Quit your crying and cut the onion

The single most asked question I get is "How can I not cry when cutting an onion?" My first response is usually in my head where I want to say 'don't be a little baby about it...', but then I smile and tell them to put back the overpriced onion goggles in their basket and show them this easy ways to break them down. It goes fast so here are the step by step instructions. If you missed how to hold a knife please check it out first here.

Ahh... the dreaded onion, looks scary huh?

First know your onion anatomy, the steam end which grows out of the soil is the first to go

Always place the cut side down. It is just easier to cut something that is not rolling around. That ugly root end is the girl we want to take to the prom, she has her stuff together and is literally holding every layer of that onion together.

Slice through the root end so you get two halves.

Go ahead and peel any onion skin off now. It's much easier now, and you lose less onion.

Insert the point of your knife about 3/4 of the way to the root.

Press into the onion until your reach the cutting board and then slice down. Remember we are not cutting off a slices yet, we are just making a cut. 

Now move over a 1/4 inch and make another insert and slice.

Repeat, still never cutting all the way through the root end.

Depending on the size of your onion, you may get  4-5 cuts across,

Now lets get horizontal. 2-3 cuts will go across 3/4 to the root end. Keep your fingers perched up top and watch out for the thumb and pinkie fingers they like to get in the way.

Repeat until you have only a small amount on top, like this. your onion will resemble a book with little flaps all over it but still connected by the root.

Now come back to the claw position with your hand and make cuts straight down, repeating and inching closer to the root end.

See that dicing magic happening!

You will have a beautiful tear free 1/4 inch dice when your done. Go only until your reach the starting point of your first cuts and discard or stock bag your root end, we are done with her now.

This works with shallots and garlic too!