Onion cooking hacks -
More specifically, onions create a chemical compound called syn-Propanethial-S-oxide when sliced. When the gas floats up to your eyes, reacting with the water in your tear ducts, it irritates the eyes. So, does the trick actually work?
The TikTok duo behind partyshirt , which tests out hacks to see if they are "fact or cap" meaning real or fake , said it is a winner. A PEOPLE staffer, who tears up quite easily when slicing onions, also put it to the test.
She said the process definitely helped the irritation, but she still shed a few tears. Anything that keeps us from crying a full-on river seems like a win.
TikTok has been a go-to source for many foodies looking to discover various hacks since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. In , another food trend that took the app by storm was putting together delicious, griddled wraps at home using whatever you have in your fridge — without making a big mess in the rolling process.
Another trend that took off at the beginning of the pandemic was whipped coffee — or " TikTok coffee ," as it has been dubbed since it mostly went viral on that platform. The drink is known as Dalgona in South Korea, named after a popular street candy. It is claimed by some that holding bread between your teeth while chopping onions can help as the bread will absorb the chemical released by the onion.
This article contains affiliate links, we may receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more. James Martin reveals how to avoid crying while chopping onions.
Food hacks: Nutritionist and author Melanie Lionello detailed how to perfectly dice an onion Image: GETTY. Support fearless journalism Read The Daily Express online, advert free Get super-fast page loading. Start day FREE trial. Why do onions make you cry? How to stop onions making you cry There is a number of methods supported to help prevent onions making you cry.
Freezing Freezing onions is supposed to prevent the syn-propanethial-S-oxide from evaporating so quickly, potentially saving your eyes - depending on how quick you chop.
Food hacks: Her onion hack currently has an enormous 5. Where to store food in the fridge to keep it fresh Image: EXPRESS. Critical fridge and freezer food storage hack to save money.
Soaking It suggested soaking the onion in cold water might slow down the production of eye-tingling chemicals.
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Onions are one of the oldest cultivated and most eaten plants in the world. They're wildly popular in almost every type of regional cuisine, are found in countless recipes, and have even been recognized by some for having healing properties. Whether you think they're medicinal or not, onions have a potent flavor that goes well in almost everything you cook.
They may be trickier to cut than other vegetables, but they are well worth the added effort. Considering cultures worldwide have been eating them for centuries, it is no surprise there is a collection of useful onion cooking tips and tricks. Below, I'll share the best onion hacks I learned while cooking and handling them with chefs, plus a few more I discovered while researching recipes and chef recommendations online.
While you probably already cook with onions regularly, something tells me you wish you knew some of the things I uncovered sooner. Whether you want to know how to store them, how to make slicing easier, how to avoid crying while you dice, or different ways to caramelize them, we've got you covered.
You may think storing whole onions in the crisper drawer of your fridge is the best spot for them, but similar to potatoes, they last longer when kept at room temperature. When kept in the fridge, moisture is more likely to build up on onions, leading to a reduced shelf life.
Instead, find a dry, ventilated spot to keep them. A basket, bowl, or open paper bag is perfect if you keep it away from direct sunlight. If you purchased a large bag of onions, the mesh bag they come in also works well. Whatever you choose, make sure it is an open-air container that allows plenty of air to circulate and keep them at room temperature.
When whole onions are stored correctly, they can last anywhere from three to six months before spoiling. Green onions are a different story. Unlike more bulbous onions, storing green onions in the fridge helps them last longer.
There are two approaches to properly storing green onions. The first involves cutting the roots off, cutting the stalks in half, wrapping them in a paper towel, and then sticking them in a plastic bag inside the fridge.
The second strategy is to stand green onions up in a glass with a small amount of water in the bottom. The water should submerge the roots, but nothing more, and it should also be changed daily to help preserve freshness.
When you chop onions, syn-Propanethial-S-oxide is released into the air via Library of Congress. This chemical irritant wafts up to your eyes, causing them to tear up.
Considering this is part of an onion's inherent properties, watery eyes may seem unavoidable when chopping onions, but there are a few hacks that help prevent it from happening.
One of the most straightforward solutions is to put whole onions, skins and all, in the freezer for 30 minutes before you start dicing. When you freeze an onion, it reduces the speed at which the chemical irritants are released. The result is less disturbance to your tear ducts and, potentially, dry eyes.
You have to plan some extra time to put this method into practice, but if you have the flexibility and remember it in advance, it can be a real game changer. Some chefs swear that avoiding the core of onion while dicing also helps reduce tear-inducing properties, but that leads to a significant amount of waste.
So, if freezing your onions doesn't provide you with the relief you desire, there's another foolproof option: Wear goggles while dicing. A pair of goggles, or even a scuba mask, creates an impenetrable seal around your eyes, effectively ensuring none of the tear-inducing gas reaches them.
This may make you feel silly, but who cares if it works? This next tip comes from Chef Scubes on TikTok. He demonstrates a simple, effective way to remove peels and dice onions simultaneously using a meat mallet and two plastic bags.
First, he puts a whole, unpeeled onion into a small Ziploc bag. Then, he places that bag inside a larger Ziploc. Without sealing either bag, he bangs on the onion repeatedly with a meat mallet.
After a few impacts, the skin of the onion starts to separate from the core. After a few more bangs with the mallet, the onion breaks down into small, diced pieces. To finish up, he pulls out the separated pieces of peel and dumps out the chopped bits, ready for use.
When all is said and done, this method is incredibly easy, even if it is alarmingly loud. One of the great things about this method is that it keeps all the cry-inducing vapors contained so your eyes will remain tear-free.
Even with the bags open, the enzymes that cause you to tear up stay inside, leaving you free to do other cooking tasks without any interference. The only real drawbacks to this method are the imprecise cuts and excess waste produced.
Banging away on an onion isn't the most exact form of chopping, so various-sized cuts are to be expected. Similarly, the skins don't always come off paper thin either, so you may be tossing out more than normal.
Professional chefs use a specific technique for dicing onions. It improves size consistency and makes onions more manageable to hold while dicing.
