I love cooking, and I love onions, but I’m ridiculously sensitive to them. Every time I chop them, I have to go stick my head out a window a few times during the process because I tear up to the point that I can’t see the knife, and my eyes sting really hard. Is there a way to prevent this? (If it’s at all relevant, I wear glasses.)
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This is gonna sound weird, but try wearing swimming goggles.
I don’t wear glasses, but my understanding is that contacts prevent a huge amount of the pain. It’s also important to make sure your knife is very sharp since the more you can cleanly slice through the cells of the onions rather than squeezing them and mashing them, the less of the vapor will get pushed into the air.
You can also completely abandon caring how it looks and wear swim goggles while you cut. That 100% works.
Put a fan blowing the gas away from your eyes
Or goggles
Put a fan on low blowing the aroma away from your eyes, or blow away every once in a while if you’re cooking for yourself at home lol
Try putting them in the fridge for a good while first — and try chopping them near the sink with the water running a bit.
Goggles are the best.
Others that help reduce the effects:
I keep a small fan in the kitchen specifically for cutting onions. I just set it next to the cutting board blowing across it. Works great.
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Breathe through your mouth! Not your nose.
I find that the sweet type of onion is less pungent. If you’re buying regular onions, you might want to try switching to sweet onions.
I cut them outside on the patio. Or I get my husband to do them.
Rinse them before cutting. Or place a damp cloth/towel/paper towel down and cut on that. The ingredient that makes your eyes water will go to the nearest source of water if you cut them dry that is your eyes, nose and mouth.
Try running your glasses under water and putting them on wet before cutting onions.
If your stovetop is properly ventilated, then as long as it’s completely cold you can just put your cutting board on the stovetop and turn the fan on.
Safety goggles from the gardware store?
A properly sharp knife makes a huge difference
A sharp knife makes a big difference!
I tend to keep mine in the fridge, but I also don’t immediately cut the base off. The last time I did it caused stinging eyes.
Swimming goggles
I’m surprised after 30 comments nobody has mentioned this – chew gum! It works lol
I have a mini blender. Roughly pulse after chopping the onion in half and no tears. Magic.
Chew gum while cutting them.
Sharpen your knife. A dull blade breaks more cellulose, releasing more onion agents.
Place it in the freezer for about 10-15 mins.
I don’t know why it works, but I put a slice of bread in my mouth. I fold it in half, have a bunch of it sticking out and I don’t get the tears from the onions. If I’m like cutting up a whole bunch to freeze, I’ll go through a couple pieces, because of my saliva.
Chopped up a 10 pound bag with my friend once, and no tears.
Having water in my mouth helps me
Super sharp knife and practice knife skills. It takes me no time at all to fully dice an onion into ¼” squares.
You can practice dicing on non onion things to get better at knife skills. Learn how to properly grip the knife as well.
Put them in the fridge.
Sharp knife makes the world of difference, just cut some onions at my daughter’s with a knife that may as well have been a saw and things got emotional
Will pop along with my sharpening stones next time.
I heard if you chew gum while chopping onions it prevents you from crying. Never tried it though
I learned this from a chef i worked for a long time ago! When your eyes start watering and burning, just run your hands under cold water. It immediately helps. Idk why but it does lol
ONIONS MAKE YOU CRY THROUGH YOUR NOSE< NOT YOUR EYES.
Plug your nose, and you’ll be fine. Sharpening you knife makes them release less of the oils that irritate your nostrils.
put some olive oil on the blade of your knife before you start cutting – minimize the release of syn-Propanethial-S-oxide, the compound that makes you tear up.
I just take my t shirt and pull it over my head. I can still see through to cut but I’m safe from the vapors
burning a candle nearby helps me a little bit and I’ve heard chilling them and/or rinsing them with water ahead of time can also help
I wear science goggles to chop onions. Also putting a fan on in front of the onions moves the fumes away from where I’m cutting.
I have a Clone Trooper helmet that I put on to cut onions and it has worked both times I used it
Store them in the fridge so the juices don’t aerosolize as easily.
Number one piece of advice is to have a sharp knife. Sharp enough to shave with if possible.
Goggles or glasses can help but you will still breath in the juice and that can cause issues. A full face mask with snorkel is the only way to prevent 100% of the issues.
I feel like i heard… holding a spoon in your mouth.
I could be lying, idk.
I realized after many years that cutting it the long way works. I mean a vertical cut instead of horizontal.
