@GMTplus7 very fresh eggs are actually much harder to peel. Trust me, I have chickens! 
As eggs age , they develop more of an air pocket that facilitates peeling.
And no I never wash my free range eggs
Doschicos- 2 of the onions were Maui sweet onions, the other 2 just labeled sweet. I must have sensitive eyes.
I wonder if chopping them on a cutting board on the stove top with the ventilation on would help.
Do you wear eyeglasses, @mom60? It definitely makes it worse but I’ve rarely had problems with sweet onions.
“mouth closed, no tears”
That’s advice that goes well beyond the cooking tip thread!
Anyone know the best way to boil an egg?
Hah! You haven’t seen the news about the egg cooker!
There is the thread ^^^^^, advance to page 11, and thank @comeonpeeps for starting it all!
Also in that thread, here’s my current go-to way to boil eggs, with no gadget needed.
http://qz.com/529249/the-best-way-to-boil-an-egg-according-to-science/
"An egg isn’t one thing, it’s two. The yolk and white have two different compositions, and need to reach different temperatures to get to their best consistencies.
The right temperature for an egg white is 180°F (82°C), explains J. Kenji López-Alt in his new cookbook The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science. That’s when egg white protein solidifies into a firm, but still tender, un-rubbery white.
But that’s about 10 degrees hotter than the ideal temperature for the egg yolk. Above 170°F (77°C), egg yolks get dry and crumbly. And as the sulfur in the white and the iron in the yolk react, they create ferrous sulfide, which turns yellow yolks an icky green.
Then there’s the peeling to consider: While eggs dropped into boiling water risk overcooking on the edges (the whites) before the yolk even solidifies, eggs that start off in cold water fuse the whites to their shells, which makes peeling a mess.
For the best egg, with a tender white and fully cooked yolk, bring water to a boil, gently lower your eggs into the water and let them cook for 30 seconds. Then add ice to lower the temperature, let the water boil up again, and cook for 11 minutes at about 190°F."
Hard boiled eggs usually come out well using this method: Put your eggs in a small pot. Cover with tap water (we have only cool, not cold water here in FL), enough to cover the eggs by about 1/2 to 1 inch). Bring the water to a full rolling boil, cover the pot and immediately take off the heat. Let the eggs sit, covered in the hot water for about 14-15 minutes. Drain and run under cool/cold water to stop cooking.
I use a ton of olive oil. We started buying a US (grown) brand called California Olive Ranch, Extra Virgin (I have no affiliation with the company ) It tastes good, is bottled in glass (liter size), and is available from Whole Foods to Publix to Walmart for a good price. I use it for everything now, from baking to salad dressing. I’ve heard no reports of product adulteration. Whew. Give it a try!
Cooking tip of the day: Make your own salad dressing by mixing 2 to 3 TBSP of olive oil with one TBSP balsamic vinegar or lemon juice or other acid. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt, pepper and whisk with a fork. You can change it up by adding in a pinch of dried herb (basil, oregano), a bit of fresh garlic, 1/8 tsp prepared mustard, or you can make the dressing creamy by adding in a TBSP or so of sour cream or plain yogurt. Or add a tsp or so of soy sauce, a tsp or so of sesame oil and a pinch of dried ginger. Salad dressing is incredibly easy to make–especially if you have a good extra virgin olive oil on hand.
I have been cooking plenty of boneless chicken breasts over the last few months for my senior dog. I have tried several methods over the years but they never have very good results.
Now I lightly brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and roast them at 425F for fifteen minutes. They are very juicy and tasty.
My cooking tip. I keep a bunch of these in my pantry to use when I don’t have the fresh herbs:
https://www.litehousefoods.com/products/categories/herbs
They are much, much better than the dried stuff normally found in the herbs and spices section.
i agree on the salad dressing. I’ve never understood why people buy bottled salad dressing when it is so easy to make and tastes so much better. Dijon mustard acts as an emulsifier, so that’s part of my regular recipe. If you don’t want the mustard flavor, adding a very small amount of mayo (1/4 teaspoon or so) keeps the dressing emulsified without adding any mayonnaise flavor or texture.
I use the Dorot brand of frozen chopped herbs as a back-up to fresh when I’m lazy or don’t want to buy an entire bunch of something when I only need a little… Also much better than normal dried.
http://www.mydorot.com/#0
They come in little cubes that are equivalent to set amounts of fresh, so it’s easy to measure. You just pop out the number you need, and they defrost in minutes.
@doschicos I do wear glasses.
@mom60 Unfortunately, it does make it worse for you then. Also, make sure your knives are super sharp to minimize the impact when cutting onions.
I don’t like unused herbs to turn brown and be thrown away. I chop it all up and put them in an ice cube tray filled with olive oil. Once it is frozen I just put the cubes in a Ziploc bag and keep in the freezer. It’s useful when I don’t have fresh herbs for cooking.
I usually buy red onions and don’t have a problem chopping them but with other onions I do rub lemon juice on the knife before chopping them.
For chopping onions minus the tears, put a piece of bread in your mouth, with the bread hanging out
The gas released by the onion combines with tears in your eyes to form sulfuric acid, which is what burns and makes you cry. Given that, there’s no particular reason to believe lemon juice (another acid) or closing your mouth (doesn’t affect water on your eyeballs) or bread in your mouth (also not affecting water in your eyeballs) would help.
Refrigeration does help a bit in theory, as it slows the chemical reaction initiated when cutting the onion. A sharp knife also helps as it minimizes crushing and therefore releases less gas. What works best for me is cutting next to the exhaust hood for the range so the gases get sucked out. A recirculating hood isn’t going to do much, though.
If you’re crying a lot and taking a break, be sure to move away from the area of the onion as the gases will be hanging out where the onion was cut. Or wave your hands around to clear the air, that helps too. If your spouse walks in while you’re waving your arms, play it cool and start humming Beethoven’s 5th and acting like a conductor so they don’t think you’re nuts.
The closed mouth thing does often work, but I don’t know the science behind it.
however, re: gas released from onion. Some people light a votive candle near where they are cutting an onion and the flame burns the gas.