Am I doomed to cry....every single time?

terri0527
terri0527 Posts: 678 Member
in Chit-Chat
When I have to peel an onion? :sad: I have tried every single myth, old wives tale, you name it that I have ever heard and still the tears fall down. What are some of the dumbest things you've done to keep the tears at bay while peeling onions?
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Replies

  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
    Same for me. I just consider it a good sinus cleansing. :glasses:
  • juliecat1
    juliecat1 Posts: 3,450 Member
    same here! I can not do it either! My favorite smell in the world is garlic and onion warming in some olive oil. Yummmm! So, I suffer through it. I generally have to cut with my eyes closed. lol

    One thing that does help somewhat is to freeze the onion ahead of time. Not days but just hours ahead. Then a super sharp knife.
  • LAWoman79
    LAWoman79 Posts: 348 Member
    I put them in the freezer for about 7 minutes before I chop. No problem here.
  • mfanyafujo
    mfanyafujo Posts: 232 Member
    Well... you could get some of those chemistry goggles that are designed to keep fumes out... but wearing contacts works for me. :)
  • terri0527
    terri0527 Posts: 678 Member
    same here! I can not do it either! My favorite smell in the world is garlic and onion warming in some olive oil. Yummmm! So, I suffer through it. I generally have to cut with my eyes closed. lol

    Do you still have all of your fingers??? :huh:
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    I find that cutting the right end helps instantly, though it's rare I actually peel an onion nowadays. I cut the end off, stab a sharp knife through the centre and twist to cut bits off from the inside, out. So, I'm using the centre of the onion rather than the outer layers, Once I've got the amount I need, the whole remaining onion (skin still intact) goes in the bin.
  • HelloSweetie4
    HelloSweetie4 Posts: 1,214 Member
    throw it in the freezer about 10 minutes before you chop, or keep them in your refrigerator. Something with the cold keeps you from tearing up.
  • HellsKells
    HellsKells Posts: 671 Member
    My grandma always recommended holding a wooden matchstick in your mouth while you're chopping an onion. I don't know why, but it has always worked for me, without fail.
  • lil_pulp
    lil_pulp Posts: 701 Member
    I have this problem too...sometimes my eyes still hurt/water HOURS later, after lots of hand-washing, etc. It's ridiculous. Several years ago, my mom gave me "onion goggles," but I don't know if they work because they don't fit over my regular glasses and bloody onions don't appeal to me.
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    I just cut very fast then look away. I also think you get a little used to it later on.
  • Susabelle64
    Susabelle64 Posts: 207 Member
    I do not cry much anymore...........use an incredibly sharp knife and work fast!!! my onion knife is almost sharp enough for my husband to shave with........

    Having sharp knives in my kitchen is kind of a thing with me.
  • mzhokie
    mzhokie Posts: 349 Member
    never had a problem until I stopped wearing contacts.

    I had heard having a piece of bread in your mouth but how do you not eat it! LOL

    The fridge/freezer method is the other thing I have heard.
  • Lasityttö
    Lasityttö Posts: 79 Member
    You know that hood over your stove? Put that on and cut your onion under it, that works for me.
  • busymomto5PA
    busymomto5PA Posts: 62
    Contact lenses work for me. But when I wear my glass there it goes waterworks again.
  • AlexzKT
    AlexzKT Posts: 131 Member
    In undergrad I had to purchase safety goggles (the kind that seem to suction to your face) for chemistry lab, and now I use those when I chop onions. I haven't had any problems! And my fiance loves to laugh at me when I'm wearing them. (:

    Here's what I'm talking about:
    http://www.officemax.com/office-supplies/breakroom-cleaning/safety-and-security/eye-care-protection/product-prod3660366?cm_mmc=Googlepla-_-Office Supplies-_-Breakroom and Cleaning-_-Safety and Security&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=22158175&gclid=CMuo0YKqj7ACFWQ0QgodYiejnw
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,468 Member
    Yes, you are doomed. I have tried swim goggles, burning a candle, and the list goes on.

    Here are my suggestions to REDUCE the tears (but not get rid of them altogether)

    1) Store your onions in the fridge
    2)Use a good sharp knife
    3) Chop fast
  • Stripycat
    Stripycat Posts: 58 Member
    Cut off the root end and the pointy top bit first, to a depth of about a centimeter, and throw them in the bin. Once they're out of the way, you should be fine to carry on. I usually then half it from root to tip and slice or dice each half from there. Only very rarely now do I get onion eyes.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    I chew mint gum and breathe through my mouth. Works most of the time. Also I cut on the kitchen table which is lower than the counter, and stand straight up so that my olfactory system is as far away from that tearjerker as possible!
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 775 Member
    cold onions works for me .. no tears
  • juliecat1
    juliecat1 Posts: 3,450 Member
    same here! I can not do it either! My favorite smell in the world is garlic and onion warming in some olive oil. Yummmm! So, I suffer through it. I generally have to cut with my eyes closed. lol

    Do you still have all of your fingers??? :huh:

    yep! Cant say I havent gotten close a few times though.
  • nikki_1979
    nikki_1979 Posts: 57
    My grandma always recommended holding a wooden matchstick in your mouth while you're chopping an onion. I don't know why, but it has always worked for me, without fail.

    ^^^This works.
  • EngineerPrincess
    EngineerPrincess Posts: 306 Member
    Wear swimming goggles.
    A swimming mask is even better because it covers your nose.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    The stuff that makes you cry is because it turns to sulphuric acid when it hits your eyes. So make sure it is captured by some other water before it reaches your eyes - chop them next to a running tap.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Goggles are the only thing that works without damaging the onion. Freezing them and chilling them are both bad ideas, because the cold kills off flavor compounds in the onion. Same reason you don't chill tomatoes.

    Don't cut through the root, as that is where the majority of the sulphur compounds are.
  • jamesblood13
    jamesblood13 Posts: 175 Member
    I wear glasses when cutting them. Usually sun glasses cos they're more wrap around and cover more of my eyes.
  • lickmybaconcakes
    lickmybaconcakes Posts: 1,063 Member
    Just chop it very very quickly before the Amino acid sulfoxides form sulfenic acids and then propanethiol S-oxide (from the alliinases enzymes) , propanethiol S-oxide is the stuff that makes you cry.

    Or one could denature the enzymes beforehand (boil the onion or go the other way.) although it does smell a bit but will not burn your eyes.
  • nicehormones
    nicehormones Posts: 503 Member
    Ha I was expecting this to say "when I step on the scale" or something lol.

    I do not like onions... So I don't have this problem! My mother used to make me peel them as a child, though. I always cried. Maybe it was also because I just didn't want to peel them, though.
  • LovesGG
    LovesGG Posts: 241 Member
    I put on sunglasses. Granted, I get a weird look from whoever walks in but hey, I know what I'm doing. :glasses:
  • Cyngen
    Cyngen Posts: 557 Member
    Guess I'm lucky, peeling onions doesn't bother me. Come to think of it, household ammonia doesn't bother me either.
  • CookieCrumble
    CookieCrumble Posts: 221 Member
    I just cut very fast then look away. I also think you get a little used to it later on.

    I do this too. Sometimes, if I'm in the mood, I peel and chop about 20 onions and pack them away into tubs in the fridge so that I don't have to keep doing it.

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