The key to this hack is leaving the root or end on while chopping. Start by cutting your onion in half through the middle, leaving the ends intact. Then, cut from the center down through the middle of the ends so that you have four pieces, all with an end holding them together.
Place the flat side down and make evenly spaced slices from the wide center towards the end, stopping short of the actual root.
This technique keeps the bulb in one piece. When you have made all your cuts, turn the onion and slice through, going in the opposite direction until you reach the base. As you slice, perfect diced pieces fall off.
As opposed to slipping around and sliding away from the knife, this onion-cutting technique keeps all the pieces aligned and in one place until you make the final cuts going in the opposite direction. It also enables you to create uniform-sized slices throughout the entire onion.
So, instead of winding up with lots of variation, you get perfectly diced chunks that cook through at the same time.
Save your tears! One TikTok user is showing you how Vitamin B supplements cut onions cookibg Holistic weight loss supplements. Incerealeatingghost shared cookihg simple hack she uses so she doesn't tear up Holistic weight loss supplements cookinng onions. She was responding to another user, xxbaileyelizabethxxwho, in her original postwas visibly crying while chopping onions to make lentil soup. In the stitched clip, which has been viewed overtimes on the social platform, the woman explains that the acid in onions is attracted to a water source, which, many times, happens to be our tear ducts.Video
100 BEST LIFE HACKS OF ALL TIMETip 1: Onion cooking hacks onions has to be one of the most tedious tasks when cooking. You need hafks extra chopping board hackd this purpose. This is because the onion Haccks lingers Oion the cookihg surfaces and ahcks soon transfer to other foods.
However, the real reason Circadian rhythm disorder people dislike Joint health improvement program onions is that it irritates their cooklng.
You find your eyes starting to cpoking after Oniion a few hacka. Some Fitness mindset coaching resort to donning diving goggles! They might look pretty eccentric, but they do the Mexican coffee beans. Tip Onio Holistic weight loss supplements steel soap is a fantastic miracle remedy against garlic odours on the skin, Holistic weight loss supplements.
When combined with nacks, rust-proof Joint health improvement program steel soap neutralises the smell of cookimg sulphuric acid allicin, which is Onin when the cookimg is cooming.
The reason for Onioj is that stainless steel temporarily coalesces with the Ginseng for metabolism substances on the hacsk.
Alternatively, you could Holistic weight loss supplements your hands over a Onoin steel bowl, which can cookking be Holistic weight loss supplements effective. Another kitchen hack to combat the scent of garlic is the household remedy of coffee grounds.
Not only does it rid your hands of the intense smell, but it also acts as a gentle exfoliant. Tip 3 : If you want to rid your kitchen of smells entirely, you should try boiling a tablespoon of crushed cloves in water and placing the pot with the cooking liquid in the smelly room.
Of course, this also works with other smells, like fish or cabbage. Tip 4 : Food can stain your fingers red, brown or green, making them look unsightly, and the dye can be difficult to remove. To prevent your hands from becoming stained altogether, you could wear thin gloves while preparing food.
One household remedy against food staining is lemon juice or the Vitamin C from citrus fruits. This also makes a great exfoliant in powder form.
However, it is vital to apply lots of cream to your hands afterwards so as not to irritate your skin too much. Contact Partner Area BLANCO Shop Where to find us brand-portal. Kitchen hacks: No more tears when cutting onions. Crying when chopping onions Tip 1: Chopping onions has to be one of the most tedious tasks when cooking.
Getting rid of that garlic smell from your hands Tip 2: Stainless steel soap is a fantastic miracle remedy against garlic odours on the skin.
Banishing smells from the kitchen Tip 3 : If you want to rid your kitchen of smells entirely, you should try boiling a tablespoon of crushed cloves in water and placing the pot with the cooking liquid in the smelly room.
Stained fingers due to mushrooms, beetroot and the like Tip 4 : Food can stain your fingers red, brown or green, making them look unsightly, and the dye can be difficult to remove. Where water and Zen flow.
Keep everything flowing. Modern country-house kitchens. close Oh, too bad! Your browser version is outdated. In order to experience our BLANCO website optimally, you need a current browser.
: Onion cooking hacks| No more tears when cutting onions | Anything that keeps us from crying a full-on river seems like a win. TikTok has been a go-to source for many foodies looking to discover various hacks since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. In , another food trend that took the app by storm was putting together delicious, griddled wraps at home using whatever you have in your fridge — without making a big mess in the rolling process. Another trend that took off at the beginning of the pandemic was whipped coffee — or " TikTok coffee ," as it has been dubbed since it mostly went viral on that platform. The drink is known as Dalgona in South Korea, named after a popular street candy. A Greek frappe and Indian cappuccino are also made similarly. In , butter boards spread all over TikTok. The appetizing display was created by recipe developer Justine Dorion , who wanted to present a swirling alternative to the trendy charcuterie boards, taking its place as the new photo-worthy snack. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings , which can also be found in the footer of the site. They are one of the humblest "superfoods," full of vitamins and nutrients but generally inexpensive, which is why they're also one of the most widely eaten ingredients in the world. Here are some onion hacks that will elevate your dishes, improve your household, and make your life easier. I'll first go over a few ways to use onions for things besides eating, then I'll move onto a few tricks when cooking with onions. Instead of relying on chemical cleaners, clean off your grill with half of an onion. Turn the heat onto high and then rub down the grate with the onion. The moisture and natural antiseptic qualities of the onion give the grill a good cleaning. It also adds a nice flavor to the food you cook on it. It might seem strange since onions themselves are usually thought of as smelly, but they can help clear up musty odors and bad smells by absorbing them. Get rid of odors and mustiness in basements and shoe closets by cutting an onion in half and leaving it there overnight. When the onion smell fades, you'll find that the other bad smells are also gone. Quercetin, a chemical found in onions, have naturally anti-inflammatory and decongestant properties. For example, caramelized onion hummus only uses one large onion. If you're a fan of sharp, tangy, vinegary tastes then why not put your onions into a jar and pickle them? Follow this feature on how to pickle onions, with a recipe developed by food blogger and photographer