After you peel the skin rinse it with COLD water. You can kind of feel the film (allyl sulfide) that’s what irritates your eyes. The cold water trick will definitely help reduce or not make your eyes water at all. It’s always worked for me.
Don’t breathe through your nose. Works for me.
Run some water or keep a bowl of water next to it while cutting
Refrigerate them before cutting,no tears
Chew gum while curring the onions.
Half freeze them.
Rinsing them with cold water helps a little.
I wear goggles and a mask. Do I look ridiculous? Absolutely. Am I protecting myself from the pain that comes from chopping onions? Absolutely. Do I buy pre-diced onions when they’re available? Also yes.
Chew Gum while cutting
keep the root intact. the sulfer is concentrated there.
I’ve heard chewing gum is a great solution. Onions are overrated anyway
Having a sharp knife will damage less of the cells that release the eye watering compound, as well as making the job faster. This + a fan will pretty much negate any of the irritation.
Keep them refrigerated and dont cut the roof off
Just cut 20 kg, you will get over it. The onions will not matter that you cut them, so stop crying.
I put a soggy paper towel on the board by the onion before I start cutting. Supposedly the volatile compounds that make you cry are attracted to moisture and go to the wet paper before they get to your mucus membranes. For all I know that’s actually bullshit. But it seems to work for me.
Also, during the pandemic I saw someone on tiktok put on a hoodie and use a glass pan lid held in place by the cinched hoodie as a glass helmet of sorts. So that’s another option. Lol.
Use a REALLY sharp knife.
Wear goggles.
Cut them outside your house.
Grow thick skin and stop allowing their bullying to get to you.
Threaten to eat them if they so much as dare to get your eyes watery.
I chuck mine in the freezer for like 10 minutes and that helps
I use a chop wizard cuz it traps the mist while chopping.
Buy a very sharp knife.
I cut them by the stove with the vent fan on and it works great.
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close your eyes
Put the onion in the fridge for 20 mins before cutting them
Source : i worked as a “sandwich artist” at Subway
Maybe don’t taunt the onions first.
Lemons. Squeeze a fresh lemon or half of one onto the board and rub it in with a paper towel. It will help to counteract the tears.
Slice it once. Rub the onion and knife under cold water.
Don’t cut through the root and use a sharp knife.
Just make sure the gasses coming from the onions can’t get to your eyes. I wear contacts and that’s already enough to not cry.
This is what I heard and seems to work for me. Cut your onion in front of running water from your kitchen sink or just have a bowl of water nearby.
Sharpen your knives
Keep your onions in the refrigerator for a few hour before cutting them.
Stick your tongue out, whatever it is that makes you cry sticks to moisture, so sticks to your tongue before it reaches your eyes.
Why are you crying when they’re the ones being cut?
Cut them outside down wind or put a fan.
Chew something (like gum). Or just make a chewing motion like your cattle. It helps.
My contact lenses appear to help a lot.
Step 1: buy frozen chopped onions.
Ok, if that doesn’t work for your recipe, I’ve had some luck with placing a wet dishrag nearby. I also just read that lighting a flame/candle near it may burn off the ‘gas’ from the onion. I’m going to try that next too.
But really, I used frozen chopped onions whenever I can because I am SO sensitive to them.
Pinch or otherwise block your nose. Onions will have no effect if you can’t smell them.
Get Covid like I did. The only smell I lost was onions. I chop entire onions and I don’t cry.
Hold a damp paper towel in your mouth. The onion vapor is attracted to moisture. Give it somewhere besides your eyes to go.
Contact lenses. When I cut onions with my glasses on, I feel like I’m in a cloud of tear gas. With contacts in? They don’t bother me in the slightest.
I found during COVID that a fabric mask helped a lot.
Put them in the fridge before cutting them. Dunno why it works, but it works for me
Refrigerate them first.
I heard a blind woman on tv say that onions take to where the moisture is, so usually the eyes. However, if you stick out your tongue while chopping them, most of it goes there instead of the eyes. This helped me tremendously. Others have also said to keep your knife wet, but that doesnt really help as much for me. You look ridiculous with your tongue out (but the blind woman said she couldnt see that anyway, which is why she as a person stuck with me)
A wet paper towel. That gas is drawn to moisture which is why it goes for your eyes. Stick a wet paper towel next to them and it should absorb it
A very sharp knife. When you cut the onions the liquid stays close to the onion rather than going into the atmosphere, it helps a lot.
