I do the refrigeration method. Freezer if i’m in a hurry. I *think* it worked… I dunno..it’s been a really long time since I teared up while chopping onions *evil laugh* ^_^

i tried the candle trick before, and it didn’t work. i still ended up like a teenage novel heroine who got dumped by her boyfriend. what i do i just try to chop the onion as fast as possible

I think number 8 just might work. I have been keeping my onions in the fridge (to keep them safe from any bugs that like to run around the kitchen during the summer) and your entry just made me notice that the last few times I’ve chopped onions I’ve been tear free!
Nothing happens to the onions while they’re in the fridge so it’s safe to leave them in there. Best of luck on conquering tears!

Hey there ^_^ just recently ran into this nifty little place… needless to say, I was caught glued to my monitor for a few hours looking through past posts and whatnot.

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Anywho, that aside, I use the refrigeration method and it works most of the time – for some reason it’s dependent on the type of onion with me. heheh but that might just be me… red onions don’t seem to bother me at all, even when they’re not refrigerated.

Tried the gum and the goggles… heheh to no avail.

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Anyways, you’ve just captured another fan for this site ^_^ I’ll be checking in regularly from now on to see what other nifty creations you come up with!

Ja ne~

Haha… I chop up onions all the time at work… I find wearing contacts make me invincible towards onions~! But I suppose that doesn’t help others … hehe ^^

@Everyone
Thanks for the comments, I think I’ll try that refrigerating / quick freezing trick next time. *crossing fingers*

@KF
Heehee, thanks. Glad to have entertained

@Dona
Thanks! I’ll add that to the list.

i read/watched somewhere that you have to cut onions near water. apparently, onions have a defense mechanism and they target watery substances. or something like that. i think a bowl of water near your chopping area would do the trick. but, i might just’ve imagined this. hehe!

My tip… cut it fast. :3 and with a good knife crying should not be a problem. Kasi when the juicy bits of the onion comes out, the fumes is a lot stronger.

So, other than the tips above, a good knife and quick cuts should do the trick. The shorter you’re cutting the less tears you have. :3

only one thing works for me–got this from a food magazine: the day before i need to cook it, i peel and chop the onion (kahit in half lang) and put it in a jar and inside the fridge. when i chop excess, dun ko din nilalagay sa jar. so basically i have an onion jar i open when i need it. pero when they’re already prepared in that way, i find na hindi na siya nakaka-iyak. i haven’t detected any difference in taste, though, at parang juicy pa rin siya, so i still use that technique.

btw, the jar makes a big diff kasi when i just refrigerated already cut onions, they lose the juice and crunch. pag naka jar siya, they still stay good.

@khursten
I’m lousy with speed chopping ^_^;; One of the reasons why I want to go to cooking school–so I can make do like those chefs on TV whose knives fly!

@Leki
I had no idea you’re a “premeditated” cook =)) Still, I also keep onion halves in an airtight container in the fridge when I have leftovers, like for recipes that call for half an onion only. I never noticed if it made me tear up though.

I’ve tried water nearby, breathing through the mouth, not breathing at all, and the refrigerator. The refrigerator method definitely helps me but only because I’m pretty fast with my knife. Khursten is right, your knife should be really sharp. Do keep the onions in an airtight container in the ref or else they will no only lose flavor, they’ll make all the stuff in your ref taste of onion! even your drinking water! The candle trick is interesting…I wonder if there’s anything to that?

@ kaoko
nako,be careful! make sure you have really good vision when attempting to do that, and that you’re really concentrating on your chopping kasi we wouldn’t want you to chop off your digits like jolly….. =)hi jolly! musta na =)

@JB
Even the unpeeled onions? Or just the peeled ones? I’ll play it safe in the meantime and use an airtight container for both. Actually, I can manage to move fast enough if it’s just a rough chop. It’s the finely chopped mince that keels me. Now I’m wondering whether a double-handled knife would be better…

@ryan
Don’t worry I have that see-sawing thing down pat. I make sure my fingers keep away from the path of the knife. Although, yeah, hehe, delikado pa rin (Who’s Jolly? Are you referring to the bee? )

Only cut onions will stink u the fridge,I think, unless you fill it up with like a sackful of onions or something.

Hey here’s something I haven’t done in a while but the last time I did it it worked great: run a small electric fan beside you to blow the fumes away.

Did you know that onion fumes + your tears = SULFURIC ACID and that’s why it stings?

Chrisse, be careful with your guide hand when doing knife work. Your fingertips should be curled under your knuckles and not exposed to the blade. That way yes you could theoretically cut with your eyes closed but I wouldn’t recommend it hehehe.

