DO ONIONS MAKE YOU CRY?

I’ve tried a lot of things to keep from crying when I chop onions, like holding (unlit) matches in my teeth, putting the cutting board near an open flame, or chopping the onions under running water. I’ve even considered wearing a snorkel, a trick I learned from an artist friend to keep from inhaling the toxic chemicals we used for cleaning the ink from our silk-printing screens. The only thing that ever really kept my eyes dry was getting someone else to chop my onions for me.

I just learned a better solution from my friend and fellow IACP member, Carol Dearth. Chef Carol has a gorgeous cooking school and store in Bellevue Washington called Sizzle Works Sizzle Works. She also has a terrific blog where she posts recipes and cooking tips. Her last e-letter included a link to her new video about onions. Her secret? Vinegar! Just splash a little on the chopping board and slice and dice away – no more tears or red eyes. Thanks, Carol!

Carol explains why the vinegar works and demonstrates how to select and chop onions here.

Onion photo from Wikipedia.

(c) 2013, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwarsblog.com