Gaby
The humble onion is a key ingredient in many dishes around the world. However, slicing this popular vegetable often turns into a true nightmare. To carry out this seemingly simple task, we end up in tears, much like watching a sentimental movie.
But there’s good news. Authors of a new study have come to the rescue for cooks everywhere. They claim that you no longer need to stock up on tissues or wear swimming goggles to chop onions. Scientists have discovered a tear-free method for handling onions, and it’s quite simple.
What is this method?
Previous research has shown that onions cause eye irritation during cutting due to the release of a chemical called syn-propanethial-S-oxide. However, it remained a mystery how to reduce its emissions.
Thanks to a recently discovered life hack, the amount of onion juice that gets aerosolized into the air and reaches your eyes is reduced. The secret of the method lies in using a sharp knife and slicing slowly, as reported by the Daily Mail.
“Our results showed that dull knives increase both the speed of juice droplet release and their quantity,” the team stated.
How did the scientists reach this conclusion?
For their study, the researchers created a special guillotine equipped with blades of varying sharpness. During the experiment, the team sliced onions using different blades at different speeds.
The researchers recorded the onion cutting process on camera to accurately assess how much juice was released into the air. The results indicated that the amount of aerosolized substance depended on two key factors.
The first was the sharpness of the knife. The least amount of juice splatter was observed when the scientists used the sharpest blades.
The second factor was speed. While one might assume that cutting quickly would result in less juice splatter, that’s not the case.
“Faster cutting led to the production of more juice, and consequently, more mist that irritates the eyes,” the researchers explained.
So, if you want to chop onions without tears, grab a sharp knife and take your time.
“In addition to comfort, this practice also plays a crucial role in minimizing the spread of airborne pathogens in kitchens, especially when cutting vegetables with tough outer layers,” the scientists added.