Ksenia Prints. Thinly slice red onion and cover with a marinade. Make this with apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt. You can also add some herbs in there too if you like, it's really up to you. For every red onion you use, marinate in a ½ cup of the vinegar, with a teaspoon of sugar, and 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt. Refrigerate with the onion slices covered completely. While you could dig in after just 10 minutes, you really want to leave the jar at least an hour, if not overnight or longer. They'll turn a lovely pink color as they pickle, making a tart topping for burgers or a sweet-sour condiment served with tacos. Even if your idea of a fun time is watching a pan simmer on a hot stove, caramelizing onions can be a bit of a faff. Of course, that toffee-esque, sweet and smoky flavor makes them worthwhile, but wouldn't you welcome a hack that makes this technique a wee bit quicker. After all, it's not just that they take around 45 minutes to cook, but you really do have to keep an eye on them. There's a world of difference between caramelized and burnt. Chef and food writer, J. Kenji López-Alt suggests using baking soda to speed up the Maillard process. This is when foods soften, and the sugars cause them to brown, or in other words, when they caramelize via Serious Eats. The tip here is to not add more than a ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for each pound of chopped onions. Onions cooked in this way are softer, because of the reaction of the weakening of the pectin in the onions. This, in turn, means that the onions cook a lot faster. The baking-soda-onion-caramelization-idea is approved by the National Onion Association — they tested the method, although only if you want to add them to dips or a sandwich. So, if you want some bite to your caramelized onions, or for them to look good rather than jam-like, you might prefer to stick to the traditional, albeit longer, method! Nobody would blame you if you ditched a recipe calling for grated onion. The sheer thought of any knuckle-grazing, onion grating action can fill even the most skilled chefs with dread. If only there was an easier way that didn't involve your hand slipping on a juicy onion close to the sharp blades of a grater. Did you really think there isn't a hack that can help you? Of course there is, and it means you can grate your onions quickly, too. Try this tip, revealed in Rustic Plate for yourself. Keeping the root intact at the base of your onion, peel it, and then cut it in half lengthways. You should still see the root, on the cut side, and this is important as it keeps the onion intact. Grate from the top of the onion down to this base. Because the layers are held together at the root, and not separated, you should find the whole process easier. In fact, you might find this way preferable when chopping onions, especially if you don't like using a knife to dice them via One Good Thing. It almost feels like an act of culinary rebellion to cook onions without peeling, washing, and chopping them. Well, this hack is suggested on reddit and it's definitely the easiest way to cook an onion if you're having a cookout or even camping. All you need to do is put your onion into the coals, without wrapping it up or anything. You can flip it so that it cooks evenly. The skin will blacken as it burns, but the inside will be wonderfully soft and sweet. This melted onion is an excellent side to a grilled steak and the melt-in-the-mouth texture is silky against a succulent grilled dish. Another reddit post also suggests a campfire-inspired way of cooking onions. With this method, cut a whole peeled onion from the top into eight sections, while keeping it intact. In the middle season and add butter, plus Worcester sauce and hot sauce. Wrap in aluminium foil and cook on hot coals for 45 minutes. The onion will be juicy with a smoky flavor. With such a delicious way of cooking onions, they're no longer a simple side dish, but a divine meal all on their own. You could even try adding meat into the onion. Onion rings don't always come out crunchy enough — and if they do they can be a pretty substantial side because of the batter or breadcrumbs. If you want the same crispy oniony flavor to add as a burger topping rather than enjoy as a side, for example, then onion strings are perfect. The thin strands can be easily made with a few slices of onion and not much else. Crumb-Snatched offers a few tips on how to turn your onion slices into fried strings. Slice your onion wafer thin — red onions work wonderfully for this. You may want to use a mandoline with a guard, otherwise use a sharp knife to get the thinness you need for this recipe. Soak the slices in buttermilk for an hour, before pulling them through some seasoned flour and adding them to your fryer. The buttermilk is thicker than milk, so the flour sticks better. Use reduced-fat as it's not as thick as full-fat which could be a bit too heavy. The skill to frying is to add the slices when the oil is hot enough to sizzle them. However, keep the setting on medium as you want some control so that it's not so hot that they disintegrate on contact. Add a strand to test the oil, and if it falls to the bottom of the pan then wait until it's heated more. There's something so beautiful about an onion bloom. It looks so dramatic and tasty. And while it doesn't exactly require Cordon bleu-style cooking skills, there are tips and techniques that can make this dish a "blooming" success. It's certainly a crowd pleaser and a wonderful sharing recipe. If you want your bloom to blossom, follow simple tips from chefs and restaurateurs highlighted in Eater. Of course, one way to make an excellent bloom is to make sure each segment is equal, and that means making the cuts in all the right places. To get that geometric design, work on one side and then the side directly opposite, and continue this process. After each cut, turn the onion around so you're cutting the facing side. When it comes to putting your onion into your seasoned flour, make sure that each petal is covered. Do this by massaging it in, while also removing any excess with a shake. Deep-fry, petals down, turning over to finish, and leave enough room in the pan to account for the oil to rise up as it bubbles. Get creative with your toppings and seasonings — let your imagination run wild rather than sticking to classic dips and flavorings. Just as there are plenty of ways to cut an onion, from chopping, dicing, finely mincing, and slicing into onion rings, there are just as many ways to cook them. While plenty of recipes call for frying, this in itself can range from softly fried to caramelized, and also bits that are crunchy. If onions are not fried to fit the other ingredients — such as not being cooked long enough so they're acidic and could split cream if added to it — they can ruin a dish. It's important to know the different culinary terms via Olive Magazine. Sweat onions by frying them in butter or oil on a low to medium heat, so that the moisture comes out, or they start, you know, "sweating. Keep stirring so they soften but don't brown or color. Fry with a medium heat to brown onions, stirring so that they're evenly cooked and colored. To make a small amount of caramelized onion you may need more bulbs