Those white onions are killers. My eyes burn, burn, weep. I have to turn away for a minute or two. Nose running, etc. so, I’m making soup this afternoon and it’s time to cut the onion. I google ways to avoid this. Many things I don’t have time for…freeze the onion, freeze the knife, etc.
But this one actually worked! Stick a piece of bread in your mouth. I didn’t have much hope because it sounds so silly. But, I ripped a piece in the middle and sort of just held half in and half out so I could breath. Omg…it worked. Not one burn, not one tear!
I thought maybe it’s the onion. But I’ve never, ever cut a white onion without issues. So…the real test will be the next time. But if any of you try this and it works let me know.
Onions release a gas that causes eye irritation. Running a cut onion under water to rinse off some juices helps.
I usually wear eyeglasses so don’t have the problem. Not sure why bread would work!
That’s an old trick my mother used. Mine is better: contact lenses. For some reason, they are protective. When I wear my glasses instead, my eyes run like anything.
Getting older seems to have worked for me. I used to cry when cutting onions, but haven’t in the past 3 years or so - not even when the onions are starting to go bad so half goes to us and half to our chickens. We eat onions several times per week. I guess my eyes just figured they’d best deal with it.
Interestingly enough, my ears rarely pop with elevation change anymore too. It’s only sort of painful when doing large changes (flying vs driving) and no hearing loss, so they must just have gone on automatic as well.
Contact lenses work for me. Getting multifocal contacts a few years ago gave me the great surprise of no longer getting irritated eyes while cutting onions.
Can’t believe no one has mentioned this; burn a candle near the cutting board. The flame will consume the vapor produced by the onion. I keep a small candle (about the size of a shot glass) in the kitchen. I heard a chef describe this method years ago and it works every time for me.
@LakeWashington - I have used those tealight candles as well, when we need fresh sliced onions for a sandwich or salad. I have to blow it out when I batter them before deep frying onion rings.
The other approach to avoid tears is to peel off the papery layer of skin under water, then roast the onions. They will get a nice carmelization on the outside, and they can be cooled and sliced.
Does anyone have suggestions for not crying when talking about sad things? I really hate crying in front of other people but certain topics that are the type that I share with my coworkers and others (e.g., my new dog has cancer) cause me to tear up almost without fail.
Looking up instead of at the person helps me keep tears from running down my face. Sometimes I try to imagine I am a disembodied announcer and not someone affected by the sad events being conveyed. It can work as long as no one touches me—touch breaks the spell and permits emotion.
My eyes are really sensitive, but over the years I’ve managed onions with a few tricks: I always store them in the refrigerator, and that helps a lot. I also use sweet onions as much as possible (they aren’t suitable for some recipes). Lastly, based on something I read somewhere, sometime (that’s the best I can do), while cutting onions on the counter next to the sink, I run the water and crack the window over the sink, which draws the fumes away. (The last may be a placebo effect, but I’m okay with that.)