Did you know that chilled onions won’t make you cry?
By Cheryl Teo - Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012
Onion is a popular ingredient widely used by chefs and foodies alike, as it adds a distinct fragrance and flavour to even the simplest of dish. However, the infamous ‘onion tears’ have inconvenienced those who love to include the vegetable in their cooking.
Onions contain a substance called lachrymator. When the vegetable is peeled or cut, it reacts with the atmosphere to form a mild sulphuric acid, which irritates the eyes and thus causes ‘onion tears’. This reaction stops however, when the onion is cooked.
Likewise, chilling the onion helps to prevent tears. The change in temperature alters the vegetable’s compound, hence prevents it from causing the same ‘tearing’ effect.
The alternative way – if you’re working under time constraint- is to slice it up under a running tap. This may not be as effective, so always remember to stow away the bag of onions in the fridge, or at least 10 minutes before cutting so that you won’t have to deal with a tear-stained face after.