I remember someone saying that soaking onions in milk helps reduce tearing up.
My worst case of onion tears was helping out at a food kitchen in SF, preparing Thanksgiving dinner. I had to chop a whole large box of onions and I was suffering all throughout.

I love using mirepoix for stews but dang, mincing the onions is ever the ordeal! Imagine this too: In school when we start cooking you have upward of 15 people all mincing several onions. Even with the extractor hoods going full blast tears were definitely flowing hehe. That milk method is new to me, Mila. Of course for preparing certain dishes the milk would be unwelcome. For this baked onion recipe though, it would be great!

@JB
I can never do that curled finger trick, it only slows me down. I am careful however, and have never cut myself in years of chopping. About your little equation, if that’s the case, then wearing goggles will help then? Imma buy a cheap pair to use in the kitchen, hehe.

@Mila
Thanks for the milk tip I’ll add it as well.

@kaoko
You know what, I’d been cooking for years without curling my fingers cutting myself, and I was pretty fast with the knife. Like you I always thought the classic technique just slowed me down. But in chef schooll they’ll cut your fingers off for you if you don’t use the proper technique (I’m kidding). Now that I’ve gotten used to the curled pinger style (parang martial arts ang tunog ah) I’ve gotten really fast with the knife It’s worth learning.

As for the goggles..oo nga ano. Some sources say it’s the nose you gotta watch. Then again your nose is connected to your tear ducts. How about wearing goggles plugging your nose & running a fan while chopping your refrigerated onions? Hehehehe sure shot na yun!

All you really need is a sharp knive. It works. No kidding.

Chopping off the end first (i.e., the bit with roots growing out of it) may help cut down on the fumes. It’s what I do, and it seems to work for me–maybe it’s mind over matter, but I hardly ever tear up when I’m cutting onions.

Also, try using one of those two-handled crescent-shaped knives. We have one and it’s great for mincing. Plus, it looks cool. Haha!

Wearing glasses doesn’t help either.. DD:

But my tip is just rising it under water, as its supposed to “wash” the fumes . I try to be safer and do it every 10 minutes while chopping… ^^;;

@thecityforever
That’s how I start with onions too. Slice off the ends, then peel under running water. Yeah, those two-handled swinging knife thingies are interesting. I’ll get it for the cool part (:P) rather than the actual mincing part though since I don’t mince stuff much.

@surrealistic
Yeah, I wear glasses too so it really doesn’t help, heehee. And thanks for the tip

i’ve heard that if you chop the onions while sitting on a chair gets your head out of the way of the fumes, but i’ve tried it and didn’t work out quite well. the only thing that works for me is eating bread while chopping (actually the idea is to chew it but it won’t last as long as the chewing gum). you should try this one!

[...] On a side note, I used half an onion that was in the fridge from something I cooked the day before. I minced it finely, with no tears! I guess Leki’s refrigerated half an onion tip really works! [...]

I work in a mexican restaurant, mostly working in the kitchen, including mincing and slicing onions for salsa and our grilled veggies. I’ve found that breathing through the mouth opposed to your nose really helps, so on the rare occasion i do onions, i breathe through my mouth and it’s fine, i can see while i chop, without the burning

I’ve found that 8 & 11 works best for me. Without doing that, even with a good knife, it gets so bad I go blind. I still occasionally chop onions blind. Freaks my Mum out when she sees it.

Ah, yes. So true. Don’t worry. It is a practice I’ve stopped. I figured it’s best to stop while I still have all my fingers. I haven’t chopped blind since that post. ^.^

Alton Brown’s segment on onions on YouTube. Check it out!

I believe that sunglasses are the best way to go. The wraparound kind that basically encloses your eye-socket works best for me. Also, that refrigerating onion tip works pretty well. I find that when I go back to an onion I opened a few days ago, the tears aren’t as bad or are nonexistent. I like having the fan going while I’m chopping to blow the fumes away from my onion chopping-board.

But, when all is said and done, your food processor is your friend. Though I’ve still had problems with my nose and eyes running while basically crying for real because the fumes are so bad. >_<

They should make tear-less onions. They breed featherless chickens, so why not onions that don’t make you cry?

i think the candle will work. lol.

@Luney
Hahaha, tearless onions would be an awesome invention. Though admittedly, all that genetic engineering scares me a bit.

@Tara
It does I do it sometimes but when sometimes, I worry that I’ll hit the candle and end up burning myself.

Some of the ideas are pretty far out there. Most I had never heard before! I recommend buying pre-chopped onion (thats what I do!)

Hi !

I’ve just found your site a couple days ago and it’s great. I’m currently browsing through the archive. I’ve got to say that I’m very bad with onion, I cry like a baby every time I chop an onion. The only trick that worked for me is to chop my onion while wearing swimming goggles. It’s ugly but pretty effective.

Greetings from Canada ^-^