Stick the onion in the freezer…. Once frozen.. cut… No tears
You need a sharper knife. If you can’t cut through the onion with just wrist power, it needs to be sharper
I learned this from working at Subway. I just do not breath into or out of my nose. If I only breath through my mouth they don’t bother me. I taught my husband it and it works for him too.
Don’t cut the ends off of each side of the entire onion before cutting slices. Leave one end of the onion on until you need to reach that area. Idk how this works, but it helps.
Big plastic tub. Use it like a fume hood
I’m always sipping water while cutting. It seems to help a bit, although I have no logical explanation.
But, another thing, I love watching videos on youtube of Indian ladies cooking traditional recipes in their village homes, and they always soak the onions for a while after peeling and before cutting them. And you know how much onion goes into Indian food!
Good airflow away from your face, a fan, or an open window can help.
Put a piece of bread in your mouth while chopping onions
The only true way to not cry from onions is to not cut onions/be around when onions are being cut.
That said, some things I have tried and have moderate success with include rinsing the onion after cutting into larger sections and before cutting into smaller pieces, chewing gum , opening a window and/or turning in a fan, have a wet towel on your cutting surface, washing your hands before touching your face.
Whistle while you cut.
Swear to god.
I know this sounds crazy but in addition to a couple of these suggestions others have made (fridge is good for instance), I have tried a thing I heard about where you keep a lit candle next to the chopping board and it WORKS, it’s so weird
I know someone who used to chop onions for catering. He wore swim goggles
Put them in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting. Stops the juice from spraying everywhere
Adding to the goggles, there are literal onion goggles. I can’t be in the same room let alone cut them but I can with these ridiculous things.
You may be mildly allergic. Might want to get that checked out, because it gets worse with exposure if you are.
My gramma used to hold a pin in her mouth.
Try not to get so emotionally attached to the onions.
Yes. Be a “man” for 20 years. Never “cry it out” or show happiness for petting a puppy, nor call anything cute. Have only two emotions: even keel, and stark raving mad lunatic. Press down and burry any emotion that doesn’t fit into this.
Once you accomplish that, your body will have adapted to not having tear ducts. Because it realizes you don’t use those.
And so, when you go to cut that onion, 20 years later … you won’t have any tears to cry. Your eyes won’t have the physical capability to cry. You’ll just feel a slightly irritating burning sensation in your eyes when cutting onions. But you won’t step away from the onion, because you’ve learned to: “man up! And push through it. Your eyes can handle a stupid little onion. Don’t be a man baby, with tiny fingers.” And other toxic masculinity traits.
And that’s how to not cry while cutting an onion. Enjoy!
Swim goggles.
Buy pre-cut frozen ones.
I flipping hate it but it’s now our default onion choice.
Wet paper towel beside the cutting board. I do it all the time. Works like a charm. Onions have this thing where it makes your eyes water so when you use a wet paper towel, it’ll go there instead.
Ridiculous as this sounds, it works. First cut from stalk to stalk ( instead of at right angles to that across the middle) stops the stinging. My wife told me this 10÷ years ago and I’ve never cried from chopping onions since
Keep them in the fridge.
Wet knife
Omg same. I can’t even see paper towels to wipe my eyes
I wear Onion Goggles. That’s the name of the product. My sister gifted them as a joke and I always use them
Doesnt affect me when I have my contacts in but eyes stream without them
Get them pre diced?
I’ve been adamantly told that cutting onions under water is the best way. I’ll believe it when I see it.
You just have to stop seeing them as sentient beings. Harden your heart. They deserve what they’re getting.
Once you peel it, rinse the onion under cold running water. Goggles work, but meh. I’ve also heard biting a penny in your front teeth works. It’s probably just a distraction to take your mind off the onion.
It’s really a matter of the volatile compounds (created as the onion is physically damaged) being exposed to the air and eventually reaching your eyes. You can go for the goofy, but effective route and wear swim goggles, which physically blocks the onion compounds from reaching your eyes. I also get a slight amount of protection by just wearing contact lenses. The things you might also consider are stopping the compounds from being created or off gassed in the first place. For the former, a sharp knife helps a lot, as a clean cut causes a lot less cellular damage to the onion than a dull knife that crushes the edges as it cuts. For the latter, you can also dump your onion cuts into a bowl of water as you slice. The water holds onto the volatile compounds more than bare onions in the air, so you get a lot less volatile gas to make your eyes water. This also mellows out the onion flavor a lot, if you’ve ever wondered why you enjoy onions in salads at restaurants, but they always seem to pungent when cutting at home.
