Onion-cutting tip to AVOID crying: "This helped sooo much!"
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Onions are a common ingredient in many Aussie dishes, whether they are sautéed, grilled, caramelised, or even eaten raw (Tony Abbott style). They are also low in calories, yet abundant in fibre, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.
Furthermore, they work as a prebiotic, providing food for the beneficial bacteria in your stomach, resulting in improved general health. Talk about a powerhouse veggie!
However, their coveted flavour comes at a cost – those that slice them may find themselves wiping tears from their stinging eyes shortly after.
What is it about slicing onions that makes us cry?
It actually comes down to some amazing biochemistry.
Before it ended up in your kitchen, the onion plant was happily absorbing minerals from the soil. Onions are especially good at absorbing sulphur, which they use in amino acids.
Every time you cut an onion, its liquidy juices spill forth. Syn-propanethial-S-oxide is formed when previously separated enzymes contact sulphur-rich amino acids. This deceptive chemical is volatile, causing a burning sensation when it floats up from the cutting surface and contacts your eyes.
To avoid damaging your valuable eyes, your brain instantly triggers a tear reaction to rinse the irritant away, leaving you red-eyed and tear-stained in the kitchen.
When you chop an onion, you expose it to oxygen, and its enzymes help it release the chemical propanethial-S-oxide. Credit: Verywell Health.
Thankfully for those of us who frequently work in the kitchen, this doesn't always have to be the case! Here, one woman shares a 'game-changing' method for chopping onions that prevents tears—all you need is one household item!
According to Shilo, putting a piece of wet towel next to the onion when chopping it will prevent you from crying. Since the chemicals released by the onion are absorbed by the towel instead of your eyes, you no longer have to suffer from crying in the kitchen.
"Bet you didn't know this," the Aussie woman wrote in her Facebook post.
Thousands of users online who saw Shilo's onion-cutting tip were fascinated by the simple concept and admitted they never knew the reason why people cry from cutting onions.
"YES! Can confirm this helped soooo much," wrote one user, with another chiming in and adding: "I love that no matter how old you are, you can still learn new things. Sure going to do this one! Thanks!"
Members, do you have more tips when it comes to preparing veggies? Share them with us in the comments below!
For more tips on how to easily cut an onion, check out this video:
Credit: Evolving Table.
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