Edit: Swim goggles should work too if you don’t have to worry about glasses.
I know this will be obvious to some, but I’ve never seen anyone in my family wear them. It’s so obvious once you think about it, and yet I’d wager most people (especially ones who don’t cook as a hobby) have never tried this.
The reason you cry is because slicing onions produces an organosulfur called syn-Propanethial-S-oxide. Lab goggles – as designed – keep the chemical irritant from reaching your eyes. I’ve used them hundreds of times now, and I think there was one time it got into my eyes when I didn’t have the goggles situated right (not difficult; I was just being a moron).
My 3M anti-fog pair were about $5 USD when I got them, and it looks like they’re about $7.50 USD now. For that price, I never have to dread cutting up onions again. It’s not magic; it’s just basic PPE, and it works. You can even wear them over eyeglasses (I’m sure some huge, circular frames won’t fit, but most should).
Even if you forget them and remember them midway through slicing, it can still help somewhat. So even if you’re as absent-minded as I am, you can benefit from trying this.
These (below) were the ones I got personally, but feel free to try what you already have if you already have a pair on-hand for e.g. cleaning. I’d assume the important thing is just that they’re goggles, not glasses.
Why YSK: owie, oof, ouchie, my eyes. Cooking is just DIY organic chemistry.
Use a sharp knife because a duller knife is less safe, and it does more smashing than cutting which casues more fumes.
Don’t put your head over the onions as you work. Take a half step back and extend your arms more so you’re further away from the fumes.
If your kitchen is not well ventilated, put your cutting board on the stove and turn on the hood.
Don’t cut the root off either. Use it to hold the onion together and in my experience also seems to lessen the effect on my eyes.
You waste so much onion that way though
I cut it in half and slice off a much as I need then put the rest in a snapware in the fridge. Eventually it all gets used. I’ve had onions last for weeks doing this. No crying either.
Everyone should own some eye protection. A quality respirator is also extremely useful and very wise to have around in many circumstances.
Let’s pull out the breathing mask one uses for spray paint and invite someone over for dinner /s and /j
You could also sharpen your knives and cut them properly.
How soft do you have to be to cry over cutting an onion? Like, they can’t even feel it so just chill.
is it weird that I don’t really have this problem?
The vapour released is attached to the moisture in your eyes so just stick your tongue out for the duration of the onion cutting and you’ll be reet
Or a small fan to blow/suck it away from you
If you cut onions with a knife, sure. I use a Japanese mandolin called Benriner that is so sharp that I can get through several yellow onions before I start having issues.
I don’t consider onion tears a problem. It’s an experience I would not want removed from my life, as it is one of those things letting me feel the nuance of being alive.
Red onions bring the most tears here, and yellow the least. I never notice yellow being an issuez but reds will make me take a step back sometimes to blot my eyes with something lol
I can’t relate to that dread part at all. If I knew it was harmful to my eyes I would reconsider this stance, but otherwise, yeah, I’m glad for the pain it causes.
It’s a bit like overdoing wasabi, I don’t really do it deliberately and don’t particularly enjoy it in the moment, but it makes me feel very alive!
You can also just add water. Cut them wet.
Presoaking and making the cut slightly more dangerous seems like a silly solution when you have a pair of goggles in a drawer unless you’re waiting for your soon-to-be-only pair of goggles in the mail. Especially because all you’re likely to be doing is kind of watering down the droplets, making it less bad.
I think by adding H2O you eliminate most of the vapour…I think. It works.
It absolutely works if you just wash them beforehand (not soak), or when you’ve cut them in half/quarters.
That’s what I was saying
And I’m confirming 😉
