Yes -- I do the same. Cool it down in the fridge first. For shallots, I quickly peel and throw those in my small 3-cup food processor!

Cameron

I've never tried that, but I will. I have a terrible time with onions. One thing that I do that helps, after you have the onion peeled, ends cut off and chopped in half, I run it under cold water before chopping further.

If you wear contact lenses you never have a problem with crying over onions.

Ann

This works for me....I chop onions on the counter right next to the ventiliation hood over the range. Turn is on and it seems to pull away the fumes of the onion. No tears.

Ann T, maybe it's the type of contact lenses, but I wear the hard gas permeable ones and they don't help much, I cry like crazy when I cut onions. I think maybe some people cry more or maybe some onions are hotter?

If I can only think far enough ahead to put the darned onion in the fridge, I'll try Joe's method.

Annie

Annie

One of the stranger things I remember hearing to stop the tearing is to chew on a piece of white bread. No idea if it works and I always forget to test it out

Strange, I never have the tearing problem. I rarely have contacts in when cutting onions. My routine is to:
Wrap the unpeeled onion in a wet paper towel to soften the peeling so it will come off easily.
Cut the onion root end to the neck end
Cut off neck keeping root end in tack
Peel the onion
Slice or dice as needed

I really suffered from the big shallots I cut up on Thanksgiving, so I'll try your tips next time. Thanks!

i'm completely vulnerable to onions,Way Bad! I've tried all the tricks, freezer, candles, scuba mask
[works great but not with glasses], range hood on full, my full-sized Jessy doll [oops, wrong trick]. None of these methods worked but I recently discovered one that does, perfectly. A small fan on the counter just to the side of my onions and knife, blowing sideways across my work area works like magic. I am free!

michaelp

I work directly on my cooktop with the fan on..it's the biggest work area I have, plus it has a light! I also refrigerate them because I don't have a decent place to store them.

In my last kitchen I had a good storage spot (so no refrigeration) and a gas cooktop (so no chopping there) and I suffered! Haven't had problems since I moved, but I will if I ever get around to remodeling.

I've tried them all and nothing seems to work for me, but I'm sure I'm more sensitive than most. It's gotten to the point where I'm in pain and can't continue. And I love onions!

But all is well. DH came home with a food processor today so that should help :)

Joe: Thanks for the tip . I'll give it a try.

Nice to see some guys in here. Now I can terrorize.

PK Guy: Can I put Peanut Butter and Jelly on the white
bread ?

Michael: The only bad thing is, the guy in the next room
started crying.

Ann t: My Daughter is an Optician. Maybe she can make me a pair of Onion Lenses.

Annie; Your alway's crying anyway. Cry baby !!!

Gold Girl: Last but not least!!! Have I got the perfect solution for you.
Get a 2 gallon size plastic bag. Get everything ready.
Put the bag over your head and tie a string around your neck, so no onion fumes can get in.
And start slicing away.
Give that a try for 10 minutes and let me know how you made out!!!

Happy New Year Everybody !!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOU

USE A SHARP KNIFE AND CHOP QUICKLY. DIANA55

Run it under cold water & breath in through your mouth, & chop as fast as you can :) I've gotten pretty fast at chopping & still have all my fingers (so far). I've been told to keep the root end attached as long as possible, can't tell that it helps with the crying significantly.

I've tried the contact lens trick and it does work, at least for me. Annie, I think the gas permeable ones don't cover as much of the eye as the soft ones, so maybe they don't form a seal over the iris of the eye, thus letting in more fumes. Not sure on that one though, is there an optometrist in the house?????

Lou, you're being naughty. Go to your room and write "I will not terrorize anyone on Joe's Onion Thread" a hundred times.

I'm not always wearing contacts when I peel onions so that's when a trick like Joe described would come in handy. I always refrigerate my onions, here in humid Central Florida we refrigerate everything! I'll give it a try:-)
DONNA

I used to wear contacts (the soft kind) and onions still made me cry. Put a piece of bread (any kind) in your mouth while chopping. It works like a charm.

Linda

Diana, do you still have all your digits intact? ;-Ã

I keep a tiny fan in my kitchen, that I use whenever I have to chop onions, and that has been my thuper reliable method. But, I'm always willing to try new ideas. Thanks Joe.

Sol

Speaking of sharp knives above, that was another thing. A very fine sharp knife will slice the onion without breaking and releasing as many cell walls as a dull knife and purportedly reduce the amount of whatever it is fumes or gas that the onion gives off and reacts with the moisture in your eyes.

DH wanted chili to ring in the New Year today. So I tried Joe's technique for no tear onion cutting: chilled onion, slice off the bottom, quickly place on paper towel for a few minutes. NO TEARS! I'm stunned! This is the first time in 25 years I haven't teared up! Thanks so much for the tip!

Becky

Thanks for the tip. I wear contacts except to read in bed so I don't have the tearing with onions problem. I did seem to have some really potent yellow onions this Thanksgiving though. That trick would have been useful. Boy were they strong! Alice, on the other hand, is lens free and loves onions. I'll share this and the other tricks here with her. Maybe I'll leave out the one from Lou...

Joe: I tried your Tip with the same onions that killed me last week.
It worked Great!!! Of course, I was outside while my son was slicing onions.

Just kidding, it did work great. Gotcha !!!
Lou

Another trick is to sing or hum while you chop. It makes you breathe through your mouth instead of your nose.

Or use Vidalia onions. They have a very low sulfer compound content.

You didn't scare me Lou. I'm a Jersey Girl AND I have a Golden Retriever named Vinny. He knows people ;)

Goldgirl: If I was trying to scare you,
I would send you a mug shot of my face.That would scare anyone.

A Gold girl has a Gold dog. That's cool !!!!!

I think this is interesting that so many experience tears. I wonder why I don't and I don't do use any of the prescribed remedies. Mosquitoes typically don't bite me, I wonder if there is any correlation.

Mustangs, Could there be a lot of vitamin B12 in your diet? I don't know about the onion tears being effected by B12, but I do know that if you have a lot of B12 in your system, it helps keep the mosquitos away.

I will be interested in trying the paper towel method for the onions. I wear soft contacts most of the time, and still have a problem with tears if the onion is even a little potent.

Tami

Hey Mustangs - Interesting, 'cause I'm very sensitive to mosquitoes. BTW, DH cut up all the onions that I couldn't, and he had virtually no reaction.

I'm also on anti-thyroid meds but have always been sensitive to onions. I remember having to stand in the walk-in freezer at Taco Bell when I worked there as a kid.

Sue

Sol....Yes I do, but I really don't chop onions as fast as I use to. Then again, there's alot I don't do, as fast as I use to!!! LOL Diana55

I am affected so badly, once I start with the tears my eyes actually hurt and I have to leave the room and wait about 10 minutes to come back and continue. It seems that yellow onions are the very worst. I quit buying them and have switched to either white (Mexican) or Maui Sweets.

I am cutting onions in the AM and will try the chilling,wet paper towel method. Wish me luck!