How to cut onions into cubes: technological rules, tips for cutting onions without tears

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

In modern cooking, it is difficult to imagine a dish that can be cooked without onions. A popular vegetable has been known since ancient times, when it was successfully used not only for eating, but also for the treatment of various ailments. However, despite its wide distribution, the question often arises in the kitchen, how to cut onions into cubes.

Which onion to choose for the dish?

It's no secret that the taste of any dish depends not only on the way vegetables are cut, but also on the correct choice of the most suitable variety. To date, there are many varieties of onions, each of which has its own spicy flavor, bitterness or aroma. Before dealing with slicing technology, you need to choose the right kind of onion:

1. Green onion has a small white bulb at the base, which gives it a slight spiciness. In most it is used for salads and additions to the first and second courses. In some countries it is grilledor deep fried.
2. Onion is one of the most popular types. It is used for cooking first and second courses, side dishes and even desserts. During the heat treatment, the bitter taste becomes spicy sweet.
3. White onions are most often used raw. So it most clearly emphasizes the taste of the products that complement the dish.
4. Red onion has a pronounced sweet taste, ideal for salads. No less popular in marinated form, served as an addition to meat and fish dishes.
5. Leek has a fibrous structure, the white part is more often used for making soups, stewing. The green part is suitable for baking as a whole, stuffing.

Having decided on the choice of variety, you can proceed to cutting. The following photo shows how to cut the onion into cubes, strips or half rings.

Cutting methods

In haute culinary arts, there are many techniques for slicing vegetables to suit certain types of dishes. In a simple everyday kitchen, onions are most often cut into rings, half rings, cubes, straws and finely chopped. When cutting into rings, the vegetable is peeled and, holding the onion firmly with your fingers, cut the rings of the desired size.

Cutting into half rings requires cutting the onion in half after peeling. The half is laid with a cut to the cutting board, holding the knife parallel to the board, cut the onion in half rings of the required thickness. Finely chopped onions are used to prepare various dishes. For slicing, cut the onion in halflongitudinal frequent cuts, after which the onion is cut across, maintaining a slice thickness of 1.5-2 mm.

Cutting technology

To get even cubes of the right size, you must follow the technological rules for cutting. Knowing little secrets and subtleties, you can easily understand how to cut onions into cubes. The instruction looks like this:

• vegetable must be peeled without cutting off the rhizomes completely;
• the onion is cut in half, the half is placed cut on the board;
• make horizontal cuts, slightly short of the base;
• longitudinal cuts are made in the same way without cutting the rhizomes;
• at the last stage, cutting is carried out perpendicular to the previous direction.

The result should be even cubes. It is important to remember that maintaining a uniform width of cuts will allow you to cut neat and beautiful.

Why do tears appear?

Many do not like to cut onions because of the strong lacrimation. The maximum amount of a volatile substance is collected at the rhizome of a vegetable, which, upon contact with oxygen, forms a chemical reaction. The caustic gas released during this quickly spreads through the air, irritating the mucous membrane of the eyes.

The peculiarity of the gas lies in its ability to produce sulfuric acid upon contact with the organs of vision. Of course, its concentration is incredibly small, but this is enough to make a person "cry". avoid unpleasantexposure will help some actionable tips from professional chefs.

Cut without tears

Significantly reduce the release of tears will help the preservation of the rhizome. When cleaning, it is not cut off completely, but only cleaned of long and dirty roots. Important: before cutting the onion into cubes for frying, stewing, baking, it is necessary to sharpen the knife with high quality. A sharp blade will help you get the job done faster by reducing the chance of shedding tears.

Pre-chilling the onion in the freezer also makes slicing the onion easier. After cutting it into halves, you can rinse the bulbs under running cold water, only then proceed to cutting. Efficiently cut onions near the hood, fast air circulation dissipates corrosive gas, preventing eye contact.

Kitchen helpers

Only food processors or blenders with a tight lid can completely eliminate the unpleasant consequences of slicing onions. To reduce the process of lacrimation, you can use sweet varieties of onions, in which the concentration of a volatile substance is much lower.

With a certain skill, a special device for cutting vegetables will help to avoid the release of tears. The holder, similar to a regular comb, makes it possible not only to hold the onion while cutting, but also ensures the same size between the cuts. Another great tip is to rub a cutting board with lemon juice before dicing the onion.

Photos showing the process are presented inarticle. However, only regular practice and knowledge of the tricks will help you master the process.