onion

Provided you remember to think ahead, chill the onion before cutting it. Wrap it well in plastic (to contain the odour) and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours or part-freeze it in the freezer. If you choose the freezer, don't leave it there too long or it will be harder to slice. The bread didn't work for me, for chilling the onion does.

Hey I have the same problem when I cut onions and then my mother told me to cut it into two then to place one half on the top of the knife then we can cut the onions peacefully.

I really don't have much to contribute as I don't know any tricks in making food preparations easy. But I just want to say thanks to the posters above. I tried both methods and they actually work. Thanks again!

Yes. Put the onions in water for few minutes and then cut. Your eyes will not water. Even the peeling of skin will be easier. This rule applies to small onion also which we call sambar onion generally.

Hi vathsala, I seem to peel and chop countless onions and the best way to stop the tears is very simple. Hold the pulse points of your wrists under cold running water as you feel the first sensation of tears and it will stop them. When it starts again just repeat the action. It does work. If your children make fun of you you must ask them to help you to remove the peel themselves and they won't be laughing at you anymore, even better don't mention the cold water trick to them.

I always chew a gum when I cut onion and this trick really works. try to do it for you and see the result :)

You'll think I'm insane and that this won't work, but I was a non believer and tried it and now it's the best trick I know. First, you want your onion to be cold. Cold ones don't spray out so much juice that makes your eyes tear. Second, before you make one slice in the onion take a piece of bread and put it in your mouth. Don't chew...just hold it there. For some reason it makes you not cry. My mom taught me this trick years and years ago and I still use it. Sometimes the bread gets all soggy and icky if you have to chop for a long time. In that case, you may cry a bit at the end if you have to swallow, but otherwise it works great!

I do this too. As a matter of fact, if my husband is home when I need an onion cut, then I make him do it. The acid in the onion is what makes our eyes burn and water. The only suggestion that I have ever heard to help defeat this problem is to cut your onion under running water. I've never personally tried it, but my mother swears that it works. As for me, the water would probably make the onion slick and the knife would slip, thus causing me to cut myself which would be a lot more painful than the burning of my eyes.