Question
ingrid ortega
How can I avoid crying when chopping onions? :-(
Answer
Practically speaking, I, I don't know a perfect solution. Okay? Um, you know, I've, I've heard of pe I guess I've tried these things too, but I, I've heard of people, you know, putting an onion in the freezer for several minutes just to chill it down so that when you cut into it, you know, the, the, the molecular activity is kind of toned down, and so you don't get all this stuff in your eyes. Um, maybe that works a little bit. Uh, is it convenient? Not for me. Um, you know, uh, maybe a sharper knife works, you know, certain varieties of onions or stronger, uh, or more mild. So you might, uh, do some experimenting and, and choose your onions. Uh, I'll share a quick story with you. Um, you know, in the past when I taught at, on-ground culinary schools, uh, on a, you know, this question would come up. And, um, what I, what I experimented with and, and, uh, what I would, I, I, I kid you not, what I demoed in front of my student was I would wrap my head in plastic wrap and poke a hole in my mouth so I could breathe, and then I would demonstrate my knife cuts on the onions. And that was the most effective way, uh, to, you know, keep my, my eyes from, uh, from watering, from me, from crying. And, um, but, uh, uh, if you're gonna do that at home, let everybody know what you, what you're planning on doing so you don't frighten anybody. Um, I'm afraid, afraid it might, you know, prompt a, a call to the local police department because you'll, you'll look frightening, okay? Um, but anyway, um, you know, give those a try either the, the freezing or the sharp knife or the plastic wrap and, and see, uh, what you think.