Stop feeling sorry for them.
Whistle.
Guaranteed to work every time.
Hold an unlit match in your mouth. Sounds crazy, but it works.
Really sharp knives
Don’t form an emotional attachment
Freeze them first and use a very sharp knife. No tears.
I cheat by buying them pre-cut. There’s a generic bag of chopped frozen white onions and then the deli does strips. I am like you, I just can’t deal with the misery of cutting them. I cook pretty much everything we eat from scratch so I allow myself this one shortcut!
I just buy the pre chopped frozen ones
The way you cut an onion will affect how much of the onion juices are released. Look up how chefs do it, learn that and never look back!
Don’t cut the root off until the end. That’s what makes the onion bleed, which makes it slippery and makes you cry. If you look up, ‘How to cut onions,’ on YouTube, you’ll find a bunch from chefs telling you the safest and quickest way to cut an onion.
Onions don’t bother me when I cut them but I’m not sure exactly why. They’re usually refrigerated (meal kits) and I chop them sitting down which might keep the fumes out of my eyes since I’m not directly over it.
Could be one of those.
I got myself a little Zyliss chopper. Stick the onion in. Pull the cord a couple of times, and it’s done.
safety glasses
If you absolutely dont care about how you look while you cut them, stick ur tongue out. The onion releases particules that are attracted and will stick to wet and moist surfaces, like ur eyeballs, but with ur tongue out, thats where they will go
If I remember I put it in the refrigerator for about an hour before chopping it.
I just heard something on YouTube about putting onions in the fridge or freezer for a bit. Something about being cold makes them not give off the tear gas?
I don’t know. I was just listening while putting together a bedframe and this commercial with household tips came on.
Put a piece of bread in your mouth. It works.
Peel them under water – no, not you under the water – put the onions in a bowl of water and cut them there.
Ceramic knife. It’s a reaction between the metal and the onion.
Or is that just something i heard…
No clue, maybe try to not care about their lives
Make them cry first
Rub lemon juice on the knife before cutting. I also spray some on my cutting board when I cut them. Works every time.
Onion glasses. Seriously.
The non green kind of matches, stick one in your mouth and hold the wooden stick between your teeth, one of the chemicals on a match stick attracts and redirects the chemical that irritates the eye.
Isn’t that just a myth?
I put a dab of egg white in each eye.
Two wooden matchsticks.. place them in between the later incisor and canine tooth on each side, and clamp down. This will suppress the nerves that activate the tears. Thick toothpicks will work also.
Or, I find that if I don’t stand directly over the onion, and don’t breathe through my nose, I don’t have a reaction.
Not a fix, but make sure you have a sharp knife and slice the onion, don’t just push through it. I’d say it’s a 90% improvement.
Don’t buy regular yellow onions. If you can, get the sweet onions like Vidalia, Texas 10/15s, or any other white onions. I haven’t cried from onions in decades and I cook every day. Oh, and the flavor is amazing.
Couple different things you can do, the easiest being to freeze it before you chop it. If you don’t have time for that, put a wet paper towel (or washcloth) right next to it on the cutting board and rinse the knife frequently. My favorite method is to light a candle and keep it next to the cutting board, then blow it out when I’m done chopping.
The chemical that makes you tear up is attracted to two big things: water and heat. It’s water-based and water-soluble, so do with that info what you will. Heat is frequently associated with animals/wet things, so onions developed this defense mechanism to prevent themselves from being eaten! It’s pretty nifty, but annoying in the kitchen.
Get a good knife, keep it insanely sharp. The crushing of the cells in onions sprays the juices that make you cry. The sharper the knife, the less crushing.
The eye burning happens when the volatile chemicals react with the water in your eyes creating acid. So washing the onion after every so many cuts or running a facet can reduce the number of volatiles that reach your eyes. A water mister will also dramatically reduce the number of volatiles in the air.
Also cut the onion top to bottom instead side to side (like a wedge instead of traditional slices). The cells in the onion are rectangular arranged the longest side point top to bottom. So cutting them in one direction destroys more cells and releases more volatiles.
refrigerate first
Contact lenses.
Put a slice of one on your head while you cut them.
Also, Vidalia onions make you cry less.
I bought absurd lab goggles that seal to my face and they work