Oct 10, 2011
The Molly Piper Onion-Chopping Method
I’ve heard about a million theories about how to avoid crying while chopping onions. Unless you’re like my mother, who doesn’t cry when she chops onions (I didn’t know that was even possible), you’re looking for something that actually works.
Perhaps you’ve found something already, but personally I don’t want to have to hunt down my goggles every time I need to chop an onion. Or one of these:
I want little effort, lots of payout.
I’ve been browsing articles about why onions make us cry, and it’s a about some crazy acidic compound in the onion being released into the air and irritating the lacrimal glands (the ones that produce tears). “Very scientific, Molly…”
So what you’ve been waiting for… (the imaginary voices ask me all kinds of questions that I feel obliged to answer publicly)
“How do you do it, Molly?”
Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you…The Molly Piper Onion-Chopping Method!!!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- lungs
- a mouth
As soon as you’re gonna cut that bugger, start breathing deeply in and out through the mouth ONLY. Focus on mouth breathing for the entire time you’re cutting and working with the onion. Rinse your knife, cutting board, etc. as soon as you can and you should be good.
(Note: this may be one of the few times in life that being a “mouth breather” is acceptable.)
Also, I use my Pampered Chef Food Chopper pretty religiously when I chop onions, just because it’s faster. I quarter them and chop the heck out of them! (That might be my favorite Pampered Chef item of all time, but that’s probably another post.)
If you deviate back to nose breathing, you’ll start crying. Just get back on track with the mouth breathing and the crying should subside. This has been my method of choice for years now, so I hope it works for you too!
Do you have an onion-cutting tip to share? Let’s hear it!
Wow, I’m really excited to try your onion chopping method!
I wish I had a tip to share! I just chop it as quickly as possible or chop a little, walk away, come back, chop some more, which is not the most efficient way. Also, I have tried the wearing goggles thing and found that it doesn’t work. Haha. I am going to try the mouth breathing next time…
I’m a non-crier when I chop onions. They totally don’t bother me at all, so I forget all the time and let the kiddos pull up a chair close when I chop them and then get totally confused when the kids start freaking out. My oldest (who is 4) won’t even enter the kitchen at all if she finds out I’m chopping onions.
I wish I had a method for you… maybe chem lab goggles?
I do the same thing but it seems like eventually, enough vapors get up into my nose to get some tears going. Recently I did a whole bunch of onions at once (food processor), spread them on sheet pans, froze, then broke them up and put them double bagged in a gallon ziplock. So I had one day of some slight crying, and a lot of days of not crying. I’m really liking this.
I hear chewing gum while cutting onions helps?
I rarely cry when I cut onions. It’s happened, but it has to be a lot of onions.
I’ve heard you can pop them in the freezer for a few minutes and that works.
When I wear my contacts onions never bother me. When I wear my glasses they always make my eyes burn. : )
Don’t blink…at all. That’s my trick. Or talk friends into chopping my onions and then freezing them for me. See, frozen onions never hurt nobody.
Thankfully, chopping onions doesn’t bother me one bit! However, I wanted to comment because I also think the Pmapered Chef food chopper is SO WONDERFUL. I love using it :)
Wow! I have never heard this before. I have the Kitchen Aid version of the PC chopper, and I use it all the time for onions. I can’t handle the tears. I might have to give your method a try. I have read that if your onion is cold, like from the fridge, then it won’t affect you as much. It seems to be true from my experiment, but who keeps all their onions in the fridge?
I agree with Christina! I never used to cry… and then I switched over to glasses and not only do I cry like a baby my face hurts and once it gave me a headache for the rest of the night. In my season of life I more often choose onion powder :)
Onions don’t bother me much…I wear contacts so i think that helps. However, I don’t enjoy cutting them and hate putting the remaining onion in the fridge and finding it growing things the next time I want to cut up onion. I have a fabulous tip to use for onions. I chop onions once every 2-5 months or so. I use my Vita-mix to help me chop tons of onions at once, then freeze them in ice cube trays. Whenever I need onions, all I have to do is pull out a cube or two or three and I’m ready to cook. It’s wonderful!! Probably my FAVORITE time and money saving tip I use in the kitchen because who wants to cut onions all the time? :) I wrote a post about it on my blog. http://simplythrifty.blogspot.com/2011/01/simple-kitchen-shortcuts-onion-ice.html
I HATE cutting onions. I’ve actually left onions out of recipes because I hate cutting them so much. A couple tricks I’ve learned: Sometimes I cut the onion in half and run the halves under cool tap water, which does…something… that seems to take the edge off. Or I put on sunglasses. Or I use my Pampered Chef chopper, too. Or I just use green onions. :)
you might want to add a disclaimer that if they are someone who easily faints they might want to proceed the chopping of the onions with caution as it could cause them to keel over. :) :)
Agreed!!!! I hate chopping onions. Usually this means that I have really, really big onion chunks or con my roommate or sister into chopping them!!!! Or have tons of kleenex handy (because I cry and my sinuses get hit as well.)
I have lots of tips that have worked a little. One is to chew mint gum. Another is to try chopping with a piece of bread sticking out of your mouth so the fumes don’t reach your nose (gets a little soggy). But my favorite and most successful has been to chop with my kitchen window wide open and the oven hood fan on and my board at an angle so the fumes go up and away from me. I also take big breaths over my shoulder and don’t breath in while cutting. My kids think I’m being dramatic, but, hey, it works!