than you think, as the slices reduce down as they soften and sweeten. Cook for around 45 minutes on medium heat. For crispy, oniony bits to add to dishes as a topping, put more oil in your pan and frazzle until they're brown and can't be cooked any more without burning. Drain on a paper towel. So, you've cut the ends off your onion, and yanked the peel off and another layer or two of onion has come away with that. The vegetable that's ready for chopping on your board suddenly looks a lot smaller than it once did. There is a way of cutting down on unnecessarily wasting too much of your bulbs, which is what too many people are doing, according to thatdudecancook posting on TikTok. The post focuses on how not to halve your onions the wrong way — this would mean cutting off both the tip and the root end of an unpeeled bulb, then sitting it down and cutting it in half. The issue is that there's quite a bit of onion on these cut ends, which are generally discarded. The right way, apparently, is to not cut either end and cut lengthways, from each end, down the middle, so you're cutting lengthways. At the tip end, cut off a small amount, so you're just getting rid of the ends of the skin. You don't need to take the other end off, as this is the tear-inducing root, and it's simply not necessary unless you're julienning. You may want a good technique to dice an onion so you can do it quickly, and avoid shedding too many tears. Or perhaps you love onions so much that you're using them all the time and need an effective way to chop them. Maybe you just want to improve your kitchen knife skills. Either way, sometimes the hacks of today draw inspiration from traditional ways, such as this onion dicing tip from Honey Kitchen. Peel your onion and cut off the tip, leaving the root intact. Cut in half lengthways and place the cut of one of the halves side down on your chopping board. Make several cuts from one end to the other, not including the root, then add more cuts. Now chop across and you'll have diced onion pieces. Celebrity chef Rachael Ray also dices this way, as she demonstrates on a Food Network Facebook post. Her advice to remember which end to cut off and which to keep? Imagine that you're leaving the hair on the onion, as this hairy end is where the root is and this shouldn't be cut into. She also comments how there's no need to cut into the onion across as it's already separated naturally into layers. Meaning, this chopping tip is the most logical. |
| 14 brilliant onion hacks that will amaze you! | That acid will be drawn to the wet paper towel and not your tear ducts. More specifically, onions create a chemical compound called syn-Propanethial-S-oxide when sliced. When the gas floats up to your eyes, reacting with the water in your tear ducts, it irritates the eyes. So, does the trick actually work? The TikTok duo behind partyshirt , which tests out hacks to see if they are "fact or cap" meaning real or fake , said it is a winner. A PEOPLE staffer, who tears up quite easily when slicing onions, also put it to the test. She said the process definitely helped the irritation, but she still shed a few tears. Anything that keeps us from crying a full-on river seems like a win. TikTok has been a go-to source for many foodies looking to discover various hacks since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. In , another food trend that took the app by storm was putting together delicious, griddled wraps at home using whatever you have in your fridge — without making a big mess in the rolling process. Another trend that took off at the beginning of the pandemic was whipped coffee — or " TikTok coffee ," as it has been dubbed since it mostly went viral on that platform. Onions is known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties which will keep the wound from becoming infected. Take an onion slice and rub it on the affected area. It will instantly ease the pain. Onion can do wonders to your hair as it is loaded with sulphur that boosts the production of collagen and promotes hair growth. Onion skins make great dyes! It's as simple as wrapping eggs in onion skins, tying them up in a towel to secure them, and boiling as usual. They'll come out with a beautiful, orange tint. The unpleasant smell from paint can be deodorized using a fresh onion. Place several freshly cut slices of onion in a bowl with a bit of water in the newly painted room overnight. Onions will absorb the smell of paint within a few hours. ADD A RECIPE. Add a Recipe. Add Food Add Food Recipe Add Drink Add Beverage Recipe. Wondering what to cook today? Sign up to get daily ideas on meals. Subscribe to get daily ideas on meals. Daily Newsletter. Editor's pick on the best recipes, articles and videos. Weekly Newsletter. You have been successfully subscribed to the Food Newsletter. You can always unsubscribe later. By subscribing to newsletter, you acknowledge our privacy policy. We are sad to see you go! You have been successfully unsubscribed from the Food Newsletter. Adversely, a sharp knife cuts through produce with virtually no sound at all. When dicing onions, if you hear a noise, it indicates the release of the natural enzymes within that cause your eyes to water. So, if you can hear your knife slicing through an onion, it's probably time to sharpen it. Sharp knives also cut through onions quicker than dull knives, minimizing the amount of time you spend standing over them while dicing. Tiny diced pieces of onion are often challenging to achieve, even if you have a sharp knife. So, to avoid the hassle, try using a grater instead. It allows you to make neat small cuts quickly and easily. Many home chefs feel more comfortable making quick motions with a grater because it feels sturdier than a knife. If you use a stand-up grater, the chopped onions also stay contained within until you lift it, so it may reduce watery eyes as well. Grating an onion is pretty straightforward, but you can do a couple of things to make things easier for yourself. For example, keeping the root on the onion helps keep the bulb intact while you make repeated grating motions. When you remove the root, the layers of the onion start to separate quickly, but leaving it on solves this problem. In addition, it gives you something to hold while you work. The root also elevates your knuckles, so you are less likely to accidentally graze them against the sharp metal. If you want super thinly sliced onions, maybe for a salad, sandwich, or burger, you'll be kicking yourself for not knowing this next tip sooner. Vegetable peelers make paper-thin cuts in a myriad of vegetables and fruits, but you probably never imagined it would work on an onion, too. Well, surprise. It does, and not only is it incredibly easy, but it is amazingly fast and super effective. Best of all, you only need a fork and a vegetable peeler, both of which you're almost certain to already have in your kitchen drawers. To start, insert the tines of a fork into the base of a peeled onion. Position it close enough to the bottom so that you can press it against the surface of your cutting board and use it to hold the onion steady while you slice it. This step isn't essential, but it certainly makes things a lot easier. It also reduces the chance of making a quick and painful mistake. Once you're all set up