) Rinsing the onion and leaving it wet while chopping may also be effective.
• Tip No. 4      Cut the root or the core section of the onion. (the root of the onion has a higher concentration of enzymes that induce tears.)
• Tip No. 5      1) Don't remove the skin. Neatly cut the ends off of the onion. Pierce the skin of the onion several times with a tooth pick. 2) Place the onion on a paper towel inside microwave. 3) Heat on high for 60 seconds. 4) Remove from microwave and peel. Chop as desired.
• Tip No. 6      Cut onions in a ventilated room or light a candle (to minimize the effect of the sulfur fumes).
• Tip No. 7      Make sure you chop onions with a sharp knife. (This will lessen the damage done to the cell walls and release less irritants.)

Pick the one you like and try it next time you chop onion. My tips for how to cut onion without crying are really helpful (I tested them by myself). 
Also check out my restaurant reviews (haha, it's not how to cut onion without crying.) on Yelp. Chao!