The first thing that comes to minds of most people when they have a job of cutting onions is the fact that they have to contend with watery eyes at the end of the session. This can be quite irritating and distract you from doing a thorough job. However, if you follow a few simple tips, you can be rest assured that none of your future sessions will be what they were before. Here are a few tips that can be real value addition.
1. There is a lot of sulfur in onions and that is what makes you cry. But, if you like a small candle or have a small burning flame near your cutting board that will take away the sulfur.
2. Keep your mouth busy. You can either choose gum or have sugar cube, thereby ensuring that breathing happens through your mouth. Therefore, you will end up sucking the droplets before they manage to reach your eye.
3. Sulfur compounds are mostly found near the root. So, do not chop both sides of the onion. Try retaining the root till the very end of your job.
4. Use protective eyewear or maybe your swimming goggles to ensure that the droplets don’t get anywhere near your eyes.
5. Do you know that stainless steel attracts sulfur? That is why it is a good idea to use a stainless real life while chopping onions, rather than any other knife that you can lay your hands on.
6. Try washing your knife often under a stream of high flowing water. This will take away the sulfur compounds easily and ensure that there is minimal or no irritation to your eyes.
7. Do you have the habit of using a blower or a fan near your cutting area? If not, it might be a really good practice since that will blow away the droplets which cause irritation. If there are just one or two onions to be cut, you might not have much of irritation. Think what might happen if you have a big batch of onions to be sliced in really quick time?
8. Have your faucets on as soon as you begin your cutting session. This will be a great way of washing away the sulfur compounds before they reach your eye.
9. Are you a fan of vinegar? If so, adding a vinegar and water paste to your cutting board should do the trick in your favor. This is so because vinegar reacts with sulfur and stops it from reacting. However, there is a danger of toiling with the taste of your onions when you do this.
10. Keep the onions in the fridge for at least 30 to 45 min before you begin your chopping process. When onions are pretty cold, the sulphur inside them takes longer periods to react.
11. So the onions in a bowl of water before you even begin your cutting process.
12. Do you have the habit of wearing contact lenses? Try this and it will really work in your favor.
The next time you sit in your kitchen to chop onions, follow the steps and you’ll definitely come out with less irritation and not- so- watery eyes. It really works!