and holding the onion in place, simply use a vegetable peeler to make as many slices as you need. Just remember to slice out and away from yourself, and you're all set. While this fantastic tip first became popular thanks to a viral video from TikTok , it is so impressive and helpful that it is sure to stand the test of time. Have you ever found yourself trying to modify a recipe that contains too much onion for your liking? If so, this hack is for you. Or, if you ever chopped up a bunch of onions and thought, wow, these are intense, this tip will save the day. Onions are pungent, that's one of the reasons we love them so much, but sometimes you just want a milder taste. Luckily, all you have to do to tone down the aroma and taste of chopped onions is soak them in a bath of iced water for about 10 to 20 minutes. Soaking onions is the perfect solution for when you want to use raw onions on a sandwich or salad but don't want knockout onion breath when you are done. It is also ideal when you want to maintain crunch and texture in a recipe but want the flavor to blend more into the background. Often, cooking onions will mellow out their bold smell and taste a bit, but soaking them beforehand ensures it. Browning onions on the stove leads to a richer, sweeter, smokier taste and a slightly charred exterior. While browned onions are not the same as caramelized onions, they are similar. Browned onions can easily become caramelized if they are left on the stove for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Regardless, browning onions still takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes, which is a fair amount of time. Browning onions can set you back timewise, especially if it is just the first step to a recipe. Don't worry, though. You can easily speed up the browning process by covering them with a lid while they cook. Just like with other vegetables, placing a lid over a pan's top reduces the time needed to cook through. Covering a pan traps heat inside, effectively steaming what's inside faster. With onions, you'll still want to keep a close watch to ensure they don't start sticking to the pan and burning but locking in the extra heat helps them brown much faster. If you use a considerable amount of oil or butter, that will help prevent sticking, too. Caramelized onions have a rich, sweet flavor that adds a decadent flavor to an array of dishes. While they taste phenomenal, making caramelized onions takes about 45 minutes, which is a considerable amount of time spent in the kitchen. Another way to speed up caramelization is to make sure you are using a large enough pan. If the onions don't have room to spread out and make contact with the base of the pan, they take longer to cook. When overcrowded, they can also start to steam instead of caramelizing like intended. To avoid either of these scenarios, simply choose a pan with a large base that will easily allow you to spread your sliced onions into a single layer on the bottom. Most caramelized onion recipes call for near-constant stirring for about 45 minutes. While some don't view the incessant stirring as necessary until the final 15 minutes, it is still quite involved. Even so, caramelized onions are too tasty not to put in the effort. As our above tip noted, you can reduce the amount of time it takes to caramelize onions with baking soda, but you'll still have to watch them carefully and commit to a considerable amount of stirring. However, if you plan and time isn't an issue, you can easily caramelize onions with almost no effort at all in a slow cooker. Slow-cooker caramelized onions are as easy as chopping the desired amount and tossing them in a slow cooker with some butter. Once the ingredients are locked in, turn on your appliance and set it to low heat. |
| This Simple TikTok Hack Claims to Stop You from Crying While Chopping Onions — Does It Work? | These enzymes are forms of sulfuric acid, which causes us to cry. If you're like us, you've gotten sick of cutting onions through tears! You may be familiar with some "hacks" that claim to prevent the waterworks. These tricks range from the sensible to the strange, so we set out to test a few of the most popular suggestions for tear-free onion cutting. We used room-temperature except where noted otherwise yellow onions and the same knife and kitchen for the most consistent results. Here are our findings on which tearless onion-cutting hacks work. This hack, found through WikiHow , suggests chopping an onion near a pot of hot, steamy water. The theory behind this trick is that the steam from the water will "draw out the vapors from the onion, dissipating them. How is steam going to dissipate the onion's enzymes? Still, we decided to give it a fair try. We brought a roughly halfway-full pot of water to a boil and started chopping the onion less than a foot away from the steaming pot. Unfortunately, this hack didn't help our tear ducts. The steam didn't seem capable of dissipating anything. We were full-on crybabies by the time we'd chopped one full onion. By then, the pot had also stopped steaming — meaning this hack would be impractical if you needed to cut more than one onion. The recommendation to pop an onion in the freezer for a few minutes before chopping is a popular one. We suggest chilling the onion for up to 30 minutes, as the cold will inhibit the acidic enzyme from being released into the air. We put our onion in the freezer for 15 minutes to be on the safe side. When we took the onion out, we immediately started chopping the onion. To our surprise, this method was flawlessly effective. We cut an entire onion and there wasn't even the hint of a sting in our eyes. However, there are a few downsides and notes to keep in mind when using this hack. You want to work quickly before the onion warms back up. Since it's cold, you may be inclined to chop more quickly, but that can increase the risk of injury. You also don't want to stick four onions in the freezer and pull them out one at a time: If the vegetables were to actually freeze, they may be more difficult to chop and may have an altered flavor. According to Yummly, preventing tears when chopping an onion is as simple as turning on the kitchen sink. The outlet suggests that cold water will lower the temperature of the onion, slowing down the release of those eye-signing enzymes. Also, it will prevent some of the onion's chemicals from being dispersed into the air altogether. Other sources, like WikiHow , say that this method is best applied by chopping an onion while it's fully submerged in a bowl of cold water. However, that seemed like a sliced finger waiting to happen! Instead, we opted for the running water in the kitchen sink approach. This method worked about as well as the chilled onion did, but it was more awkward, and there was still a tiny bit of sting from the chopped onion bits after they were set aside in a bowl. The freezer method is more effective since it keeps the onion colder even after it's cut. Another recommendation from WikiHow states that brushing your chopping board with vinegar will thwart onion-related tears. Apparently, the acidic vinegar will denature the onion's enzyme. However, WikiHow didn't elaborate on what type of vinegar to use for this method. We opted for distilled white vinegar and brushed two