The last few times I’ve chopped onions I’ve tried the ol’ bread-hanging-out-of-mouth routine….it works, but really takes the glamour out of the oh-so-elegant meal I was making…oh wait, what the heck, it was a pot of chili! ;-)
I try to just chop up a bunch at once and have a big cry fest and then freeze whatever I don’t need so I can skip it the next time…
I’ve heard that the sharper the knife the less you cry…though I haven’t noticed a huge difference!
I don’t know why it works, but it does – stand close to the kitchen sink and turn on the faucet while chopping onions. My mom always did it and now I do, too. It really works!
Good idea.
Also, be sure to use a very sharp knife. It is not only safer but also more effective at avoiding onion fumes!
No tips, but I love the picture!
I do the chopping as close to the kitchen faucet as I can. I keep the cold water running the whole time. If the burning sneaks in I just lean my head near the water for a few seconds and it soothes it. I don’t touch the water but just get near it. Of course I rinse my hands and knife all along.
Chop close to cold running water and keep it running.
I keep my onions in the refrigerator. When I cut them I don’t cry – but if they are at room temperature then I cry.
I have never been too bothered by chopping onions. I do wear contacts so maybe that’s part of it. Years ago someone told me that you should always cut the root end off first (something about if you cut the other end first it draws stuff into onion that makes you cry). It is just a habit with me now and onions rarely make me cry.
I also decided recently to try chopping and freezing a bunch at once. I chopped them in the food processor, then separated them into these new Ziploc “perfect portions” bags in 1/4 c. increments. I fit about 4 cups in a Ziploc freezer bag. I cried, but won’t again for a long time!
For the word nerd in you-a substance that contains the chemical compounds which induce tears is called a lachrymator, and examples include tear gas and pepper spray (capsasein) as well as onions. I used to work with lachrymators. Those seal-in-to-you-face lab goggles really help, as does wearing those cheap white masks that people wear when sanding stuff. I am not certain, but I think the word is derived from the word “acrylate” (like the stuff used in nail salons for fake nails-acrylic) because some acrylates will cause the tear response.
This isn’t about crying, it’s about getting the onion smell off my hands. I always “wash” my hands afterward using water and a spoon (from my silverware drawer). It completely removes the onion smell.
Put it in the freezer for a few minutes before you chop…it works every time!
I want to see a photo compilation of these methods…bread hang out of your mouth, sunglasses, mouth breathing. I’m laughing soooo hard picturing myself testing these meathods…standing at the counter with a banana sliced in 1/8″ pieces crossways, a penny taped behind my right ear and an empty roll of Quilted Northern placed perpendicular to the knife, only on tuesdays with a full moon.
Anything for an onion.:)
I cut mine under the hood fan above the stove. Seems to suck those fumes away from my eyes.
I’ll be trying the mouth breathing technique…probably tonight since we use lots of onions.
I always cry when I chop onions…except for when I’m pregnant. I bet it’s because I’m out of breath with a huge tummy, so I naturally breathe heavier and through my mouth. Makes sense! :)
Hi~ On the root side of the onion is where the tear ball is. Take a sharp knife and cut a circle around the root and pull out the tear ball. It should pull out pretty easily and throw it away. Try not to pierce the root ball because when you do this it let out the tear gas. Then chop the rest your onion without tears.
Wow! I’ll have to try the root ball thing.
I’ve always done the bread in my mouth method, and it works better than without!
Simple…I delegate that chore to one of the kids. :)
All I can say is “Hilarious!” Thanks for the fun laugh and great tips(-; I love my chopper too. It’s so fun to read your blogs, interesting.
This is hilarious! I recently discovered hardware goggles helping me out with chopping onions-as my kids stare at me like I’m crazy. This has worked better than all other methods I’ve tried-like rinsing the onion first, lighting a candle, etc. I love your helmet idea :)
Take a sip of water, but instead of swallowing, just hold the water in your mouth while you chop. I have no idea why it works, but it does.
I no longer chop them–a few years ago I discovered that in the frozen vegetables section of the grocery store they sell BAGGED CHOPPED ONIONS!! I just sprinkle them into whatever I’m making that calls for chopped onion.
Cutting them under running water works.
AND…my sweet mother who is now with Jesus found out late in life that holding a wooden match (tip outward) between her lips as she cut the onion kept her from crying. I made so much fun of her…then tried it and had to say I was sorry.
A friend of mine said just put a little water in your mouth- it does help.
Just had to share on this one . . . I’m the WORST cryer when it comes to onions, and even the bread thing (which I was taught in high school foods class) has never really fully worked, BUT – I just learned this from watching the movie “The Help” (of all things!) — HOLD A MATCHSTICK BETWEEN YOUR TEETH (not lit, obviously) WHILE YOU CHOP. I thought this sounded crazy, but oh my goodness, I haven’t shed even ONE tear since trying this, and now I do it every time :)
Goggles. I wear goggles and it works like a charm. And the strange thing is they don’t even need to have a nose piece, just the eye goggles will work. So if you come to my house, there is a drawer for cutting boards, and goggles :). The picture is HILARIOUS btw Molly. I’m still laughing.
Not sure if the guys in the picture really needed the helmets. Seems as though the BO from their hairy naked pits would have overpowered any lacrymators! Love Nicki’s comment, had very similar visions myself!
As a joke, my best friend gave me “onion glasses” from the kitchen store. But they are no joke—My eyes don’t water when I chop onions anymore. I am not sure what they cost, but it was worth every penny. There are lots of onions to chop for a family of seven.