Onions are our common vegetables in our kitchen, thanks to their unique flavor. Of course, this vegetable must be cleaned first. After cleaning and removing the outer shell, the onion must be cut. Cuts almost always bring tears. Here are some tips on how you can prevent this.
Why do we cry when cutting an onion?
When cutting the onion, an ingredient containing sulfur is released. If this material comes into contact with water (our eyes), it creates sulfuric acid. This acid irritates our eyes and the eyes get more moist.
Genetically modified onions prevent tearing
A Japanese team led by Shinsuke Imai of the House of Food Corporation has located the enzyme that produces propantium S-oxide, which makes our eyes water when cutting onions. Thanks to this discovery, it is perfectly possible to bring to market an onion that does not cause tears and that continues to taste the same.
Currently such onions are widely available. But chefs are skeptical of modified onions. They claim that traditional onions are simply not replaceable in the kitchen and the tears just come with them.
Some tips to prevent tears.
- Always use a very sharp knife, thanks to a sharp knife, the onion cells are cut instead of “splitting” and the juices that cause tearing are not released.
- In the meantime, keep your knife under the tap while cutting: the released sulfur will react with the tap water first, and not with your eyes.
- Cut the onions under the hood – sulfur is removed more quickly.
- Use a food processor to chop the onions.
- Cut the onions in a transparent plastic bag.
Finally, we can report that many different types of onions release different sulfuric compounds. If you want to reduce the tears, you can choose the type of onion with less acid substance, without losing the real flavor of the onions!