Chopping onions is a fundamental kitchen skill that can significantly enhance your cooking efficiency and recipe outcomes. Whether you’re preparing a savory stew, a fresh salad, or a hearty sauce, knowing how to properly chop an onion is essential. This guide will walk you through the steps of how to make chopped onions, offering tips to make the process smoother and to help you minimize tears.
Step 1: Choose the Right Onion
The type of onion you choose can affect both the flavor and the texture of your dish. Yellow onions are versatile and great for cooking, red onions are milder and excellent for fresh uses, and white onions have a sharp, pungent flavor suitable for Mexican dishes. For general cooking purposes, yellow onions are usually a safe bet.
Step 2: Prepare Your Workspace
Before you begin, make sure you have a sharp knife and a stable cutting board. A dull knife can make chopping more difficult and dangerous, so it’s important to keep your knives well-maintained. Optionally, you can slightly moisten the cutting board to prevent the onion from slipping.
Step 3: Peel the Onion
- Remove the outer skin: Cut off the stem end of the onion, leaving the root end intact; this will help hold the onion together as you chop.
- Peel: Slice a small section of the outer layer of the onion (including its papery skin) and peel it away. You can also make a light slit in the skin with your knife to make this step easier.
Step 4: Make Horizontal Cuts
Place the onion flat side down on the cutting board to stabilize it. Holding the knife parallel to the cutting board, make one or two horizontal cuts towards the root, starting from the bottom and stopping just before you reach the root. The number of horizontal cuts depends on how fine you want your chopped onions.
Step 5: Make Vertical Cuts
Turn the onion and make several vertical cuts from the top down to the root end, spaced according to the desired size of your chops. Again, avoid cutting all the way through the root end to keep the slices held together.
Step 6: Chop the Onion
Now turn the onion 90 degrees and slice it perpendicular to the vertical cuts. As you slice, you’ll create perfectly chopped pieces. The closer the slices, the finer your onion pieces will be.
Step 7: Keep the Root End
Once you’ve chopped as much of the onion as you can, discard the root end. This part has served its purpose by keeping the onion layers together during the chopping process.
Step 8: Rinse and Store (Optional)
If you find the flavor of fresh onions to be too strong or if you want to remove some of the harshness, you can rinse the chopped onions under cold water before using them. To store any unused onion, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Tips for Minimizing Tears
- Chill the onions: Place the onions in the fridge for about 30 minutes before chopping. This can help reduce the amount of the enzyme released into the air that causes eye irritation.
- Use a sharp knife: A sharp knife will cause less damage to the onion’s cell walls, reducing the amount of irritating enzymes released.
- Breathe through your mouth: This can help draw the gases away from your eyes.
Chopping onions doesn’t have to be a dreaded task. With the right techniques and a bit of practice, you can efficiently chop onions for any recipe. Remember, the key to perfect chopped onions is a sharp knife and keeping the root intact as long as possible. Happy chopping!
