The Secret to Perfect Diced Onions
Have you been using those awful dehydrated onions because chopping a fresh onion seems like too much of a hassle? Even worse, do you have a giant jar of onion powder? There's no need to fear using fresh onions when you know the proper technique for perfect diced onions. Our simple chopping onions tutorial will have you slicing and dicing like a pro in minutes.
No More Tears Perfect Onions
There are a few tricks that make cooking with onions easier. Our grandmothers probably knew them, but they may have been lost when our mothers started using microwaves and frozen vegetables. Thankfully, today's return to slow food and home cooking means that onions are back on the menu.
One of the biggest problems people have with onions is the way they sting the eyes. If you can't stand shedding tears over a fresh onion, keep these tips in mind.
- Use a sharp knife. The sharper the knife, the less of the onion chemical that burns eyes is released during cutting.
- Chill the onion. A cold onion produces less eye-burning chemicals.
- Cover the cut surfaces. The cut surfaces of an onion are the parts that produce eye-stinging chemicals, so keep the cut side of the onion face down on the cutting board whenever possible.
How to Dice an Onion
Follow these steps to get a perfectly diced onion every time.
- Slice off the stem end of the onion and remove the papery skin. Leave the root end intact.
- Slice the onion in half through the root end. This root end will serve as an anchor that keeps the entire onion together while you are dicing.
- Lay the cut side of the onion flat on the cutting board. Slice the onion 2/3 of the way down to the root, making cuts perpendicular to the cutting board.
- Now slice the onion 2/3 of the way down in the other direction, parallel to the cutting board. Your onion should now be cut into several long rectangular shapes, all of which are still attached to the root end.
- Cut across the rows of slices, making perfect diced onion. Cut to the end of the slices and discard the remaining root end of the onion.
Cooking with Onions
Now you that know how to handle an onion without crying or cutting off your fingers thanks to our chopping onions tutorial, start adding them to everything. Diced onions go well with virtually any dish, so don't hesitate to add them to all your favorite recipes.