tablespoons across the board before chopping an onion. While it seemed like the vinegar reduced the intensity of the onion tears, it wasn't a bulletproof method. We think the vinegar has to come into direct contact with all of the "bleeding" onion surfaces to be effective. But that doesn't happen when you're chopping an onion. There doesn't seem to be a way to apply this hack that isn't wasting time — rotating the onion so that every exposed surface touches the vinegar on the cutting board — or vinegar — soaking the onions in enough vinegar, so every part is submerged. This hack is for home chefs lucky enough to have a kitchen vent on their stoves. According to Ricardo Cuisine, you can prevent onion enzymes from wreaking havoc on your tear ducts by doing your chopping prep under the vent hood. The source recommends bumping the hood fan up to high so that those pesky enzymes can be vacuumed right out of the air. We did exactly as Ricardo Cuisine told us to, and there wasn't a single tear shed — most of the time. Towards the very end of dicing the onion, it seems that enough sulphuric chemicals had escaped the hood's suction power to sting our eyes. The effectiveness of this hack definitely diminished the longer there was exposed onion. Still, this would be a great quick and easy method if you are just chopping one onion into large petals or when dicing up a half onion. This tearless onion-cutting hack comes to us from the kitchen gurus of Reddit , where a user suggests chewing gum to keep the tears at bay. Most noted for their powerful bite when raw and their smooth, velvety texture when cooked, onions pack nutrients including vitamin C and fiber with just 46 calories per one-cup serving of raw, sliced onions. Stop the crying. Chill before cutting, light a candle, cut under a vent — to some degree, all of these methods for cutting onions may keep your eyes from watering. But the best way to avoid tears is to use goggles. Make them mellow. To take away their pungent, stinging bite, place peeled and thinly sliced onions in an ice water bath for 15 minutes. The cold water helps dissolve sulfur compounds on cut surfaces. Drain, pat dry and enjoy raw onion in salads or sandwiches. Cut down cutting time. Instead of mincing or dicing, grate onions when making foods such as tomato sauce, chili or casseroles. Fuss-free caramelizing. While not a shortcut on time, caramelizing onions in a slow cooker eliminates the frequent stirring and watchful eye required with the pan-sautéing method. Place 1 pound sliced onions in a greased slow cooker with 2 tablespoons butter and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Serve as a topping on pizza, burgers, eggs and pasta, or use them to make a quick French onion soup. Create dairy-free cream. Whip up a savory, vegan sauce to use as a base for dairy-free macaroni and cheese, gratins or traditional cream soups. Quercetin, a chemical found in onions, have naturally anti-inflammatory and decongestant properties. Add more onions than usual to your homemade soup recipe and sip on the broth when you're feeling unwell. You can also use onions as an all-natural, easy recipe for earaches and irritated skin. The worst thing about leftover avocado is the rapid way that they brown. It's an enzyme in avocado that causes the flesh to oxidize and brown quickly when exposed to air, which is why it's only the top layer and not the stuff underneath of a cut avocado or a bowl of guacamole that becomes a sickly brown color. When you place an onion near a cut avocado, the sulfur gases that come from the onion and make you tear as you cut them up help stop the oxidation process. You could also just use water to help keep guacamole from browning if you don't have an onion on hand. They make gorgeous sunny-side eggs with a nice, onion-y flavor. Get the full tutorial here. I love my mandoline slicer for thin, even slices, but sometimes you don't want or need to dirty up another gadget. When you just need a few slivered or shaved onions, use an onion peeler to create razor-thin red onions for salads or garnish. |
Onion cooking hacks -
It's important to know the different culinary terms via Olive Magazine. Sweat onions by frying them in butter or oil on a low to medium heat, so that the moisture comes out, or they start, you know, "sweating.
Keep stirring so they soften but don't brown or color. Fry with a medium heat to brown onions, stirring so that they're evenly cooked and colored. To make a small amount of caramelized onion you may need more bulbs than you think, as the slices reduce down as they soften and sweeten.
Cook for around 45 minutes on medium heat. For crispy, oniony bits to add to dishes as a topping, put more oil in your pan and frazzle until they're brown and can't be cooked any more without burning.
Drain on a paper towel. So, you've cut the ends off your onion, and yanked the peel off and another layer or two of onion has come away with that. The vegetable that's ready for chopping on your board suddenly looks a lot smaller than it once did. There is a way of cutting down on unnecessarily wasting too much of your bulbs, which is what too many people are doing, according to thatdudecancook posting on TikTok.
The post focuses on how not to halve your onions the wrong way — this would mean cutting off both the tip and the root end of an unpeeled bulb, then sitting it down and cutting it in half.
The issue is that there's quite a bit of onion on these cut ends, which are generally discarded. The right way, apparently, is to not cut either end and cut lengthways, from each end, down the middle, so you're cutting lengthways. At the tip end, cut off a small amount, so you're just getting rid of the ends of the skin.
You don't need to take the other end off, as this is the tear-inducing root, and it's simply not necessary unless you're julienning. You may want a good technique to dice an onion so you can do it quickly, and avoid shedding too many tears. Or perhaps you love onions so much that you're using them all the time and need an effective way to chop them.
Maybe you just want to improve your kitchen knife skills. Either way, sometimes the hacks of today draw inspiration from traditional ways, such as this onion dicing tip from Honey Kitchen.
Peel your onion and cut off the tip, leaving the root intact. Cut in half lengthways and place the cut of one of the halves side down on your chopping board. Make several cuts from one end to the other, not including the root, then add more cuts.
Now chop across and you'll have diced onion pieces. Celebrity chef Rachael Ray also dices this way, as she demonstrates on a Food Network Facebook post.
Her advice to remember which end to cut off and which to keep? Imagine that you're leaving the hair on the onion, as this hairy end is where the root is and this shouldn't be cut into. She also comments how there's no need to cut into the onion across as it's already separated naturally into layers.
Meaning, this chopping tip is the most logical. Have you ever chopped up an onion prior to using it in a recipe at some later point, only to hesitate before putting it in the fridge because it'll stink it out? Or maybe you've stashed it in the refrigerator without thinking — only to find the odor has permeated the whole space, and everything else that's in your chiller.
