Mr.Food : Tips & Facts - Cutting Onions without Tears

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Cutting Onions without Tears

We’ve all heard different ways to keep from crying when cutting onions. No, you don’t need to cut them while holding your breath under water. And don’t run out and get a gas mask just yet, however there a few methods that actually do work quite well.

Try a few of these ideas to see which ones work best for you:
	Even though uncut onions shouldn't be stored in the refrigerator, a cold onion is less likely to make you cry than one at room temperature, so maybe keep 1 or 2 in the refrigerator ready for cutting.
	Soak the onion in salt water before cutting it. The salt water neutralizes the enzyme that creates the gases that make us cry.
	Peel onions under cold running tap water. The water is supposed to wash the gases that make us cry down the drain.
	Minimize your cutting time by using a food processor or blender to chop onions.
	Turn on your kitchen exhaust fan or use a fan to blow the onion "vapors" away from you.
	Cut off the root end of the onion last. By waiting and cutting off the root ends last, less onion juices are released while you're cutting, producing less of the vapors that make you cry (at least until the end, that is)!
	Wear gas-tight goggles or a mask. It may sound and look funny, but it does work.
	Wear your contact lenses (if you have 'em); they protect your eyes from the gases released by the onion. How simple is that?
	Breathe through your mouth, not your nose, when peeling and cutting.
	Place a piece of bread in your mouth and have it hang out. For some reason it absorbs the onion gases and there are no tears!
*ONION TIP:* You can rid your hands of onion odor by rubbing them with a mixture of lemon juice and salt. (Watch out if you have any cuts on your hands. Ouch!)
Easy & Awesome Onion Recipes: Sweet & Hot Onion Rings Beer Basted Sausage French Onion Soup Creamy Baked Onions Sweet Vidalia Pie Sweet Skillet Potatoes