Any cook will know the troubles of cutting onions. No matter how careful one is, you just can’t stop having tears flowing down your cheeks as you slice and dice the fragrant bulbs. Why do onions make you cry? More importantly, how do you prevent it?
The response lies in the science of onions. Onions are necessary for the allium family, which encompasses garlic, leeks, and chives. These plants produce sulfur-containing intensifiers that give them their distinctive flavor and smell. At the point when you cut an onion, you shatter its cells and offer these combinations out of sight. Some of these respond with the catalysts in the onion and structure a gas called syn-propanethial-S-oxide, which is the primary guilty party causing your onion tears.
This gas is unpredictable and effectively arrives at your eyes, where it responds to the water and produces sulfuric-corrosive structures. This caustic hurts your eyes and causes the tear organs to make extra tears to wash it away. The more you hack, the more gas you spew, and the more you cry.
Anyway, how might you halt this unending loop? There are many tips and tactics that individuals depend on; however, not every one of them is successful or viable. Here are the absolute greatest ones, in light of the physics behind onion tears and the expertise of active cooks.
- Cool the onion. One of the most easy techniques to decrease onion tears is to refrigerate or freeze the onion prior to cutting it. This lowers down the temperature of the onion and dials back the synthetic responses that release the nerve gas. It likewise lessens the volatility of the gas, making it dubious that it will arrive at your eyes. In any event, don’t freeze the onion for a really long period, as it can alter its surface and flavor.
- Utilize a sharp blade. Another basic approach is to use a sharp blade to slash the onion. A dull blade will crush the onion cells and deliver a higher amount of the deadly gas. A sharp blade will make clean slices and limit the injury to the onion cells. It will also accelerate the cleaving system, lessening your openness to the gas.
- Cut close to a vent or a fan. In the event that you have a vent or a fan in your kitchen, you can utilize it to blow away the harmful gas from your eyes. Position yourself so the wind current is between you and the onion, then cut away. The vent or the fan will scatter the gas and keep it from getting at your eyes.
- Wear goggles. To put in any amount of effort, you can wear goggles or spectacles to preserve your eyes from the harmful fumes. Ensure they fit comfortably and shield your eyes entirely. You can likewise utilize swimming goggles or ski goggles for this reason. You could appear dumb, yet you’ll be without tears.
- Flush the onion. One additional technique for lowering the nerve gas is to wash the onion under chilly water previously or in the wake of stripping it. This will wash away a portion of the sulfur mixtures and proteins that form the gas. It will equally absorb the onion and keep the gas from getting out of sight. Nonetheless, this technique can also wash away a portion of the onion, so use it carefully.
- Bite gum. Certain individuals ensure that munching gum while cleaving onions can stop tears. The concept is that biting gum animates the manufacture of spit, which assists with killing the corrosive in your eyes. In any event, there is no logical proof to aid this instance, and it probably won’t work for anyone. In any case, in the event that you adore biting gum, it doesn’t damage to attempt.
- Light a candle. Another well-known trick is to light a flame next to the cutting board and slice the onion close to it. The fire of the flame should devour a portion of the dangerous gas and diminish its focus in the air. Nonetheless, this technique isn’t incredibly successful, as the flame can burn a little quantity of gas, and it could create extra smoke and intensity in your kitchen.
- Cut the onion in an unexpected way. The manner in which you cut the onion can also influence how much nerve gas you discharge. The deadly gas is generally packed in the root and the stem of the onion, which are the portions that keep the onion intact. Assuming you cut these portions last, you can limit the amount of gas that departs. This is the way to make it happen:
- Remove the tallest point of the onion; however, keep the root in one piece.
- Strip off the external layer of the onion and dispose of it.
- Slice the onion down the middle through the root.
- Put the onion sections flat on the cutting surface, with the root pointing away from you.
- Make vertical incisions along the onion, lined up with the root, but don’t slice through the root.
- Make flat slashes across the onion, opposing the root, although don’t slice through the root.
- At long last, make slanting slices along the onion, from the top to the bottom, and dispose of the root.
These are definitely the most optimal ways to chop onions without sobbing, or possibly without feeling like a child. Give them a shot and see what works for you. What’s more, recall that regardless of whether you cry, it’s anything but an indication of a shortcoming. It’s an evidence of your fondness for cooking and your commitment to generating delectable foods with onions.
Related posts:
Why Does Cutting Onions Make You Cry? – Houston Methodist
Why onions make you cry and how to prevent it – Times of India