You've probably also used part of an onion in a recipe, to be left with half that you need to store. It's a simple, yet problematic issue, and one that's tackled here via Yahoo!
You can store chopped onion in the fridge for a few days, as long as you store it in a sealed bag or airtight container, because if the smell can escape it sure will. Another option is to freeze your onions.
If you have that half onion left, chop it up before freezing, as pieces freeze, and thaw, better than whole or half ones. Put your spare onion pieces in a bag that you can seal, squeezing out the air, and then keep it in the freezer.
In fact, you don't have to do this with just leftover onions either. If you've got a big bag of onions — that you know you won't get through easily — plan ahead and don't wait before you get chopping and freezing.
There are tips out there that are a variation on a theme or offer a slight change from what you're already doing. Then, there are those ideas which, while make sense, seem to come from left field and are loved far more because of their ingenuity. For example, a technique to easily peel onions — for hack-loving purists who seek tips that are totally different — was posted on TikTok by scubeskitchen.
You'll need a mallet. You've been warned, now read on. Put a whole onion into a Ziploc bag and then put this into a larger Ziploc bag. It's important that you don't seal either of the two bags. Lay the bags down and bash them with a meat mallet several times, hitting the onion hard.
Reach in an pull the skin out, which should be in big pieces. Tip out the contents of the bags and you should have a pile of peeled, chopped-up onion. With no knife needed, and no streaming eyes, it's definitely an alternative way of cutting up an onion, that's for sure.
Close your eyes and imagine biting into an onion ring. Apart from the flavor and texture, what you probably envisage is that iconic crunch. In reality, however, so many onion rings seem to be served up soggy whether you bake them in the oven, plunge them into the deep-fat fryer, or air-fry them.
While the concept of making this classic side dish is simple, there's a knack to cooking it in a way that creates a wonderfully crisp coating.
If you need advice in making this all-American favorite then you might want to follow these three steps from Wise Geek.
First off, if you're using breadcrumbs then try panko ones. The crumbs are bigger than other varieties and are really dry, too. The texture and larger surface area means they absorb less grease and come out far crunchier.
Secondly, when coating your onion, don't just throw a whole load of rings into your breadcrumbs or batter. Keep the coating even and thin, and avoid areas where it's clumpier, by dipping them one at a time.
If you have a thicker coating in parts then this will come out soft. Thirdly, be patient by cooking the onion rings in batches — if you're baking in the oven take time to space them out so the heat can reach them.
Too many rings cooking at once can lower the oil's temperature, producing soggier results. Don't expect to simply shake a bag of onions and they're magically peeled. If only kitchen life was so simple!
Although, you're not too far off if you've tried this — you do need a knife and to make a cut or two to your onions first. To peel your onions more easily, you could try following a clever technique demonstrated on TikTok by melianda.
Cut both ends of each onion off while they still have the skin on. So you are basically topping and tailing them.
Put the onions in an empty saucepan, adding a few at a time. Put the lid on and, holding this securely, shake the pan for a few seconds. When you put the pot down and look inside, you should find that your onion skins have magically peeled away. The good news is that you now don't have to pick away at the peel and break it off in pieces which can take a lot longer to do and is also sometimes a bit fiddly.
Meanwhile, an article in NDTV Food highlights how once you've cut off the tip and the root of an onion it's also really easy to peel away the skin with your hands. You may prefer this method, because the advantage is that it at least saves you washing up a saucepan and lid!
It's hours since you cooked up a delicious meal, but the smell of onions on your fingers is definitely lingering long after your dish has been served up. Onions are fabulous, but they really are so pungent that just handling them can leave you with an odor that's not easy to lift, even if you scrub your hands after handling.
It wouldn't be so bad if you could leave them out of a recipe, but they are such an important flavor, whether you're grilling burgers at a cookout , or sautéing onions on the side. To get rid of your oniony fingers, follow a handy trick revealed in Southern Living. After cutting your onion, don't squirt some hand wash into your palm, grab some cutlery instead.
It may sound strange, but there is a reason this hack works. Whether it be a spoon or a fork — and probably best not a knife for obvious reasons — rub your utensil under cold running water.
That's it! What's vital is that your cutlery is made from stainless steel, so don't use your best silver for this. The way it works? The sulfurous smells leave your skin and stick to the metal instead. You can also rub your hands on your sink instead, if it's made from the same stuff, with the water running.
If you like this tip, make it a go-to and share it. Do you know when somebody does something when they're cooking as if it's second nature and you literally feel a "duh" moment because it makes such sense?
You can't believe how you couldn't have thought of it. But you don't need to because culinary wizards are doing it for you, including Bobby Flay , celebrated chef of the Food Network. If you've ever grilled onions on a barbecue, then this hack, posted on the TV channel's Instagram page is for you — with the celebrity cook adding his charred onions to a recipe for grilled eggplant salad.
You don't need anything extra to try this, just some red onions. Cut fairly chunky slices of red onion so that each slice is round and the layers aren't separated. The key is to not peel your onion. By grilling slices with the skin on it keeps the slices in one circular piece on the grill.
That means it's easier to flip, and to take them off when they're lovely and chargrilled. You won't get any onion pieces falling through the grate into the coals either. What's just as interesting is how versatile onions are, with the sweetness of the onions complemented by avocado, eggplant, and a Dijon mustard vinaigrette as well as some lemon zest over the top.
Make cheesy keto onion rings TikTok. Store onions the right way Ve. Grill a melting onion on barbecue coals reddit. It's an enzyme in avocado that causes the flesh to oxidize and brown quickly when exposed to air, which is why it's only the top layer and not the stuff underneath of a cut avocado or a bowl of guacamole that becomes a sickly brown color.
When you place an onion near a cut avocado, the sulfur gases that come from the onion and make you tear as you cut them up help stop the oxidation process.
You could also just use water to help keep guacamole from browning if you don't have an onion on hand. They make gorgeous sunny-side eggs with a nice, onion-y flavor.
