Chopping onions can feel like an endless battle against slippery layers, stinging eyes, and the constant threat of a sliced finger. But what if we told you there’s a better way? A method that takes seconds, leaves you with perfectly diced onions, and maybe, just maybe, spares you from the tears.
According to Alma Fernanda, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, most of us have been chopping onions incorrectly. We’ve been taught to cut off both ends, peel the skin, chop it in half, and then proceed to dice it – but this, as it turns out, is not the right way.
The secret lies in leaving one end of the onion intact. Cut off one end, but leave the other attached to the root. Now, cut the onion in half, ensuring that each half still has a piece of the root attached. Peel each half as usual. Now, the magic happens: make incisions along the length of the onion, carefully avoiding the root end. Once you’ve made these incisions, you can easily cut lines towards the root, creating perfectly diced onions. When you’re done, simply discard the root and you’re good to go!
This simple trick has been circulating online, with some commenters arguing it’s not a hack but simply the “proper way” to chop an onion. And they’re right – it’s the proper technique. But it seems, as Alma points out, that many people haven’t been taught this simple method. Numerous commenters shared their astonishment and gratitude for learning this technique, proving that even the most basic cooking skills can be a revelation when done right.
So, ditch the old ways and embrace the efficient, tear-free onion chopping method. You might just find yourself enjoying cooking a bit more.