Get the full tutorial here. I love my mandoline slicer for thin, even slices, but sometimes you don't want or need to dirty up another gadget. When you just need a few slivered or shaved onions, use an onion peeler to create razor-thin red onions for salads or garnish.
Caramelized onions add a sweet and savory flavor to dishes, but it takes long cooking to bring out their depth and sweetness. Here's a trick to caramelize onions faster with a pinch of baking soda. Everyone has their own method for avoiding tears while chopping onions, from freezing the onions beforehand to wearing swim goggles.
This guide covers the most effective methods so that you can find one that works for you. Below, I'll share the best onion hacks I learned while cooking and handling them with chefs, plus a few more I discovered while researching recipes and chef recommendations online.
While you probably already cook with onions regularly, something tells me you wish you knew some of the things I uncovered sooner. Whether you want to know how to store them, how to make slicing easier, how to avoid crying while you dice, or different ways to caramelize them, we've got you covered.
You may think storing whole onions in the crisper drawer of your fridge is the best spot for them, but similar to potatoes, they last longer when kept at room temperature. When kept in the fridge, moisture is more likely to build up on onions, leading to a reduced shelf life.
Instead, find a dry, ventilated spot to keep them. A basket, bowl, or open paper bag is perfect if you keep it away from direct sunlight. If you purchased a large bag of onions, the mesh bag they come in also works well.
Whatever you choose, make sure it is an open-air container that allows plenty of air to circulate and keep them at room temperature. When whole onions are stored correctly, they can last anywhere from three to six months before spoiling.
Green onions are a different story. Unlike more bulbous onions, storing green onions in the fridge helps them last longer. There are two approaches to properly storing green onions. The first involves cutting the roots off, cutting the stalks in half, wrapping them in a paper towel, and then sticking them in a plastic bag inside the fridge.
The second strategy is to stand green onions up in a glass with a small amount of water in the bottom. The water should submerge the roots, but nothing more, and it should also be changed daily to help preserve freshness. When you chop onions, syn-Propanethial-S-oxide is released into the air via Library of Congress.
This chemical irritant wafts up to your eyes, causing them to tear up. Considering this is part of an onion's inherent properties, watery eyes may seem unavoidable when chopping onions, but there are a few hacks that help prevent it from happening.
One of the most straightforward solutions is to put whole onions, skins and all, in the freezer for 30 minutes before you start dicing.
When you freeze an onion, it reduces the speed at which the chemical irritants are released. The result is less disturbance to your tear ducts and, potentially, dry eyes. You have to plan some extra time to put this method into practice, but if you have the flexibility and remember it in advance, it can be a real game changer.
Some chefs swear that avoiding the core of onion while dicing also helps reduce tear-inducing properties, but that leads to a significant amount of waste.
So, if freezing your onions doesn't provide you with the relief you desire, there's another foolproof option: Wear goggles while dicing. A pair of goggles, or even a scuba mask, creates an impenetrable seal around your eyes, effectively ensuring none of the tear-inducing gas reaches them.
This may make you feel silly, but who cares if it works? This next tip comes from Chef Scubes on TikTok. He demonstrates a simple, effective way to remove peels and dice onions simultaneously using a meat mallet and two plastic bags.
First, he puts a whole, unpeeled onion into a small Ziploc bag. Then, he places that bag inside a larger Ziploc. Without sealing either bag, he bangs on the onion repeatedly with a meat mallet. After a few impacts, the skin of the onion starts to separate from the core. After a few more bangs with the mallet, the onion breaks down into small, diced pieces.
To finish up, he pulls out the separated pieces of peel and dumps out the chopped bits, ready for use. When all is said and done, this method is incredibly easy, even if it is alarmingly loud.
One of the great things about this method is that it keeps all the cry-inducing vapors contained so your eyes will remain tear-free. Even with the bags open, the enzymes that cause you to tear up stay inside, leaving you free to do other cooking tasks without any interference.
The only real drawbacks to this method are the imprecise cuts and excess waste produced. Banging away on an onion isn't the most exact form of chopping, so various-sized cuts are to be expected. Similarly, the skins don't always come off paper thin either, so you may be tossing out more than normal.
Professional chefs use a specific technique for dicing onions. It improves size consistency and makes onions more manageable to hold while dicing. The key to this hack is leaving the root or end on while chopping.
Start by cutting your onion in half through the middle, leaving the ends intact. Then, cut from the center down through the middle of the ends so that you have four pieces, all with an end holding them together. Place the flat side down and make evenly spaced slices from the wide center towards the end, stopping short of the actual root.
This technique keeps the bulb in one piece. When you have made all your cuts, turn the onion and slice through, going in the opposite direction until you reach the base.
As you slice, perfect diced pieces fall off. As opposed to slipping around and sliding away from the knife, this onion-cutting technique keeps all the pieces aligned and in one place until you make the final cuts going in the opposite direction. It also enables you to create uniform-sized slices throughout the entire onion.
So, instead of winding up with lots of variation, you get perfectly diced chunks that cook through at the same time. While slight deviations in size won't make a huge difference, it easily causes some pieces to finish cooking before others, something that should be avoided.
Dull knives are the enemy of any chef, home or professional. They easily lead to accidents and increase the risk of cutting yourself.
When you press down into an onion with a knife or any material for that matter, it should glide through with minimal pressure. The more pressure you have to apply to penetrate an onion, the more likely it is to slip and cause a mishap.
While columnist Elizabeth Robins Onion cooking hacks waxed lyrical about the necessity of Onion cooking hacks in cooking: "Banish hacms onion from the jacks and Gymnastics injury prevention pleasure flies with it. Its presence hackss color and hacs to the most modest dish; its Holistic weight loss supplements reduces the rarest delicacy to hopeless insipidity, and dinner to despair" per Kountry Town. Suffice to say that onions are much loved, so much so that overacres of them are planted in the United States each year via National Onion Association. The history of onions is a rich one since they've been cultivated for more than 5, years. Onions arrived in the U. as a crop with the pilgrims aboard the Mayflower and since then they've become a kitchen staple.
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